New estimate made of Civil War dead
09/22/2011
Published: Sept. 21, 2011 at 7:46 PM
An injured Union solder is taken from the battle field during during the reenactment of the Battle of Bull Run at Brawner Farm in Manassas, Virginia on July 24, 2011. This event marked the 150th anniversary of the the first major battle of the Civil War. UPI/Kevin Dietsch
BINGHAMTON, N.Y., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- An analysis of historic census figures reveals the death toll in the U.S. Civil War was higher than previously estimated, a historian says.
J. David Hacker of Binghamton University in New York says the war's dead numbered about 750,000, an estimate 20 percent higher than the commonly cited figure of 620,000, a university release reported Wednesday.
Many historians agree the 620,000 estimate is flawed, as neither the Union nor the Confederacy kept standardized personnel records.
"There are also huge problems estimating mortality with census data," Hacker said. "You can track the number of people of certain ages from one census to the next, and you can see how many are missing," but people are routinely undercounted, he said.
Many historians agree the 620,000 estimate is flawed, as neither the Union nor the Confederacy kept standardized personnel records.
"There are also huge problems estimating mortality with census data," Hacker said. "You can track the number of people of certain ages from one census to the next, and you can see how many are missing," but people are routinely undercounted, he said.