The Civil War Trust 
estimates that 1.5 million casualties were reported during the Civil War—620,000 killed, 476,000 wounded, and 400,000 captured or missing. In the war's aftermath, many occupations that dealt with these casualties saw significant increases between 1860 and 1870.
The number of artificial limb manufacturers rose from 5 in 1860 to 24 in 1870, and the number of establishments constructing coffins grew from 210 in 1860 to 642 in 1870. Establishment of military cemeteries likely helped increase the number of undertakers from 835 in 1860 to 1,996 in 1870.
The U.S. Census Bureau conducted an oral history [PDF 480KB] of A. Ross Eckler on April 11, 1984. Eckler's 30-year career at the agency included stints as its longest serving deputy director (1949–1965) and director (1965–1969).
After an unsuccesful attempt to break through
the Union Army's lines and join forces with
Confederates in North Carolina, Robert E. Lee
and his Army of Northern Virginia were forced to
surrender to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.
April 9 marks the 150th anniversary of Robert E. Lee's surrender following the Battle of Appomattox Court House. In the weeks prior to the battle, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had abandoned its position in Petersburg, VA, and evacuated the Confederacy's capital—Richmond, VA. Lee hoped to evade the Union army and join Confederate forces in North Carolina; however his attempts to reestablish lines of supply were repeatedly thwarted.
By April 9, the Union army had converged on the Confederate's positions at Appomattox Court House, VA. Reports indicated that a weak point in the Union lines could provide an opportunity for Lee to escape being surrounded and reach desperately needed supplies in Lynchburg, VA. Confederate Major General John B. Gordon exploited this weakness, pushing past Union cavalry defending Lynchburg Road, but soon discovered that corps of the Union Armies of the James and Potomac had moved in to support the cavalry earlier that morning. At 8:30 a.m., Gordon sent word to Lee, "... my command has been fought to a frazzle, and unless [General James] Longstreet can unite in the movement, or prevent these forces from coming upon my rear, I cannot go forward." Outnumbered and surrounded, Lee replied, "There is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths."
The impact the Civil War had on the United States was felt long after Lee's surrender. The following are just a few examples of how census data and records help us understand the United States in the 1860s and how the Civil War changed our nation:
) in October 1865. Lee served as the college's president until his death on October 12, 1870.
Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, only ended the war for the Army of Northern Virginia.
The "final" engagement of the Civil War—the Battle of Palmito Ranch—took place near Brownsville in Cameron County, TX, on
May 12–13, 1865. During that battle, Union Army private John J. Williams was recorded as the Civil War's last battlefield death.
On April 9, 1919, computer pioneer J. Presper Eckert, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, PA.
Eckert and Dr. John Mauchly formed the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation in 1945, and soon began work on the UNIVAC I computer for the U.S. Census Bureau. Delivered in 1951, UNIVAC I tabulated the 1950 Census, the 1954 Economic Census, and several economic surveys.
Eckert became an executive at Remington Rand after it acquired the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation in 1950. In 1986, the company (then named Sperry Rand) merged with Burroughs Corporation forming Unisys. Eckert retired from Unisys in 1989, but continued to consult on projects until his death in June 1995.
The Census Bureau used Unisys computers until decommissioning its last Unisys mainframe—the Unisys Clearpath 4400 [PDF 3.5MB]—in 2010.
Interested in the 1790 to 1940 census records of our nation's presidents, movie stars, and other celebrities? Check out our Famous and Infamous Census Records page!
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