Mosquito Soldiers: Malaria, Yellow Fever, and the Course of the American Civil War

Abstract

Andrew McIlwaine Bell's study of mosquito-borne illness during the war offers a fresh approach to Civil War scholarship by suggesting that the incidence of yellow fever and malaria helped shape the events of the war. The need for such studies is great since the trend in Civil War historiography has been practically to ignore the impact of disease altogether. Adopting a natural-realist approach, Bell forges a connection between epidemiology and military history in exploring the impact of malaria and yellow fever and argues that these diseases made a crucial difference in the outcome of several campaigns. In McIlwaine's view “mosquitoes have done more to shape our history than most people realize” (116). The book is divided into seven chapters plus useful appendices. The geographical scope of the study is limited mainly to the South. The first two chapters set the stage by considering the distinctiveness of the region, including endemic southern diseases, typical remedies, and how southern diseases were understood. Both North and South, armies exploited and were vulnerable to the ravages of these diseases. There was fear among some northern commanders about fighting in the “unhealthy” south while this bolstered the confidence of Confederate commanders that the sickly season would help to disrupt their opponent's operations. But Anopheles and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes did not discriminate and southern soldiers proved equally vulnerable to the “southern diseases” challenging ideas about immunity (20). Chapter 2 examines the hazards of disease for the Civil War soldier. Soldiers on both sides frequently commented on their frustration with the mosquitoes in the south, but neither soldiers nor physicians realized that these “gallinippers” were transmitting malaria and yellow fever. In the attempt to manage yellow fever, physicians experimented with various remedies including lead, creosote, calomel, and carbolic acid which generally “did more harm than good” (32). Mosquito nets or quinine, however, proved effective against malaria. Rebel troops had difficulty procuring quinine and were forced to rely on local remedies such as turpentine plasters and various indigenous barks. As Bell demonstrates, the availability of medicine greatly affected the experience of these diseases. Owing to the effectiveness of the Union naval blockade, “Confederate soldiers and civilians suffered immensely” (112).