Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.
The March of the Destroyer: The New Bern Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1864
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21622
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Abstract:
The 1864 yellow fever epidemic in New Bern was exacerbated through ignorance and a reluctance to spread panic amongst the civilian population. The first signs of sickness were originally attributed to other diseases and efforts to contain the 'miasma' believed to cause the illness failed. Once the epidemic was contained through evacuation, a Confederate plot to initiate germ warfare was discovered. This led some to believe Dr. Luke Blackburn used contaminated clothing to start the sickness, but it is very unlikely that was the case.
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