Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War
If you couldn’t tell from my bookshelves, I greatly admire President Abraham Lincoln – not only for his obvious leadership and the fact he’s from my home state of Illinois, but also for his persistence.
Lincoln was born poor, soon lost his mother, later lost his first love to fever, married a woman who became mentally ill, lost eight political elections, twice failed in business, and elected president of the United States in 1860. Re-elected in 1864. He was the only president during the American Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865.
Over 1.3 million people died from the American Civil War or about three percent of the American population. Three percent of today’s 300 million population is nine million! The death toll included 618,000 soldiers. Based on 1860 census figures, eight percent of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including six percent in the North and an extraordinary 18 percent in the South. Of 180,000 African Americans who served in the Union army, 20 percent did not survive. Some reports say two-thirds of all deaths were due to disease.
Back in 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in Springfield, the capital of Illinois. My wife and I were among the first to visit. The museum is very impressive and was definitely worth the three-hour drive. The most moving and powerful part of the experience was a four-minute animated video showed during the American Civil War exhibit. I just discovered the video on YouTube today and thought I’d share it. Take note of the casualty counter in the bottom righthand corner.
