The role Portsmouth played in the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in the nation's history, was remarkable by any standard. While most cities, towns, and hamlets in the North gave freely of their men in defense of the Union, few could match Portsmouth in its contribution to the cause. A town of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants during the war, Portsmouth sent almost half of her eligible male residents to serve in the Union army, navy, and marines, and about one in ten of those who served died. These numbers pale when set against the total of 618,000 American combatants on both sides who lost their lives in the war, but in terms of casualty percentage Portsmouth's losses were high.