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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Numbers--Tanya Hanson

I do have a new release (Midnight Bride), but I'll regale you with that next time. You see, I'm on my way to Atlanta, GA for the Romance Writers of America's national conference. My very first time South...unless one count's DisneyWorld which I really don't. One of my scheduled outings is a visit Thursday night to the Margaret Mitchell House where some great-big-name romance authors are doing an evening reading!

So...that immediately reminded me of Gone With the Wind. Then came to mind other Civil War stuff that has fascinated me, such as the Jimmie Stewart classic movie Shenandoah.  (I just read that Sam Elliott fell in love with Katharine Ross the first time he saw this movie!)  Recent visits to Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry reinforced its allure. Peeking through a flea market find (Civil War Trivia and Fact Book by Webb Garrison) pointed out some wonderful tidbits that I thought inquiring minds might want to know.

1.  Only 28 percent of the 30,500 miles of railroads in 1860 lay in Confederate territory.
  
2.  The two warring capitals, Washington DC and Richmond, VA, are only 100 miles apart. 

3.  Seven states had announced their secession at the time of Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration. (Can you name them?**  See below.)

4.  86 percent of the United States’ manufacturing firms were located in the North.

5.  38 percent of the Confederacy’s population were slaves.

6. Diarrhea, including dysentery, was the most common ailment in the camps and claimed the lives of 44,000 Union soldiers.

7.  More than 68 American Revolutions could have been financed for the estimated cost of the Civil War.




8.  During the years of the conflict, 2,778,304 men were enlisted in all the branches of the Union forces.



9.  Four states were classified as “border states”, meaning they remained in the Union but had strong ties to the South. (Can you name them?*** See below.)

10. New Orleans was the Confederacy’s largest city, with an 1860 census of 168,000.

11. New York, with its 1860 population exceeding 800,000, was the North’s largest city.

12. Due to inflation in the Confederacy, the price of a pound of tea was $10.00 by the end of 1862.

13.  On New Year’s Day 1865, 55 percent of the Confederate fighting forces was listed as AWOL.

14. The tallest man in the Union forces was Captain Van Buskirk of the 27th Indiana.  Six feet, ten and one-half inches.


15.  The shorted man in the Union forces was a private in the 192nd Ohio.  Three feet, four inches.

16.  There were 33 states in the Union in 1860.

17.  In 1861, a Union soldier’s monthly salary was $13.

18.  As president of the United States, Abe Lincoln’s annual salary was $25,000.

19.  About 200,000 blacks eventually served in the Union army and navy.



20.  Union regiment, the First Minnesota, lost 82 percent at Gettysburg, the highest percentage of one-battle casualties.


21. By the war’s end, 12,912 graves had been filled at infamous Andersonville Prison. (total deaths is believed much higher.) 


22.  When Harper’s Ferry fell to Stonewall Jackson, he seized 73 cannon and 13,000 small arms from the arsenal there. And 10,000 prisoners.

23. Thirty six (36) horses were needed to pull the six guns of a standard field battery, three pairs in tandem per gun.

24.  Six Confederate generals were killed at Gettysburg.

25.  Black troops participates in 450 battles and skirmishes.

26.  The most popular handgun in the North with about 200,000 manufactured between 1860-1872 was the Colt Army and Navy revolver.

27.  The weight of a shell thrown by a 13-inch mortar (the largest in use then) was 220 pounds.

28.  Three of the 2,300 Federal chaplains, received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I hope you didn’t mind a history lesson today! Which fact did you find the most interesting?

** South Carolina; Mississippi; Florida; Alabama; Georgia; Louisiana, and Texas.


*** Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri

19 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the info...So cool! And, I'm so excited for your trip ... have an AMAZING time! The cost of tea and the difference in populations between the largest cities north and south were pretty interesting...thanks again for sharing! Karen

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  2. Have to say that I don't know much about the South or the Civil War. You have piqued my interest.

    Enjoy your trip! And looking forward to ALL of your future books.

    Eileen

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  3. Love Civil Wzar history. Great post Tanya!

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  4. Always nice to learn new things! I like knowing I make more than Abe Lincoln.

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  5. Tanya, this is really interesting. I love trivia, and these facts about the Civil War make me curious all over again. LOL I don't think we fully grasp the hardships and full scope of "numbers" of deaths and injuries, etc. of the Civil War in our modern world. And the lack of medicine. Very interesting--thanks for a great post. $25,000 was a lot of money for the president to be making back then, wasn't it!

    Hope you have a wonderful time at RWA. I've never been but am hoping to be able to go at some point.

    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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  6. Hi Karen, yeah, it'll be fun but I'm all nervous and twirly right now getting all the last minute stuff done... I just love learning new things. Thanks so much for posting today!

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  7. hi Eileen, wow, ALOHA for commenting during your wonderful vacation! Enjoy those turtles. Oh, and thanks for reading my books LOL. xo

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  8. Hi Jennie, it is such a tragic yet interesting war. Amazing that for the first time, so much could be captured by photography. Thanks for stopping by today!

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  9. Hi Randi, LOL..although that seems an absolute fortune for the time. I made such a pittance when I started teaching last century. I just love everything about Abe Lincoln...thanks for posting!

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  10. Hi Cheryl, I recently read a fascinating novel, The Widow of Gettysburg, that was full of accurate fact. Wow, what heartbreaking carnage. I can't even imagine war of any kind, but right in your backyard or on your farm? Or your house being conscripted by the enemy as a hospital. Yikes. Thanks for stopping by today.

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  11. All of this is interesting, Tanya. I suppose we all knew much of this on a superficial level, such as the number of deaths overall, but to see it all written down and categorized is very special.
    The Civil War is the most embarrassing and devastating debacle in our nation's history. I'm not sure we'll ever get over it.
    Most of Texas was barely in the War, and few battles were fought. Unless a particular town or area had some special reason, most of Texas went about their business.
    Texas was most affected when the War ended, and hundreds of thousands of black poured across the Texas state line. Today? East Texas is still predominantly black, where those first citizens landed...and remained.
    Wonderful post. Have enough fun for all of us at RWA nationals!

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  12. Thanks for sharing all these interesting facts. What I possible knew about the Civil War is far back in my brain.... probably never to be seen again. This was informative and educational (and fun....strange word to use, perhaps). Have fun in the South. Try to stay cool. Lemonade on the veranda??

    Tari

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  13. Hi Celia, I remember the influx to Texas. War sure changes things. I think the Civil War will always fascinate me, ever since Gone with The Wind and more recently, visiting Harpers Ferry and Gettysburg.

    Oh, I'm sure I'll enjoy Atlanta. One thing I'm doing is attending a reading by Susan Elizabeth Phillipps at Margaret Mitchel's house! Yay. I'll take pix. Thanks for the nice send-off. xo

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  14. Hi Tari, my beloved friend from Oz. I am fearful of the heat, I must say. You know a hot day here at home is 80 degrees. Oh well, it's good for me to do and learn new things LOL. Thanks so much for posting today! xoxo

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  15. Hi Tanya,
    I've always been interested in the Civil War. I wrote a book about it! But my trip to Gettysburg was still an eye-opener. It's easy to see why that battle was the turning point in the war. So many Confederate soldiers were lost. I was surprised to see there were greater losses from the Minnesota units, but I shouldn't be. It was a devastating battle.

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  16. Tanya, all were fascinating, but I found #15 and #27 especially interesting. I have heard that more men died in the Civil War than in World War II.

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  17. Awesome facts, Tanya. I've always been interested in the Civil War and the way it was carried on. I can't believe so many horses were needed to pull the cannon.

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  18. Hi Tanya, I do have your book in my kindle. I just gotta carve out more time to read. But seems once you're done with galley edits etc. there's the next book to start writing. Thanks so much for posting...I'm kinda late responding to these last few comments. Atlanta is great, but I'm at the point of overwhelm. And I miss you! It was wonderful meeting up with you at RWA last year. Xo

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  19. Hi Caroline and Paisley my fellow sweethearts.noh, it was such a tragic thing, such a scourge. At the art museum, today ( I'm trying to do a few tourist things.) I saw a collection of Civil War photos...heart rending. Thanks for commenting! Xo

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