What Was Life with Small Pox Like in the Revolutionary War with Michael Troy.

Today, we depart from our pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 to discuss what was easily the number one killer of colonial Americans in the Revolutionary War - infectious disease. Ten times as many died from small pox than died as a casualty of fighting in all the battles of the war. It is estimated that battle casualties totaled 5-6,000 while disease (infections like small pox and the like) killed between 40-50,000. The toll paid by the civilian population was even worse as loose estimates put the death toll at 100,000 from infection.

Why Was Small Pox so bad?

Small pox is a fairly infectious virus that can only survive in humans. It is also very old. as remains of the poxing has been found in mummified remains of ancient Egyptians. The mortality rate in the late 18th century was around 10-20% of the population in Europe which was more urban that other parts of the world. Small pox, as its name implies created pustules all over an infected individuals skin which would burst and exuded infectious pus. Aside from the obvious skin manifestations, there was sometimes severe breathing difficulties and blindness that could result from a course of small pox. If an individual survived the disease, they would be immune for life.

What was life like in colonial America in the late 1700s?

It's important before talking about the impact that small pox had on British and American forces to look at what life was like with infectious disease in colonial America in the late 1700s. There were obviously no antibiotics, there was no understanding of germ theory - only that small pox seemed to spread from infected people to those not infected - and there was no health care system to help people while they tried to recover. Basically, death was a common occurrence in colonial America. More than half of all people born would not see their 16th birthday. 12% of children died before they turned one. Death was common, suffering was complete with almost no medications available, and luck was a key to survival.

Most of the Deaths in the Revolutionary War Came From Disease - not Guns.

War and civilian casualties are not precise but it is estimated that battle deaths accounted for between 4-5000 throughout the war. Death to soldiers from disease (which was usually small pox) was 40-50,000. Civilian deaths to small pox are though to have been as high as 100,000. The reason small pox became such a big problem in the colonies was that a normally rural population suddenly began living in close quarters with other people. The nature of the militia was a big factor as well because the soldiers would travel back and forth from the army to their homes and towns effectively spreading small pox into places where exposure would ordinarily have been very rare.

What Effect Did Small Pox Have on the Fighting Forces?

Small pox played a large role in reducing the size and effectiveness of the armies in the colonies. In fact, the colonial army launched a campaign to invade Canada early in the war and managed to capture Quebec. Unfortunately, small pox infections and deaths were so bad that 1/3-1/2 of the fighting force died meaning that they could not hold Quebec and had to retreat. In fact, about 12% of all British soldiers died in transit either to or from the colonies because of small pox and scurvy which was caused by a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Did they Vaccinate in the War?

A process called inoculation was used by the British on many of their troops. It consisted of giving the soldiers a very small dose of the small pox virus and hoping that they would gain immunity. The process had an estimated success rate of 98% but left the soldiers bed ridden for weeks or months. The British recognized that inoculation was an effective means of having a good fighting force in the wars they fought in Europe earlier in the century. The colonial army initially didn't have soldiers signed up to serve more than a few months at a time which made inoculation impossible. However, by the middle of the war, George Washington began signing soldiers up to multiple year contracts and began the inoculation to the army at Valley Forge. The vaccine was not developed until nearly the end of the century by Edward Jenner by using cow pox pus.