What physical destruction resulted from the Civil War?

The physical damage of the Civil War is estimated to total over $1.4 billion. That estimate is based on the value of money in 1865. The destruction caused by the conflict between the states is hard to fathom. Cities that were bombarded with artillery fire during siege campaigns were reduced to rubble. These cities were primarily in the south with Charleston, Atlanta, Richmond, and Columbia being prime examples.

The war also had a dramatic environmental...

The physical damage of the Civil War is estimated to total over $1.4 billion. That estimate is based on the value of money in 1865. The destruction caused by the conflict between the states is hard to fathom. Cities that were bombarded with artillery fire during siege campaigns were reduced to rubble. These cities were primarily in the south with Charleston, Atlanta, Richmond, and Columbia being prime examples.

The war also had a dramatic environmental impact that would take decades to heal. Farmlands were converted to battlefields and were physically damaged by the onslaught. Some of the farmlands were deemed important as memorials or cemeteries and were never again used for agriculture. Antietam, Gettysburg, and Arlington are great cases for this point. Deforestation was another environmental concern as artillery fire would commonly destroy forested areas. Forest fires were common during the Civil War as cannon fire would inadvertently set the woods ablaze.

The Civil War also destroyed much of the infrastructure of the South. Railroad lines, water systems, and roads were often deliberate targets for destruction. The demolition of infrastructure added to the costs of rebuilding the South.