{"id":1307,"date":"2025-01-27T17:01:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T22:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cvbt.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=1307"},"modified":"2025-04-10T10:31:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:31:18","slug":"test-blog-for-copy-all-blocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cvbt.org\/test-blog-for-copy-all-blocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Sickness Has Thinned the Regiment Very Much: Soldiers and Illness in Central Virginia – Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n
\r\n
\n
\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\n

Sickness Has Thinned the Regiment Very Much: Soldiers and Illness in Central Virginia – Part I<\/h1>\n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \"\"\r\n<\/section>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Surgeons Call” from “Life in Camp, Part 1” by Winslow Homer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Library of Congress)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illnesses and disease ravaged the ranks of the contending armies throughout the Civil War. Historians estimate that for every soldier who died in battle, two died from disease. Fighting illness often began before fighting the enemy. Camps of instruction, both North and South, struggled with limiting illnesses that we today usually consider childhood diseases and fortunately often receive immunizations at an early age to prevent or mitigate. However, for mid-19th century Americans diseases like mumps, measles, chicken pox, smallpox, and tuberculosis often proved fatal. Soldiers who were fortunate enough to survive these illnesses, or in rare cases received vaccinations for some of them, still had other health threats to contend with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waterborne diseases were particularly common among Civil War soldiers. It was the fortunate soldier who was able to fill his canteen from a clean well or farm spring. More often than not fighting men scooped up water wherever they found it. Whether their thirst relief came from a stream along the march, a stagnant pond, or a muddy ditch, soldiers were usually more concerned with finding it rather than worrying about its cleanliness or taste. After all, Civil War soldiers were not operating under the knowledge and fear of germ theory, which came later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid all took their toll on soldiers\u2019 bodies. Extreme dehydration caused by the body\u2019s attempt to rid itself of the illness-inducing bacteria often created a vicious cycle of sickness that too often resulted in an extremely painful death. Dehydration also adversely affected soldiers\u2019 mental health. Improper sanitation facilities, consuming undercooked meat, and the lack of personal hygiene resources created situations that contributed to thousands of deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sick Confederate soldiers in central Virginia who were not able to recover in their camps were often sent to convalescent hospitals like Chimborazo in Richmond, pictured here. (Library of Congress)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If all of that was not enough, soldiers also encountered disease-carrying insects. Malaria, caused by mosquitoes, manifested in extreme fevers that too often reappeared throughout the victim\u2019s life. Lice, fleas, and chiggers sometimes carried and spread typhus, which also produced fevers, chills, body aches, and vomiting. Insects like flies also helped spread camp diseases like diarrhea and dysentery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 And, then as now, the common cold created misery for tens of thousands of soldiers. But unlike today, where we can receive antibiotics if a cold graduates to something more life-threatening like pneumonia, Civil War soldiers had no proven remedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In this CVBT History Wire, we will explore some of the non-combat-related health issues that soldiers who served in central Virginia encountered and mentioned in their letters, diaries, and memoirs. Concerns about their health, sickness, and disease received almost as much mention by the soldiers in their correspondence as their worries about food and the weather. With much of the scholarly focus on Civil War medicine falling on wounds that soldiers received during combat, this aspect of soldiers\u2019 military medical experiences is too often overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

November and December 1862<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Fall in for Your Quinine” Sketch by Charles Wellington Reed”In response to this call, some who were whole and needed not a physician, as well as those who were [genuinely] sick, reported at the surgeon’s tent for prescriptions.” (From Hardtack and Coffee, or the Unwritten Story of Army Life by John D. Billings, published 1887) (Library of Congress) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon after arriving in Stafford County in November 1862, the 121st New York Infantry’s assistant surgeon Daniel Holt wrote to his wife explaining his regiment\u2019s thinned ranks. \u201cOur regiment is growing less and less every day from a variety of causes,\u201d Holt noted. Chief among them, \u201csickness has thinned the regiment very much.\u201d He estimated that between the several hospitals \u201cnearly one hundred and fifty\u201d were seeking treatment for illnesses. Holt was not only concerned about his men\u2019s health, but his own as well. A week later he wrote home again telling his wife he had dropped 15 pounds since he joined up. More troubling perhaps, Holt added, \u201cI have not been able to get rid of that cough yet, and I fear unless we get into winter quarters soon . . . it will trouble [me] all winter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In a November 27, 1862, letter to his wife from \u201cnear Fredericksburg,\u201d the 3rd South Carolina Infantry\u2019s Alexander McNeill wrote, \u201cThe health of our army is about as when I wrote you. We understand that smallpox is prevailing in Richmond. Some two hundred cases was reported there a few days ago. The utmost consternation exist among the citizens. They keep to their houses as much as possible. The disease is as yet confined to military hospitals.\u201d With army officers and supplies constantly coming and going from Richmond to Fredericksburg at the time, soldiers likely worried that the disease would spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Union surgeon, William Watson of the 105th Pennsylvania was happy in early December 1862 that his hospital in Stafford County now had better facilities. He wrote his sister, \u201cBefore it was really distressing to see the poor sick fellows lying on the ground sheltered by the cold and inclement weather by only one old tattered [tent] fly.\u201d Watson was also pleased that he would be receiving a fresh supply of medical supplies. Additionally, Watson thought, \u201cOne other source of congratulation is the riddance by discharge of a great many of my old chronic cases. They were constant inmates of the Hospital or regular attendants at the sick call every morning.\u201d Watson does not say if their \u201cdischarge\u201d meant they went back into the ranks or if they were sent to hospitals in Washington D.C, but from a following letter, perhaps, he meant both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 On December 10, in anticipation of the Battle of Fredericksburg, Watson received orders \u201cto send all my sick in hospital to Genl. Hospital and to report for duty every man on the sick list able to march 10 miles or do one day\u2019s duty.\u201d Watson wrote that the surgeon for the 141st Pennsylvania \u201csent 169 [men] to Genl. Hospital, the other Regts. [of the brigade] in the same proportion.\u201d Watson \u201csent but 29.\u201d He did not have an easy time convincing some that they were able. \u201cMany of them wish to remain behind, not caring to engage in [a] fight. Those I found playing off I of course reported for duty. They cursed me right smartly, I understand, after getting out of hearing,\u201d Watson explained. He noted that it was pretty common for doctors, or as the soldiers often called them, \u201cOld Quin,\u201d for quinine, to get cussed, especially by those \u201cwho try their very best to play sick and so get off duty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Playing the Old Soldier” By Winslow Homer  While some soldiers bravely fulfilled their service obligations despite being sick, others tried to use medical issues to avoid unpleasant or dangerous duties.  (Public Domain) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Georgian Samuel Burney of Cobb\u2019s Legion explained to his wife in late November 1862, his thoughts on why he believed he was fortunate to maintain good health: \u201cI attribute my good health in a great measure to the manner in which I was raised; not being allowed to go in any kind of weather, being kept at home at night, thereby preventing late hours, dissipation & excess. I thank my parents for the good seeds sown so early, for now in an important period of my life, I am reaping good fruit therefrom.\u201d Later in the letter Burney commented on the health of his regiment, calling it \u201cvery good\u201d and that there were \u201conly four on the sick list.\u201d However, Burney noted that \u201cSome of the boys have had the small pox,\u201d but he had been vaccinated \u201c& my arm is a little sore\u2014[with the vaccination] just taking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Capt. Lewis Perrin Foster, 3rd South Carolina Infantry, penned a letter from his \u201cCamp near Fredericksburg\u201d on December 7, 1862. Foster started his letter by complaining about the cold weather. \u201cI have been thawing my ink for some time, but find it rough business,\u201d he scribbled. He\u2019d already broken one vial, apparently trying to melt it. \u201cI never felt much colder weather then we now have. The ground is covered with snow and froze perfectly hard,\u201d Foster lamented. Hard times came with soldiering, but Capt. Foster related that, \u201cHad a man told me before this war broke out that I could have endured at all what I endure with comfort I would have believed him a fool, a maniac or a columinator.\u201d However, he felt, \u201cI can not say that I have yet suffered in this war badly,\u201d and believed, \u201cI feel grateful for the fine health that I now enjoy.\u201d Soldiers who developed symptoms associated with rheumatism and arthritis likely held different thoughts.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 On December 10, William Cowan McClellan of the 9th Alabama reiterated the struggles of soldiering in a letter to his father that Foster hinted at. Writing from Fredericksburg, he mentioned again his need for footwear. He explained, \u201cI am now compleatly bare footed. The snow two inches deep[,] raw hides have been issued to the troops to make [moccasins] which last about a weak or ten days. Please have a pair of boots maid and send them too as soon as possible.\u201d Laboring under such circumstances, one wonders how any similarly ill-equipped soldier maintained any semblance of health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Become A CVBT Member Today – Support Historic Preservation & Education<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Become a member today and help save history. CVBT members enjoy our popular magazine, “On the Front Line,” and other exclusive opportunities.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Your membership also helps fund educational initiatives<\/em><\/strong> such as this CVBT History Wire!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Capt. Samuel Fiske of the 14th Connecticut Infantry was sidelined due to sickness and missed the Battle of Fredericksburg. (Library of Congress)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing under the pen name of \u201cDunn Browne\u201d (a pun on something that is done well) to the Springfield, Massachusetts Republican<\/em> newspaper, Capt. Samuel W. Fiske, 14th Connecticut Infantry, explained that he missed the battle of Fredericksburg because he was \u201cSick for two weeks from a fever and diarrhoea.\u201d Getting permission from a surgeon, he left the field hospital in an attempt to get to his regiment before the battle by hitching a ride in a medical wagon. He did not reach his \u201cpost till the day after the battle.\u201d Fiske, perhaps expressing some survivor’s remorse, explained: \u201cMy heart is sick and sad. Blood and wounds and death are before my eyes; of those who are my friends, comrades, brothers; of those who have marched into the very mouth of destruction as cooly and cheerfully as to any ordinary duty. Another tremendous, terrible, murderous butchery of brave men had made Saturday, the 13th of December, a memorable day in the annals of this war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong>Not all soldiers\u2019 illnesses manifested signs usually associated with physiological sickness. On the day before the Battle of Fredericksburg, Col. William J. Bolton of the 51st Pennsylvania noted the tragic suicide death of their quartermaster sergeant, William Jones. Bolton wrote, \u201cHaving been for several days in a depressed state of mind he was left back in camp when the regiment was ordered to cross the river. The act was done in rear of his tent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 During the Battle of Fredericksburg, assistant surgeon Daniel Holt remained in the 121st New York’s Stafford County camp to attend to 32 of their sick soldiers. Left without help or proper provisions, the frustrated Holt vented to his wife in a long letter, \u201cI have thus had to act as physician without medicines, surgeon without instruments, hospital steward without supplies, Quartermaster without means, baggage wagon without horses, and a mule team without harness.\u201d A couple of days before, Holt had to bury a soldier who \u201cdied of chronic diarrhoea,\u201d and eulogized him in his letter: \u201cPoor fellow, he has made his last march; he has traveled his last weary step, and now, upon the other side of the river, he is borne on Angel\u2019s wings to join his God in glory.\u201d Holt also commented on his personal health. Despite the recent trials, Holt felt he was personally \u201cgetting along better than I expected I should.\u201d Yet, he still complained of \u201csoreness of lungs and oppression of breathing\u201d as well as \u201crheumatism in my hips and legs,\u201d but most troublesome was his insomnia. He explained nights seemed \u201clong and tedious\u201d as \u201cI lie and listen to every cough that break the stillness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Among those who fell during the Battle of Fredericksburg was Lt. Charles Wilson Duke, who also had the unfortunate distinction of being the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry\u2019s first officer killed in battle. Despite obtaining a leave to remain at home for an unknown sickness, Lt. Duke returned to his regiment when battle appeared imminent and performed his duty. His selfless act inspired William Fayette, a drummer in the regiment\u2019s Co. C, to pen \u201cA Tribute in Memory of Captain Charles W. Duke.\u201d It reads in part:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest warrior though thy slumbers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ne\u2019er shall waken here,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are true friends without number,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holding they memory dear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hastening from a couch of sickness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Girding on his sword,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showing all who looked for weakness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That he was no coward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heeding no the bullet\u2019s whistle<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounding his death knell;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Till at last a rebel missile<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Struck! And poor \u201cDuke\u201d fell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Exposure to the elements in camp and on marches like the ill-fated “Mud March” in January 1863, only increased the soldiers’ chances of becoming sick or worsening an illness. Sketch by Alfred Waud. (Library of Congress)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day after Christmas 1862, Pvt. Edward King Wightman wrote to his brother from his camp near Falmouth. In his missive Wightman mentioned that a comrade recently died. \u201cOn the 16th we buried one man from the company who had long been ill with fever. It was Rosenbery [Pvt. Thomas H. Roseberry], one of my first tentmates. I wrote to his mother last night, by the Captain\u2019s request, to communicate the tidings. . . .,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 A couple of weeks after the Battle of Fredericksburg, not only were Union soldiers feeling in the dumps about their recent defeat, but according to Union artillerist Capt. Thomas Ward Osborn, the recent weather added to the poor morale. \u201cThe condition of the Army in camp is at present very bad. For two weeks past the thermometer has registered below zero, wood is scarce, open shelter tents, one blanket for each man, clothing badly worn, wounded men frozen to death, half rations for the artillery, horses, etc., etc.,\u201d he wrote. Exposure to the extreme elements during this period likely added to the army’s sick lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 A day later, but on the Confederate side, Samuel Pickens of the 5th Alabama noted in his diary that that \u201ceveng went to Dr. Tom Hill & got some turpentine to rub breast & a powder of morphine to make me sleep. Have severe pains in breast every night & can\u2019t sleep much\u2014\u201d On December 28 Pickens noted that he went on the sick list. He jotted that he \u201cDidn\u2019t sleep off effects of Morph. & got up to Roll call sick at stomach & feeling badly.” Pickens\u2019s heath continued to trouble him the following day. \u201cI had to go on the sick list again this morning and I have severe pains in my breast,\u201d he wrote. He could not sleep at night. The regiment\u2019s assistant surgeon, Dr. Hill, told Pickens he \u201chas no cough remedies & nothing but the coarsest & strongest remedies.\u201d Pickens believed he \u201ctook the bad cold & bro[ugh]t on pains in my breast I think by stripping & washing in [a creek] bout 2 wks. ago\u2014on a very cold day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January through May 1863<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“An Army Graveyard. Winter Camp near Stoneman’s Switch, Falmouth, Va.”  Sketch by Edwin Forbes   Disease took its toll on the Army of the Potomac camps in Stafford County. (Library of Congress)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Carolinian Alexander McNeill wrote to his wife on January 3, 1863, explaining, \u201cI regret to say that my health has not been quite so good as formerly. I am again hindered with symptoms of my old disease [diarrhea], but I hope that I will be well again in a few days. As yet, I am able for all duties, but I am so well acquainted with this disease that I fear it.\u201d McNeill also brought up the threat of smallpox again. He noted, it \u201cis getting a foothold among the citizens of the town and surrounding country.\u201d However, he admitted, \u201cI have never seen a case yet and do not think it exists to any extent in our army.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong>Assistant Surgeon Daniel Holt confirmed such suspicions in early January 1862. \u201cThe health of the regiment [121st New York] is bad. Death is upon our track, and almost every day sees its victims taken to the grave. Yesterday two, and to-day two more were consigned to their last resting place, and still the avenger presses harder and harder claiming as his victim the best and fairest of men.\u201d 121st New York soldier Sgt. William Remmel concurred with Holt: \u201cThere are a great many sick in our regiment and more or less are constantly dying. Hardly half of the boys that started with us are here now. Many have died and many more are lying in hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 A perfect example comes from the January 10, 1863, letter from Pvt. Alonzo Bump, 77th New York Infantry. Camped in Stafford County, Pvt. Bump wrote to his wife Mary that he was not feeling well, but hoped that she was. Not having been paid recently, Bump asked Mary to send him an account book. \u201cYou can by one Big enough for 25 cents,\u201d he explained. Bump was also looking for an expected box from home, that probably contained at least some food items. \u201cI think we will get it in a few days or i hope so at least.\u201d Alonzo told Mary not to go without anything that she needed, but at the same time he asked her, \u201cif you can spare me one Dollar or t[w]o i would like it.\u201d He felt that having some spare money increased his chance of surviving. He penned, \u201ci finde that when a man is sick hear with out money he minte as well make up his mind to Die for if he has money he can By something that he can eat when hee cant eat hardtacks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Much of the Army of the Potomac’s Sixth Corps camped during the winter of 1862-63 near White Oak Church in Stafford County. It still stands today. As evidenced by this photograph, the United States Christian Commission, a religious soldiers’ relief organization that attempted to meet both their spiritual and physical needs, worked out of the church for a time. (Library of Congress)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From his camp near White Oak Church, in Stafford County Lucien A. Vorhees and his 15th New Jersey comrades experienced trouble with camp disease in mid-January 1863. \u201cThe sick are getting numerous in the regiment, and funeral escorts are quite frequent,\u201d Vorhees wrote to his home newspaper. He blamed the suffering on what he called \u201cCamp Fever,\u201d (probably typhoid) and explained that it \u201cseizes upon the vitals of existence and lays the victim prostrate with scarcely a moment\u2019s warning.\u201d Vorhees noted that they had two cases in his company, \u201cwho [were] in the vigor of health one day, [and] were laid prostrate and nearly beyond hope of recovery the next; and so it is throughout the army\u2014men dying daily from the ravaging effects of this fever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Although they did not fight at Fredericksburg, Corp. Rice Bull and comrades arrived in Stafford County around January 20, 1863. They occupied a camp previously held by the 26th Wisconsin of the Eleventh Corps. As Bull recalled, \u201cIt was unfortunate that we moved into this old camp, it proved to be a most unhealthy place.\u201d Apparently, the water source had been polluted by the previous inhabitants. \u201cTyphoid fever soon developed in our Regiment and many men were ill. There were some who died, three from our Company,\u201d Bull explained. He was not immune either. \u201cI remember how miserable I felt, feverish, faint, weak and with no desire for food,\u201d Bull remembered. Unwilling to miss duty, he fell sicker while on picket. Somehow surviving, he made it back to camp where he was attended to by Dr. Richard Connelly, the regimental assistant surgeon who gave Bull some medicine and explained he \u201cwould have a run of fever.\u201d After recuperating for a few days Corp. Bull returned to full duty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 During the winter of 1863, a pseudonymed soldier in the 83rd New York Infantry going by the tag “Ferris,” wrote to the New York Sunday Mercury<\/em> explaining, \u201cNo one knows how we suffer out here.\u201d As an example, he noted, \u201cIf one is sick, he must remain out here; if he gets well, it is a miracle.\u201d Sickness and disease were taking a toll according to Ferris: \u201c[N]o less than forty men have died at the General Hospital at Acquia Creek in a single day,\u201d he jotted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Writing his sister on February 1, 1863, Richard S. Thompson, an officer in the 12th New Jersey Infantry, mentioned that he had lost two of his enlisted men to disease recently, \u201cone Francis Husted by inflammation of the brain, and W. D. Hendrickson a very fine young man of 20, by typhoid fever. Thompson noted, \u201cHenrickson\u2019s death is a very sad case. He leaves a widowed mother who depended entirely upon him for support.\u201d Despite these loses, Thompson wrote that \u201cThere is very little sickness in our Regiment compared with those around us; some bury two or three everyday. . . .\u201d As Thompson mentioned, not only did disease thin the army’s manpower, it also grieved loved ones at home who often depended on their soldier’s income to meet financial obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eating uncooked or under-cooked food often caused gastrointestinal complications for soldiers. Drawing by Allen C. Redwood. (Battles and Leaders of the Civil War)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With few other alternatives, Alabamian Samuel Pickens bathed again in a creek about three weeks before the Battle of Chancellorsville. That evening he complained to his diary that he was unable to finish a letter because he came down with the chills. The following day he mentioned having \u201ca miserable night of it[,] after the chill went off, a hot followed & lasted a long time.\u201d He tried to take some of his clothes off and threw off his blanket, which helped but complained ,\u201cIt seemed the longest night to me I had ever seen.\u201d That morning he was visited by the regimental assistant surgeon who \u201cgave me a blue mass pill.\u201d Blue mass pills were compounded partly of mercury and often served as a cure-all. Still not feeling well, he received more medication from Dr. Hill which came in the form of a \u201cdose Salts wh[ich] took in Red pepper tea & 12 Gr[ains] Quinine which I made into 3 pills & took during the day.\u201d Pickens\u2019s illness made him think of home: \u201cSuppose Dear Mama who is so very careful with us & solicitous about us when sick could look in & see me lying wrapped in my blankets on the ground & the rain beating in the tent door. . .wouldn\u2019t she be uneasy & think I would be sure to have the chill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 On May 5, 1863, First Sgt. John F. L. Hartwell jotted in his diary, \u201cnow it rains in torrents & we are wet for all of our tents. Water pours through many of our tents like a flood[,] driving out its occupants. Now we have to lay down in the mud & go to sleep.\u201d The following day it was more of the same, \u201cIt has rained all night & rains again today . . . It Is cold[,] wet[,] & gloomy.\u201d That evening at 6:00 p.m., Hartwell noted yet more bad weather, \u201cStill rains[,] is very muddy & cold. Our clothes & blankets are nearly all wet so we have a poor sight for a comfortable nights rest.\u201d Even more rain fell on May 7 and on May 8 Hartwell mentioned, \u201cWe are all very tierd.\u201d It is no surprise then that on May 10 he wrote his family, \u201cI have been sick all the forenoon. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 As mentioned before, too often we overlook the impact combat had on some soldiers\u2019 mental health. Writing to his wife following the Battle of Chancellorsville, Pvt. John Futch (3rd North Carolina Infantry) explained that \u201cI am yet spared I was not hurt . . . .\u201d But his regiment saw hard service on May 2, 1863, when \u201cour Regiment commenced fighting . . . A Bout 4 o\u2019clock and fought until 8 that night.\u201d Thrown into battle again on May 3, they fought from 7:00 am to 10 or 11:00 am, in his estimation. On picket duty at U.S. Ford at the time of his letter, Futch was \u201cExpecting to leave here every day.\u201d However, all was not well: \u201cAfter the fight I was unnerved and went to the hospital and remained there three days & nights then I returned Back to my Company oh I seen a great [d]eal of trouble since you left me I want to see you worse then I Ever did Before,\u201d Futch penned. Futch met his breaking point soon after Gettysburg, where he saw his brother killed beside him. He and a group of comrades decided to desert. Soon caught, they were eventually executed on September 5, 1863.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The physically challenging and emotionally draining nature of soldiering left some men with mental illnesses that lasted long beyond their years in service. Sketch by Alfred Waud. (Library of Congress)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most of the enlisted men and non-commissioned officers mentioned above. Numerous officers also suffered from various illnesses. Some historians believe that Gen. Thomas J. \u201cStonewall\u201d Jackson was suffering from a minor illness before his May 2, 1863, mortal wounding at Chancellorsville. Robert K. Krick writes, \u201cPneumonia killed Stonewall Jackson on May 10. The fatal malady\u2019s etiology likely lay in an upper-respiratory infection that predated the wounds.\u201d It was his Chancellorsville wounds and subsequent injuries during his battlefield evacuation that \u201cimpaired his body\u2019s ability to fight its battle against pneumonia, which almost certainly would not have developed, or at least proved fatal, without the injuries, Krick explains. Dr. Matthew Lively, documents that Jackson\u2019s physician, Hunter Holmes McGuire, said that Jackson had a \u201ccold\u201d before the battle. Lively writes, \u201cthe most likely conclusion\u2014as his physicians maintained at the time\u2014is that pneumonia was the initial disease triggering the sepsis that led to his death.\u201d    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In late May, after escorting Jackson\u2019s body to Richmond and then Lexington for burial, one of the general\u2019s staff members, Alexander \u201cSandie\u201d Pendleton, experienced his own bout with illness, dysentery. The inconvenient bowel disease troubled tens of thousands of soldiers during the Civil War and was considered a serious illness. When his father Gen. William Nelson Pendleton learned of his son\u2019s affliction, he attempted to find a convenient place for Sandie to recover. Apparently, a nearby home, the domicile of \u201ca 76-year-old [woman], vulgar, & worthless as humanity can be without degrading vice,\u201d would not allow Sandie to stay with her, probably believing that she might contract the disease. Unable to find comfortable quarters, Gen. Pendleton turned to the Chandler family where Jackson spent his last days, hoping their hospitality toward Confederate officers would continue. Under the care of Ms. Chandler, Sandie recovered enough within about 48 hours to return to the army. While there he stayed in the same room and bed that Jackson occupied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Aquia Creek Landing” (Library of Congress) While in the Fredericksburg area during 1862-63, the worst cases of disease in the Army of the Potomac often went from the camp hospitals to Aquia Landing and then by boat to better facilities in Washington D.C. and Alexandria. Virginia.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple of weeks after Chancellorsville, Georgian William Stilwell began a letter to his wife Molly from his \u201cCamp [with]in sight of Fredericksburg\u201d explaining that he was not feeling well. \u201cI am quite sick and have been for over a week though I am better this morning than I have been in several days,\u201d Stilwell explained. He thought it was a cold, that it was improving, and would continue to do so \u201cIf we don\u2019t have to march. . . .\u201d Later, at the letter\u2019s end, Stilwell hoped Molly would \u201cnot be uneasy.\u201d He added, \u201cYou know I never deceive you. If I was in danger from my sickness I would tell you. Of course I am sick or at least not well but I think it is nothing more than a cold.\u201d Although Stilwell saw his fair share of dangers through the remainder of the war he survived to return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Many others, as the evidence above shows, were not as fortunate as Pvt. Stilwell. Tens of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers from diseases and sicknesses that ranged from the common cold to smallpox to mental illness. With medical knowledge being what it was at the time, the surgeons attempted to treat their charges as best they could. Sometimes their efforts succeeded and often they did not. Like combat wounds, the knowledge that doctors gained from the disease cases they observed and documented during the Civil War helped advance medical science. However, for those who fell victim to the ravages of illness, as well as those who grieved them at home, future advances proved of small consolation to losing one’s life or that of a loved one in service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Sources and Suggested Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alfred Jay Bollet, M.D. Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs<\/em>. Galen Press, 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Peter S. Carmichael. The War for the Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies<\/em>. The University of North Carolina Press, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 James M. Greiner, Janet L. Coryell, and James R. Smither. A Surgeon’s Civil War: The Letters and Diary of Daniel M. Holt, M.D<\/em>. Kent State University Press, 1994.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Paul Fatout. editor. Letters of a Civil War Surgeon<\/em>. Purdue University Press, 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 John Herbert Roper, editor. Repairing the March of Mars: The Civil War Diaries of John Samuel Apperson, Hospital Steward in the Stonewall Brigade, 1861-1865<\/em>. Mercer University Press, 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parting Shot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Pun not intended)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Civil War Vaccination Kit (In the collection of the Mutter Museum, Philadelphia,photo by J.D. Howell, McMaster University)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe small pox has had but few victims. The disease, I am happy to state, does not take hold in the army, and the cases reported are those of men who have been absent from camp. On their return, the small pox had broken out upon them. They are at once sent to the Small Pox Hospital, near Fredericksburg. The whole army has been vaccinated, and by order of General Lee, every officer, private, attache and servant, have been revaccinated\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Excerpt from a letter written by “Tivoli,” on January 20, 1863, from “Near Fredericksburg” and published in the Atlanta Southern Confederacy<\/em> newspaper on January 28, 1863. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Donate Now to Help CVBT Interpret and Create Access to the Nine Mile Run Battlefield<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you know someone who would enjoy this email, please feel free to share it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For additional past “CVBT History Wire” and informative articles, visit the Blog Section<\/a> of the CVBT website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
<\/span>\"\"
\n\t\n
\n\t\n\n
\n\t\t\t\n\n

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Join our community! Sign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive updates, event information, and preservation news directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

STAY UP TO DATE<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n