A moment from the 4th episode of Ken Burns’ The Civil War that made a particular impression on me was at the beginning of episode 4. When discussing the condition of the Potomac Army, the narrator mentions that the Union soldiers suffered greatly from the lack of provision due to inadequate supplies. There were also numerous ailments plaguing the army, such as scurvy, typhus, and many others. The documentary wraps it up by mentioning that, for every soldier dying because of battle-related causes, two had perished due to illness. This moment was impactful because, when one thinks of war, one usually imagines battles, but these are only a small part of a military conflict as a whole. The documentary serves as a somber reminder that the causes not related to combat directly, such as the seemingly mundane logistical disruptions, can produce a frightening toll in casualties.
One thing that I think is not stressed enough in the documentary is why the attacks in close formations proved so costly and fruitless. The documentary mentions that attacking a well-prepared position defended by cannons and riflemen in bayonet charges caused frightening casualties but does not explain the technical developments that led to this outcome. After all, European armies have used close formations and bayonet charges in the Napoleonic Wars, and one may rightfully wonder what has changed that they stopped working in a matter of several decades. The reason for this development was the breech-loading rifles that were much more accurate and quick to fire than the old flintlocks. Mentioning this technological development would help to explain what gave fire such a tremendous edge over the bayonet in the American Civil War.