Would this have been consistent with european armies of the same time period. In fact the american civil war may have been a relative low point in average weights.
Gettysburg By The Numbers Demographics Teachersfirst
Average height and weight of civil war soldier. One hundred years ago the average american man was 5 feet 7 inches tall the 3rd tallest males in the world. During the civil war the average soldier stood around 57 or 58 and weighed 143 pounds. The shortest man in the regiment was 5 foot 3 inches and the tallest 6 foot 1. According to ken burns the average soldier in the civil war was 58 and 140 pounds which seems exceptionally small and light for a population selected to fight. The union soldiers average load for example averaged between forty four and fifty pounds while the. The civil war is a good example of this height disparity.
For instance in the 44 th massachusetts infantry of the 98 soldiers between the ages of 17 and 40 the average soldiers height was 5 foot 7 inches. Van buskirk of the twenty seventh indiana who stood 6 feet 10½ inches. Malnutrition was so widespread that of the millions who applied to become soldiers almost 40 had to be rejected. Granted the trail driving cowboy didnt carry his mounts feed but the weight of his saddle no doubt made up the difference against the. Incomplete records indicate the average weight was 143¼ pounds. Soldiers were very often significantly lighter than 140.
Today american males are ranked 37th tallest. Women 100 years ago were 5 foot 3 and came in as the 4th. During the civil war american soldiers were on the tall side by world standards. Although the country entered the war at the height of its wealth and power very little of that wealth reached the vast majority of the british people. The tallest man authentically recorded was said to be capt. Today the average height of an adult british caucasian male is about 59.
Statistics were actually taken for large groups of men. The shortest man as far as records go was a member of the 192nd ohio and at the age of 24 he measured 3 feet 4 inches in height.
Gallery of Average Height And Weight Of Civil War Soldier
