In addition to the thousands of military and civilian deaths directly attributed to battles, the war left tens of thousands of orphaned children and widowed wives. Intense artillery shelling from U.S. forces caused extensive destruction to buildings in many cities, in addition to damage to essential infrastructure. The naval blockade and movement of thousands of troops across the country severely affected the economy, disrupting internal and external trade, and the massive conscription of peasants caused a steep decline in agricultural and mineral production. The political instability created during and immediately after the war eventually led to another civil war in