Answer:B. to persuade readers of the seriousness of the American Civil War
Explanation: "about 620,000 soldiers had died on the battlefields, more than American battle deaths in all other wars from the Revolution through the Vietnam War"
The fact that he states how many soldiered have died in this war and how great and alarming this number is when compared to any other wars that America has ever had , shows us that he wants to persuade readers to actual grasp how serious this war is , looking at the lives it has taken .
