Diseases Killed more Soldiers than Bullets

Did you know …

Some Civil War soldiers caught smallpox, a contagious and sometimes fatal disease.

Susie King Taylor serves as nurse

One Civil War nurse, Susie King Taylor, drank sassafras tea constantly. She believed that drinking this tea kept her blood clean, preventing her from catching smallpox. This was a common belief in Civil War times.

Sassafras tea may have helped Susie remain strong

Even today, many people claim that sassafras tea is a blood purifier (cleanser), but there’s no evidence that it kept Susie from catching this disease.

Cases of varioloid, which is form of smallpox, broke out among some of the soldiers. One soldier had an extremely serious case of the disease. He was separated from others and placed in his own tent. To prevent others from catching the illness, only the doctor was allowed to see him. Susie decided to continue nursing him every day. She had been vaccinated to protect her from the disease. She also made sure that she drank sassafras tea before going into the soldier’s tent to care for him. She believed the tea kept her blood in good condition.

Smallpox vaccinations

The military and those who traveled with them received smallpox vaccinations through a scratch on the skin. Tiny doses of the disease were given to the soldiers in this way so that their bodies could develop immunity and prevent more serious infections.

Pneumonia, malaria, typhoid, and dysentery killed more Civil War soldiers than smallpox.

Hard living conditions

Hard living conditions added to the problem. Soldiers often drank contaminated water and ate spoiled meat. They might wear the same clothes for months without bathing. They slept outside in the rain, sleet, and snow. They were exhausted from long marches. It was hard to keep warm in the winter, so it was easy to become sick.

Diseases killed more soldiers than battle wounds.

– Sandra Merville Hart