Civil wars and mortality rates of military commanders: a historical-demographic study

In this paper I would like to accomplish the following tasks: to compare mortality rates of generals in US civil war and Russia one; to explore the maximum life spans of military commanders; and to analyze changes in occupational mobility of commanders before and after the civil war. Both published materials and databases were used to determine mortality rates of generals. Civil wars are a vivid example of meritocracy. They evolve new military talents and give new political leaders. Civil wars are always a turning point in professional and social mobility. After some years of bitter fighting not everyone can pick up the threads. For some, the war was a step towards fame and fortune, for others a step towards disaster, obscurity and misery. History of civil wars suggests that men who started the war as young military leaders actually lived less than those who were in adulthood when the war began. Those who went through all the ordeals, even in the face of economic and political reconstruction (in the U.S.), emigration or political repression (in the USSR) could live to be very old