Final answer:
The days after battle were often considered worse due to the aftermath of death, injury, destruction, and emotional trauma. Soldiers and civilians suffered through the consequences of the battle, from property loss and starvation to the mental anguish brought on by fear of defeat and irreversible change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Throughout the historical accounts provided, various reasons are detailed for why the days following battle were often considered worse than the day of the battle itself. Major William Child's letter, though not provided in the excerpts above, could be imagined to mirror the sentiments of despair and devastation seen in other documents. Common themes that emerge in the letters of soldiers and civilians alike include the widespread carnage, the sense of irreversible loss, and the physical and emotional toll the battles exacted on both combatants and non-combatants. After the immediate chaos of battle, the stark reality of the consequences—death, injury, destruction, starvation, and profound grief—became inescapable.
An example is the description of the aftermath of Sherman's march as told by a plantation owner, wherein the loss of property, the destruction of the land, and the emotional impact of forced separations of family and slaves are depicted. In another account, a soldier vividly recounts the reality of illness, malnutrition, and the mental anguish brought on by the fear of defeat.
These letters and narratives collectively underscore the harrowing experiences of war that extended far beyond the battlefield, contributing to the assertion that the post-battle period was a period of compounded suffering—a 'thousand times worse'—accentuated by the knowledge of all that had been irrevocably altered or lost.