Josh Howard, a research historian with the Office of Archives and History, wants to correct this situation in time for the Civil War Sesquicentennial starting next year. He is preparing the North Carolina Civil War Death Study which will be part of a state Civil War Atlas published by UNC during the five-year commemoration.
He will be challenging the long-held state boast that North Carolina sacrificed the most men of any Confederate state in the cause of Southern Independence.
Ever since 1866, the number of war deaths used by all states has been based on a federal study by General James B. Fry. He and his clerks examined Union and captured Confederate muster rolls as well as regimental reports to determine those lost from fighting, diseases, accidents and those who died in prison.
Using Fry's numbers, North Carolina's total comes to 40,275, more than twice that of the second highest number posted by South Carolina which had 17,612.
Howard calls Fry's numbers "incorrect and misguided."
Some interesting information he has found:
** About 2000 North Carolina blacks and whites died in Union service.
** No North Carolina women died in military action during the war.
** No blacks died serving the state in Confederate service.
It is a great effort on Mr. Howard's part to accomplish this death roll. He is to be commended. I know I wouldn't want to go through that many accounts.
A Project Long Overdue. --Old B-Runner
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