1. Improved Weaponry: Advances in firearm technology led to more efficient and deadlier weapons. Rifles with increased accuracy and longer range allowed soldiers to inflict more casualties from greater distances. Additionally, the introduction of rifled artillery pieces resulted in more destructive and accurate shelling.
2. Large-Scale Armies: The Civil War mobilized unprecedentedly large armies. The Union raised over 2 million soldiers during the war, while the Confederacy had approximately 1 million men in its ranks. The sheer number of troops involved meant a significantly higher potential for casualties.
3. Medical Deficiencies: Medical practices and knowledge were still rudimentary during the Civil War. Limited understanding of sanitation, disease prevention, and surgical techniques meant that soldiers who were wounded often faced high risks of infection, complications, and death.
4. Amputations: Given the limited medical resources and technology available, amputation was often the only option for soldiers with severe limb injuries. This resulted in a large number of amputees among Civil War veterans.
5. Field Tactics: Early in the Civil War, military commanders employed outdated tactics that emphasized large-scale frontal assaults against entrenched positions. Such tactics exposed soldiers to concentrated enemy fire and led to devastating casualties. Eventually, new strategies developed, but the early war years were particularly bloody.
6. Guerrilla Warfare: The war occasionally descended into guerrilla warfare, especially in border states and territories. Guerrilla tactics often resulted in indiscriminate violence and increased civilian casualties.
7. Total War: As the war dragged on, it transformed into a conflict of total war, where both sides aimed to cripple the enemy's economy, resources, and infrastructure. This involved targeting civilian industries and resources, which led to increased suffering and casualties among non-combatants.
8. Duration of the War: The Civil War was a prolonged conflict that lasted four years, far longer than many anticipated. With each passing day, there were opportunities for more battles and, consequently, more casualties.
It is estimated that over 620,000 soldiers died during the American Civil War, more than in any other conflict in U.S. history. The combination of advanced weaponry, the large scale of the armies involved, deficient medical care, and the overall length and intensity of the war contributed to the immense human cost of the Civil War.