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After the Civil War, someone compiled a list of so-called "Fighting Regiments," citing those units that had participated in a high proportion of major battles during the war. As you can imagine, the 16th Maine was on the list! You will note that more men in the 16th died of disease than died as a result of combat. This was almost always the case in every regiment. It can be attributed to the lack of medical knowledge of the times, the lack of modern medicines such as penicillin and other antibiotics, the crowded and often unsanitary conditions around camps, and the general hardships of arduous campaigns. Men who came from remote rural areas had often never been exposed to common diseases such as measles, mumps and chicken pox. Did you know that if you contract one of these diseases as a child, you will probably recover quickly; but if you catch one of them as an adult, it can be fatal? This is what happened to many soldiers almost as soon as they joined up with a regiment and became exposed. Things were much
worse for units that were sent into the deep south and into a climate
for which they were wholly unprepared. The 2nd Maine Cavalry served
for one year in Louisiana and Florida. In the space of that time they
lost 10 men in battle, while 334 of their number died of disease.
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16th Maine Infantry
Engagements:
South Mountain, MD - September 14, 1862 (Antietam Campaign) Casualties 1,907
Enrollment |
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Page Created
October 2, 2002