Over the course of the Civil War, from 2.1 to over 2.4 million men served in the United States Armed Forces. In addition, from 850,000 to over 1,000,000 men served for some period of time in the Confederate Army and Navy. Significantly, of the men who served in the United States Army, over 180,000 were African Americans; another 24,000 blacks served in the United States Navy. More than 86,000 white men from Confederate states served in the United States Army. About 620,000 servicemen died in combat or from wounds or disease, but hundreds of thousands of soldiers returned to their civilian lives transformed by their memories of battle, the enemy, and military life.

Veteran soldiers began to return to civilian life while the fighting continued because terms of service, wounds, and other disabilities allowed men to leave the armed forces before the end of the war. Both governments, however, made an effort...