Studying the American Civil War can be fascinating. Read these ten interesting facts. Below you will find links to a printable version. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find a staggered flip chart organizer and timeline to use during your study of the Civil War.
Get the handouts for this post including the timeline foldable organizer in printable format.
1. Lincoln’s Hat Shot
In August 1863 while Abraham Lincoln was heading home from the White House, someone took a shot at him. The bullet went through his hat. Lincoln asked the guards to keep the incident quiet because he did not want to worry his wife.
2. Fort Sumter
The first confrontation of the Civil War took place on April 12, 1861, when Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter beginning the war. The war ended on April 9, 1865, when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House. The beginning and end dates were used in creating the title of the Civil War novel Across Five Aprils.
3. Deaths
Approximately 625,000 men died in the Civil War. This is more than any other American War.
Major U.S. War | U.S. Deaths | Date |
American Revolutionary War | 25,000 | 1775 – 1783 |
Civil War | 625,000 | 1861 – 1865 |
World War I | 116,516 | 1917 – 1918 |
World War II | 405,399 | 1941 – 1945 |
Korean War | 36,516 | 1950 – 1953 |
Vietnam War | 58,209 | 1955 – 1975 |
Gulf War | 258 | 1990 – 1991 |
Afghanistan War | 2,229 | 2001 – Present |
Iraqi War | 4,800 | 2003 – 2011 |
Get the handouts for this post including the timeline foldable organizer in printable format.
4. Size of the Armies
The Union Army had 2,100,000 soldiers. This was almost twice the size of the Confederate Army of 1,064,000.
5. Number of Slaves
Of the 9 million people living in the Southern States, 3.4 million were slaves. Two states actually had more slaves than free people: Mississippi and South Carolina. These slaves were worth more than 2 billion dollars.
6. Uniforms
During the first few battles of the Civil War, soldiers did not have regular uniforms. This made knowing who was the enemy difficult.
7. Disease
More men died from disease than in the actual fighting.
Top Ten Causes of Military Deaths
Cause | Confederacy | Union |
1. Killed in action | 54,000 | 67,000 |
2. Dysentery/Diarrhea | 50,000 | 45,000 |
3. Wounds | 40,000 | 43,700 |
4. Typhoid | 30,000 | 34,800 |
5. Prison | 26,100 | 31,200 |
6. Pneumonia | 17,000 | 20,000 |
7. Malaria | 20,000 | 10,000 |
8. Smallpox | 8,000 | 7,000 |
9. Tuberculosis | 7,000 | 7,000 |
10. Measles | 6,000 | 5,2000 |
8. Worst Battles
The bloodiest day in U.S. military history took place at Antietam on September 17, 1862, when more than 5,000 soldiers died.
Top Bloodiest American Civil War Battles
Battle / Date / Place | Commanders | Forces Engaged | Winner | Casualties |
Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 PA |
Robert E. Lee (S) George G. Meade (N) |
75,000 (S) 82,289 (N) | North | North: 23,049 South: 28,063 Total: 51,112 |
Chickamauga Sept. 19-20, 1863 GA |
Braxton Bragg (S) William S. Rosecrans (N) |
66,326 (S) 58,222 (N) | South | North: 16,170 South: 18,454 Total: 34,624 |
Chancellorsville May 1-4,1863 VA |
Robert E. Lee (S) Joseph Hooker (N) |
60,892 (S) 133,868 (N) | South | North: 17,278 South: 12,821 Total: 30,099 |
Spotsylvania May 8-19 VA |
Robert E. Lee (S) Ulysses S. Grant (N) |
50,000 (S) 83,000 (N) | South | North: 18,300 South: 9,000 Total: 27,399 |
Antietam (Sharpsburg) Sept. 17, 1862 MD |
Robert E. Lee (S) George B. McClellan (N) |
51,844 (S) 75,316 (N) | Draw | North: 12,410 South: 13,724 Total: 26,134 |
Wilderness May 5-7, 1864 VA |
Robert E. Lee (S) Ulysses S. Grant (N) |
61,025 (S) 101,895 (N) | Draw | North: 17,666 |
9. Age of the Soldiers
The average Civil War soldier was 23 years old. He averaged 5’8” tall and weighed about 143 pounds.
10. Slaves Escaping
Before the Civil War, approximately 5,000 slaves tried to escape each year. Once the Civil War began, about 5,000 slaves tried to escape each month.
All 3 handouts for this post have been merged into one for your convenience. All 3 links go to the same pdf. This handout includes the following:
Ten Interesting Facts . . . The American Civil War
Free Printable American Civil War Timeline Organizer
&
Civil War Timeline
Want to learn more?
Check out Famous People Interviews. This post goes over a class project in which students dressed up as famous people and were interviewed as if they were these people by classmates. This great project helped students learn details about historical people our teaching standards required the students to learn. A timeline template is provided with this post. A sample completed timeline is provided for Abraham Lincoln.
You might also be interested in I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863.
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Hi Ms. Miller,
I would like to start by telling you how much I absolutely love using your novel studies to teach my 5th grade class. We just finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and are getting ready to start City of Ember. I recommend you to all of my colleagues as well and my principal is amazed by your work! I was wondering if you have any plans of doing any historical based novel studies. There is a really great book called Jeffersons Sons that I would love to teach to tie in the social studies curriculum but I can not find a unit on it anywhere and quite honestly at this point in my career and life I am not comfortable creating my own. Any chance you could help me out?
Thank you so much! This Civil War Organizer is a life saver, and you are a saint to provide it for free.
I would love a copy of your Civil War foldable for my 5th grade class.
Thank you,
Charlotte
Author
Just click on the image of the foldable organizer and it will download.