Payable in Blood
At the beginning of the American Civil War, the main sources of public communication were a combination of the telegraph and newspapers. Reporters would send dispatches “from the front”, and newspapers would publish the military outcomes for the world to see. At the beginning of the conflict, both sides waited for the “great victory”, that would signal the end. But as the war dragged on for four long years, Americans, North and South, realized that victory had a price.
It was called “the butcher’s bill”: the roster of the wounded, missing, and dead. In the early battles, like Fort Sumter, Bull Run and Wilson’s Creek, the “bill” was relatively short. But after the two-day struggle at Shiloh in the spring of 1862 there were over 23,000 on the list. Both North and South began to realize how high the cost would be. And Shiloh was just the beginning.
Antietam in Maryland had just as many on the list, but lasted only one day that fall. Fredericksburg in December had “only” 18,000, but two-thirds of those were Union troops. And the next year, 1863, would be even worse.
Americans on all sides no longer looked forward to “news from the front”. Everyone knew of a father, son, friend, or colleague who was on the battle line. The dispatches weren’t times for celebration, they were full of dread. Almost 50,000 casualties in three days at Gettysburg in the summer of 1863. Over 100,000 lost in the Overland Campaign in May and June in 1864.
The policies of the Federal government (and the Confederate one) had real consequences. The Butcher’s Bill wasn’t just paid in taxes or laws, it was payable in blood.
Consequences
There is an old political phrase: elections have consequences. In 2024, like it or not, the United States narrowly chose Donald Trump to be President. (And for those who argue Trump had an election mandate – the numbers belie that. Trump won by 1.3 million, or 1.5% of the vote. That’s a “squeaker” in American election terms, not a “mandate”).
There are very real consequences from Trump’s ascension to the Presidency for the second time, and it’s not just about putting his name on the Kennedy Center (or spending a night watching it come down). The President who put MMA on the White House lawn and Pete Hegseth in charge of America’s defense, has also adopted policies that have real consequences in the world. Trump presented America with a war in Iran, and a militarized internal police within our borders. Both of those include a “butcher’s bill”.
The Iran War has cost Americans 13 dead, and 381 wounded so far. But US actions (along with our ally Israel) started a war that has killed over 7500 and injured over 40,000, mostly civilians caught in the crossfire of battle. (Iran War – US – 13 dead, 381 wounded, totals – 7500 killed, almost 40000 wounded Al Jazzira).
Here at Home
ICE, Border Patrol and other Homeland Security actions (and protests against them) resulted in six dead. And over forty have died in ICE custody, held in “warehouses” in conditions that are inhumane. And the direct ravages to our traditional Constitutional rights, which always included those in the United States “without papers”, will continue to have a real price in terms of lives. (ICE custody – 40 dead (ACLU), six dead during protests (NY Times).
And even more dramatically, the Trump/Musk/DOGE destruction of USAID, America’s exercise in soft diplomacy that influenced much of the third world, has a real “butcher’s bill”. Harvard’s School of Public Health estimates 750,000 deaths, many of them children, from the sudden severing of American aid to the world in 2025 (Harvard).
Our Bill Too
Trump and the Republican majority of Congress has cut American health care as well. Medicaid is already cut to millions of Americans, and plans are for future strictures. The high cost of insurance means that many of those left out, will be unable to access regular health care. That also has a very real “price”, a “butcher’s bill”. Yale’s school of Public Health estimates at least 1500 deaths, and possibly as many as 50,000 (Yale).
And it should be no surprise that the world is turning away from America. Not only has Trump wrecked the world economy (price per gallon of gas in Germany $8.75, in the United Kingdom $8.10, Norway $10.37) with his “war of choice” in the Middle East. He has turned a blind eye turned to our ally Israel’s actions there, and demonstrates his willingness to continue the “Butcher’s Bill” regardless of the price.
I don’t believe, at least, I don’t want to believe, that these outcomes were the conscious choice of most America voters, even those who chose to give our fate to Donald Trump and his cohorts one more time. I don’t believe they were willing to accept the “butcher’s bill” now presented, already paid in other’s blood.
But in case you missed it, that’s exactly what we’ve done.
