The Human Cost
75,000
estimated total dead
The displayed 75,000 is a broad estimate across American, British, German, French, Loyalist, civilian, and Indigenous deaths. Disease and prison-ship mortality dominate some categories, and Indigenous losses remain poorly recorded.
Each dot below represents 1,000 human lives. Scroll to watch the scale unfold.
Working allocation: 50,000 soldiers killed in combat, from wounds, or from disease. Each = 1,000 lives.
25,000 civilians killed — from violence, famine, disease, and displacement. Wars are not fought only by soldiers.
How Revolution's dead compare to other conflicts and events.
4,435 dead
~4,435 Americans killed in direct combat — lower than most estimates
8,000 dead
~8,000 American prisoners died on British prison ships in New York Harbor
25,000 dead
~25,000 total American military dead from all causes including disease