Research increases Civil War death toll

CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Research on the U.S. Civil War suggests 750,000 men died on battlefields, a far higher total than originally estimated, a Binghamton University historian said.

David Hacker used 19th century census data to calculate the Civil War dead, determining the total was much higher than the 620,000 estimated after the war ended in 1865, The (Charleston, S.C.) Post Courier reported Sunday.

"The traditional estimate has become iconic," said Hacker, who will publish his findings in the December issue of Civil War History. "I was originally researching census under-counts. If you know mortality rates, it's possible to get a better estimate. I was going with the 620,000 and what I was coming up with didn't make much sense."

The New York university historian said he used census data compiled by the University of Minnesota to examine the decades before and after the Civil War to establish normal survival rates for men and women, then applied that pattern on the 1860s.

Based on his calculations, Hacker said, it appears that 650,000 to 850,000 additional men died during that decade, giving him an average of 750,000.

At Fort Sumter in South Carolina, historian Richard Hatcher told the newspaper he expects the findings will spark discussions.

"Over the last 20 years, most people have settled on 600,000 to 620,000 or 625,000, even 650,000," Hatcher said. "I thought it was a good working number. But I would not be surprised if some academic study said it was higher."

Because the research didn't track individuals, there is no way to determine the home states of the dead, The Post and Courier said.

Hacker said imprecise and lost records mean the number of war dead won't be completely accurate.

"There are always soldiers you're going to miss," he said. "You're always going to be low."