Between 1878 and 1879, so many Memphis residents died or fled the area that the city lost its charter. What caused this massive decline in the city's population?

The cause of this massive decline in the city's population between 1878 and 1879, where a lot of Memphis residents died or fled the area that the city lost its charter is the Memphis Yellow Fever Epidemic. Around 4,000 white people and about 1,000 African-Americans died during this epidemic.