Mosquito Soldiers: Malaria, Yellow Fever, and the Course of the American Civil War
Did pesky mosquitoes affect the course of the American Civil War? The goal of this work is to prove that these insects altered the ways both sides fought the war. Most Civil War readers know that disease and sickness resulting from microbes killed twice as many soldiers as bullets did. Building on this foundation, author Bell shows us that diseases like malaria and yellow fever, resulting from mosquito bites, caused senior commanders to alter strategy and deal with one of the most challenging logistical imperatives of warfare: placing a “fit-to-fight” army in the right place, in the right quantity, at the right time. In 1862 both Union and Confederate forces had medical departments that were woefully inadequate to deal with communicable diseases in confined quarters. Additionally, there was only minimal knowledge about how field sanitation and personal hygiene affected the spread of microbial borne diseases. As a result, many commanders did not place latrines, kitchens, mess areas and sleeping quarters in areas with proper drainage. The standing pools of stagnant water became ripe breeding grounds for mosquitoes to multiply. Weather and geographic locations also played an integral part in how much harm the mosquitoes could inflict. Warm-climate areas near bodies of water provided an excellent home for these insects. This is why most of the documented cases of “malarial airs,” miasmas and other conditions occurred predominantly in the southern and coastal portions of the country. Commanders throughout the Civil War were faced with the problem of mustering an adequate number of healthy soldiers each day to engage in whatever combat operations were necessary. Therefore, large numbers of soldiers infected with these communicable diseases caused certain battles and campaigns to be delayed or not even attempted. Those that were attempted might have had different outcomes if the present-for-duty strength of either side had been altered by soldiers suffering from disease as a result of mosquito bites. The author presents an interesting discussion regarding how each side employed the mosquitoes as a form of biological warfare. While the author’s approach is to use specific campaign studies to underscore his research, it becomes a distraction because the chapters appear repetitive. Readers will sense that each one is simply the same story told in a slightly different location or with a different command involved. It is obvious Bell put a tremendous amount of research and effort into this work and clearly met the objective he intended. Unfortunately, two significant drawbacks prevent this reviewer from giving this work an excellent recommendation. It is overpriced for general Civil War readers and is too lengthy. Bell’s narrowly defined focus decreases its audience appeal. Most of our readers are unlikely to spend $30 to read this book unless they have a specific interest in communicable diseases or entomology. Those readers who purchase the book may feel that what was stated in 100+ pages could have just as easily and succinctly been stated in about 40 to 50 pages with some brief examples supporting each main issue. Reviewer: Richard J. Blumberg Richard J. Blumberg has spoken to the Houston Civil War Round Table and Conference on Women in the Civil War and is a coach and mentor to students wishing to do Civil War study projects for National History Day.
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Illustrated, endnotes, appendices, bibliography, index, 192 pp., 2010, Louisiana State University Press,