Existing comment:
1862:
The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with high optimism on both sides that it would be short and easy. As casualties mounted, however, Americans came to realize that the war would be neither short, nor easy. At the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, more Americans died in two days of combat than in all previous American wars combined. In May, Army Surgeon General Hammond established the Army Medical Museum to study and mitigate the effects of combat and disease on Union soldiers. And on September 17 of the same year, the Battle of Antietam became the single bloodiest day in American history, with over 23,000 dead, wounded, and missing. |