Casualty rates, then and now
One of my not-for-work books in August was a history of the decline of the New England fisheries. This paragraph jumped out at me: One night in February, 1862, Gloucester [Massachusetts] alone lost 120 men and 15 fishing vessels to a northeast gale on Georges Bank. A summer gale in 1873 swept the grounds from ...
One of my not-for-work books in August was a history of the decline of the New England fisheries. This paragraph jumped out at me:
One of my not-for-work books in August was a history of the decline of the New England fisheries. This paragraph jumped out at me:
One night in February, 1862, Gloucester [Massachusetts] alone lost 120 men and 15 fishing vessels to a northeast gale on Georges Bank. A summer gale in 1873 swept the grounds from the Grand Banks to Georges, claiming 128 men…. Between 1860 and 1880 The Fishermen’s Book records 1,800 Gloucestermen lost at sea, an average of 90 men a year for a town whose population never exceeded 25,000 people.
Among other things, this makes me understand better how Americans endured the casualty rates of the Civil War.
Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1
More from Foreign Policy
Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.
Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.
The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.
The Masterminds
Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day, written by Alexandra Sharp. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.