Re: MeaslesPosted by Bryan Howerton on July 20, 2001 at 20:06:53: In Reply to: Measles posted by Dorene Ford on July 20, 2001 at 14:57:05: The number of soldiers who died during the measles epidemic will never be known. In many cases, the men died in hospitals or in private homes, but the regiment was not informed, so they were dropped from the rolls with the notation, "not heard from" or "presumed dead". I once did some research on casualties in the 18th (Carroll's) Arkansas Infantry, and estimate that possibly two-thirds of the regiment died of measles, "camp fever" and other diseases before they ever heard a shot fired in anger. At the battle of Corinth in October 1862, their first major action, they were able to muster only a little over 300 men, out of an original 1100. The 21st (Kennedy's) Louisiana Infantry was so decimated by disease that it was disbanded in July 1862. Regarding discharges -- a soldier had to be alive to be discharged for disability. An examination by a surgeon was required before a discharge could be approved. Often, however, soldiers died soon after being discharged, or even before their discharges were approved by higher authority. Burials were determined by where a soldier died. If he died in a general hospital or in a private home, he was often interred in the nearest local cemetery, or in a private family plot. If he died in a camp or in an army hospital, he was usually interred in the vicinity of the camp or hospital. In some cases, these burial sites later became Confederate memorial cemeteries; for example, Camp White Sulphur Springs in Jefferson County, Arkansas. The measles epidemic around Corinth in the Spring of 1862 would make an interesting research project for someone to undertake.
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