b) Disease

The leading cause of soldier deaths in the Civil War was disease. Conditions in camps were often unsanitary, with poor hygiene, overcrowding, and inadequate medical care contributing to the spread of illnesses like dysentery, typhoid, and malaria. These diseases, rather than battlefield injuries, accounted for the majority of the approximately 620,000 soldier deaths during the war. The lack of understanding of disease transmission and the limited medical knowledge of the time made Civil War camps breeding grounds for these deadly illnesses.