3 Fun Facts About the Civil War

American history, in particular, is one of the most engaging subjects to learn about. One thing that still fascinates me today is the Civil War of 1861. Whether you do not enjoy history or simply aren’t interested, stick around for a couple of facts about it. You might find yourself hooked!

Northern America and Southern America did not get along well. While the North, or the Union, was fighting for reunification, Southerners, or Confederates, retaliated for independence. As the feud progressed further, though, it seemed that a mere disagreement wasn’t the case. Economic, political, and social issues began to come into play, like the abolition of slavery. It had turned into war, a war that went on for another four years. Finally, the North won, thanks to their superior resources and effective leadership. Naturally, the success didn’t come easy—there were quite a few casualties.

1. More men died in the Civil War than in any other American conflict.

Approximately 2 percent of America’s population died throughout the war. Although this may not seem like much, 2 percent of the population in America today is about 6 million men. So, this came to be more than 620,000 fallen men by the time it ended. This was more than in the Vietnam War, Korean War, World War I, and World War II combined. So you could imagine how much damage was truly done in the aftermath.

2. Soldiers were not paid much for their duties.

It would be safe to assume, hearing how many casualties there were, that soldiers were at least fairly compensated for their service. Unfortunately, this was not necessarily the case. If you were a white Union soldier, you made about thirteen dollars a month, while a black man made seven. Even the Confederates made about eleven dollars a month, despite not making anything at all on longer trips.

3. The demographics of the Union soldiers varied drastically.

Taking a break from the more demeaning facts, one that caught my eye regarded numbers that differed when it came to the demographics of soldiers. Given, white American-borns made up roughly 66 percent of the soldiers in the Union Army. However, some 25–33 percent were immigrants, and another 10 were black men. There were many different ethnic groups within that made the Union a team that prospered and ended up winning the war.

Hopefully, you found some of these fun facts about the Civil War interesting. They might have rung a bell from back in the eighth grade or been completely new to you. If it was, don’t worry—you learn something every day!