How many soldiers fought during the Civil War?
KM: 3.8 million men (and many boys) fought during the Civil War, from 1861 – 1865. CWG: How many fought for the Union? KM: 2.8 million fought to preserve the Union, roughly 13% of the total Northern population. CWG: How many fought for the South? KM: Just over 1 million fought for the Confederacy. Considering there were around 5 million non-blacks in the South in 1860, that accounts for roughly 20% of the total Southern (non-black) population. CWG: How common was it to be wounded in the Civil War? KM: For every 1,000 Federals (roughly the size of a Regiment at the beginning of the war), 112 were wounded. That number was higher for Confederates; 150 of every 1,000 Confederates were wounded. CWG: Did battle wounds kill more soldiers or disease? KM: Disease was much more deadly overall. While a Union soldier stood a 1 in 18 chance of dying in battle, he stood a 1 in 8 chance of dying of disease. Johnny Reb stood a 1 in 5 chance of dying of disease and a 1 in 8 chance of dying in combat. C
