Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Dr. Robert C. Kenzer
Abstract
The Civil War cast a shadow of despair over the divided nation as it left an estimated 620,000 men—roughly 2% of the population—dead on American soil, killed by American hands. Death and the Civil War are two subjects that are synonymous with one another; it is impossible to write on the war without commenting on its immense number of casualties. That said, relatively little is known about suicides behind the front lines. Only weeks after the end of the Civil War, Virginian Edmund Ruffin, a proud supporter of the Confederacy, lifted his rifle, placed the muzzle in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Ruffin’s death was the most famous suicide of the Civil War era, but it was far from the only one.
Recommended Citation
Miller, India, "In the midst of life we are in death : suicide coverage in the South during the Civil War era" (2015). Honors Theses. 804.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/804