Friday, November 9, 2012

Wilmington's Fever Continues

From the UNC Libraries' Civil War Day By Day Blog.  Each day, they write about something in their holdings that ties in with that same date during the war.

From the October 16, 1862 Wilmington (NC) Journal.

"The physicians report 66 new cases of Yellow Fever yesterday.  Few make reports of deaths, but from the best information we can obtain, we are led to the belief that the deaths yesterday (Wednesday) will not differ much from those of the two days last preceding them, --say 16 or 16.

From appearances, we are constrained to think that every person resident in Wilmington during the epidemic has had or will have it in some form, more or less malignant.  It was out painful duty yesterday to record the death of Rev. Dr. Drane, of the Episcopal Church.  To-day we find that the very estimable paster of the Catholic Church here, Rev. Thos. Murphey, prostrated by the disease, also Rev. Dr. Corcoran of Charleston.  Both we trust and believe, are in light form, and will soon pass off.  (I'm not quite sure what this sentence means, but likely the two men only had a mild case and will soon get better.)

The fever does not abate, but we are now in the third week of October, and in the natural course of things we must soon have cooler weather, and some relief in that way."

This Epidemic Hit Wilmington Hard, But Life Went On.  --Old B-Runner

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