1861-65 — Apr-June, Measles, Civil War, Union and Confederate forces –11,000

–11,000 NPS. Shiloh National Military Park. “Measles Epidemic Kills Thousands.” Facebook, 2-11-2015.
–11,000 Stover, Ken. “Civil War Diseases. CivilWarAcademy.com. Accessed 3-30-2021.
— 5,177 Burns. Mercy Street. “Behind the Lens: A History in Pictures.” PBS. (Union only?)

Narrative Information

Shiloh National Military Park. “Measles Epidemic Kills Thousands.

“Measles killed around 11,000 soldiers during the Civil War, not as many as dysentery and diarrhea but a sizable number. With so many people gathered in such small areas this disease was able to spread rapidly. About 1 in 20 people who got this disease died. Men from rural areas were especially vulnerable, lacking immunity to the childhood diseases to which their urban counterparts had been exposed. Before the Union 17th Kentucky, left camp at Calhoun, Kentucky where they enrolled, an outbreak of measles “raged through the camp like some attacking army.” According to the unit’s historian, more than 20 men died in those first few months, before they even faced combat at Shiloh. They would lose more men to measles than they would in the battle.

“In the winter of 1861 newly recruited soldiers suffered heavy losses from measles and other diseases. Near Bowling Green, Kentucky, starting in September 1861, the 1st Mississippi and 3rd Mississippi Infantry lost 104 men to measles alone over the next three months. They were among the over 300 Confederate Soldiers who died of measles, typhoid fever, pneumonia and other diseases at Camp Alcorn in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The 12th Iowa, most of whose men were wounded, killed, or captured at Shiloh, had already suffered from measles and other diseases in St. Louis. The 12th Iowa Volunteer Infantry was organized in Dubuque in October and November 1861, left Iowa late in November 1861, and went into quarters at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, for two months. Like its predecessors at the Barracks, the 12th suffered greatly there from diseases. Seventy-five members of the regiment died of measles, pneumonia or typhoid contracted there. At Camp Nelson, Arkansas, during the fall of 1862 an epidemic of measles and typhoid fever ran rampant through the troops there.

“Approximately 1,500 Arkansas and Texas soldiers died of disease during a two-month period and were buried in unmarked graves in the surrounding hills. During the winter of 1861-62 the Confederates had suffered through a severe measles epidemic at Fort Donelson, weakening their garrison. After General Grant’s troops captured the Fort they burned the Confederate winter quarters to remove possible contagion.

“Recommended treatment for measles in this and every other fever was to keep the patient confined to bed. ‘The horizontal position does much to quiet the action of the heart, and equalize the circulation of the blood, while complete exemption from muscular exertion places the constitution in a favorable position to contend with the disease. A uniform temperature, suited to the nature of the case, can only be ensured in bed; and, in measles especially, to avoid chilling draughts is necessary.’ These conditions were often impossible in densely populated camps where the soldiers were often in poorly heated tents or huts. ‘On account of the weakness of the eyes, the room should be kept darkened; and, owing to the irritability of the air-tubes, currents of cold air must be guarded against; because weakness of eyes, hoarseness, or loss of voice, remaining after convalescence, is almost certain to be permanent for life. The popular idea is that persons when sick require to eat to be able to bear the disease, but this impression is very erroneous; for while fever is in the system, the power of digesting food is held in abeyance, and, consequently, solid food taken into the stomach must aggravate the disease, and increase the weakness of the sufferer. It is only by fluids such as can be absorbed without being digested.’ These treatments helped marginally but often the disease simply ran its course unless complications such as pneumonia set in resulting in death.

“So many died from a combination of measles and exposure that commanders frequently refused to accept men for active duty until they had been “put through the measles,” Measles continued to be a common and highly contagious disease. Between 1855 and 2005 measles has been estimated to have killed about 200 million people worldwide. Not until the 1960’s did a vaccine become available to prevent the disease, and those who have not been inoculated are still subject to infection commonly resulting in complications or in some cases death.”

Stover: “Civil War Diseases: Measles

“Measles killed a lot of people during the Civil War around 11,000 soldiers in total. Not as many as other diseases did but it had its fair share. With so many people gathered in such small areas this disease was able to spread rapidly. About 1 in 20 people who got this disease died as a result of it.” (Stover, Ken. “Civil War Diseases. CivilWarAcademy.com.)

Sources

Burns, Stanley B. MD. Mercy Street. “Behind the Lens: A History in Pictures.” PBS. Accessed 3-27-2021 at: http://www.pbs.org/mercy-street/uncover-history/behind-lens/disease/

Shiloh National Military Park. “Measles Epidemic Kills Thousands.” Facebook, 2-11-2015. Accessed 3-30-2021 at: https://www.facebook.com/ShilohNMP/posts/measles-epidemic-kills-thousands-measles-killed-around-11000-soldiers-during-the/771426619613993/

Stover, Ken. “Civil War Diseases. CivilWarAcademy.com. Accessed 3-29-2021 at: https://www.civilwaracademy.com/civil-war-diseases

United States National Park Service, Shiloh National Military Park. “Measles Epidemic Kills Thousands.” 2-11-2015 Facebook post. Accessed 3-30-2021 at: https://www.facebook.com/ShilohNMP/posts/measles-epidemic-kills-thousands-measles-killed-around-11000-soldiers-during-the/771426619613993/

Additional Reading

Barnes, Joseph K. (Surgeon General, United States Army). The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion (1861-65). Part I, Volume. I, Medical History. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1870. Accessed 3-27-2021 at: https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/bookviewer?PID=nlm:nlmuid-14121350RX1-mvpart#page/4/mode/2up