Today society is aware of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its painful effect on those suffering with it. Treatment with compassion is available but that was not the case during the Civil War and latter part of the nineteenth century. Soldiers were considered weak or worse yet, malingerers. Let’s take a moment to look back with understanding at those veterans who experienced trauma to both mind and body during the war.
Sometime ago I was talking with an acquaintance about history in general which then led to a discussion of the Civil War. This guy is quite a history enthusiast and a passionate collector of replica firearms from the mid to late nineteenth century. While Neil was showing me the newest addition to his collection he mentioned his great grandfather had fought in the Civil War from our area. Neil’s ancestor joined the 81st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was raised in our hometown, and fought in some major campaigns like Shiloh, Corinth and later in the Battle of Atlanta. Thankfully, my friend continued, his great grandfather never endured any major injuries and came home to his anxiously waiting wife.
Unfortunately their story didn’t exactly end happily ever-after. The family decided to move into town for work. Great-grandpa did get a job but every evening as he walked home the veteran stopped at a local bar along the way and stayed. Which meant every night greatgrandma had to go the bar to collect her drunken husband and bring him home. My friend relates how his grandmother, the daughter of the veteran, hated alcohol after growing up with this daily ritual. She passed that loathing of drink on to her own daughter, the mother of my friend. As a result my 78 year old friend did not drink. He’d heard enough fiery speeches and stories about the villainy of liquor from his mother and grandmother to keep him from ever partaking. Neil’s life, more than a century later, was shaped in part by his Civil War ancestor.
After listening to Neil relate his great grandfather’s story it’s easy to conclude the veteran suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The events he witnessed during the Civil War so scarred him his only coping mechanism was the fog alcohol provided. Over time I’ve heard a couple other stories about Civil War veterans and their troubled post war life. It piqued my interest and I wanted to look into it further.
During the mid 1860s men, both northerners and southerners, were self-reliant, masculine and stouthearted. Any type of weakness whether physical or emotional was considered a short-coming, a flaw. When the Civil War broke out these same men had to be honorable and fight for the glorious cause of their state. Not that they didn’t want to, but it was considered noble. It was expected of them. These young men, many in their late teens and early twenties and full of life’s bravado, had rarely been away from home let alone exposed to the atrocities that was war.
At first these young soldiers had to deal with homesickness in an environment that did not tolerate weakness. Doctors of the time called it “nostalgia.” [1] Feared by officers because it spread through a company quickly it was soon labeled a condition of the “feeble” and “wicked” so as to produce shame among the men. The remedy for “nostalgia” was to avoid camp inactivity with more marching, more drilling and getting those soldiers into battle as soon as possible.
As these volunteers fought they saw unimaginable barbarity. They witnessed their fellow soldiers ripped apart by canister and grapeshot and were splattered with the blood from those they considered brothers. After battle soldiers made their way back to their company picking their way around the bloody, broken remains of friends and comrades. The shock and trauma endured by these young soldiers was overwhelming for some.
Since any type of mental illness or anxiety was unheard of in a Civil War camp those soldiers who experienced rapid pulse, anxiety, constricted breathing or palpitations were diagnosed with “soldier’s heart” or “irritable heart”. [2] The explanation given was that their knapsacks were too heavy or too tight or they had over exerted that day causing a strain to their heart. Plain physical weakness was also thought to be at the root of what we now know as psychological trauma. Without recognizing there was a problem, there of course was no treatment.
Now let me stress, at war’s end the majority of soldiers went home, reunited with their families, and picked up their life again. They rejoined society and lived a productive life. Yet there were those who simply could not. Some soldiers came home broken in body and spirit. Along with emotional scars many came home having lost a limb or suffering from a debilitating injury. Once a vigorous hardworking laborer, now a veteran without the ability to adequately provide for his family. Chronic pain, canister fire, POW life, death, haunted them even in the protected environment of their own homes. These mental scars were shameful to a soldier and his family. Some men stayed locked in their room abusing alcohol and family members. Others were relegated to “insane asylums” with the hope of recovery, still others committed suicide to escape the mental pain. Their stories never told for fear of the humiliation of weakness.
As time moved forward and attitudes changed those soldiers who suffered during and post Civil War are recognized as having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. [3]
Today we know that it is not unusual to experience trouble sleeping, anxiety, trouble breathing, or anxiousness after a traumatic event. It may be hard to resume life as once lived, like going back to work, doing daily chores, or interacting with loved ones. This was the same for Civil War veterans emotionally scarred by the war. Unfortunately they were considered weak or feeble. Not only did they not understand their condition, their family and society didn’t understand them either. Many families noted in letters and diaries that their veteran “just wasn’t right” after coming home from war.
As mentioned earlier psychological trauma wasn’t recognized at this time in our history so treatment was sparse. Veterans were prescribed a lighter work load, with plenty of rest. Those who suffered more acutely were given tonics, opiates or alcoholic mixtures by sympathetic doctors. Those most severely affected were sent to asylums or veterans homes for treatment. Many to live out the rest of their lives as a patient.
With the stigma of weakness attached to Civil War veterans who suffered from PTSD many of their stories have been forgotten. Their service and post war life swept under the rug so as not to embarrass family who simply did not know how to deal with it. As generations pass they’re forgotten and those who were brave, heroic and acceptable remembered.
As genealogists and family historians we are designated to collect and preserve our families stories. Ours is to detail and pass on the history of those who preceded us. The notable and courageous, as well as the weakened and distressed. Soldiers who were victims of PTSD are heroes and their experiences deserve to be remembered. Their life may be an encouragement to others today. May I suggest you research and document your PTSD ancestor too.
Researching the National Homes for Disabled Soldiers records may provide information about your Civil War veteran’s health both physical and emotional. Sites include:
National Archives – Homes for Disabled Soldiers article
FamilySearch – United States National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938
Ancestry – U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938
National Archives list Homes for Disabled Soldiers
Researching asylum records has many variables including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). A place to start your research is the Asylum Projects Genealogical Requests page. This site will answer many initial research questions you may have about asylum records as well as provide individual state information for research. There’s also a forum provided that may have answers to your particular research questions. Knowing where your Civil War ancestor lived post war will enable you to check with genealogy and historical societies and state archives for further research direction to asylum records.
With today’s extended medical knowledge and compassion, an afflicted ancestor is not the black sheep they were once considered to be. By researching your Civil War veteran who may have suffered from PTSD you’re reaching across the decades and with love welcoming a family member back home. Good luck in your research.
Here are some resources for further reading on PTSD:
US Department of Veterans Affairs – For help: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/gethelp/index.asp
HelpGuide.Org – Helping Someone with PTSD https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/helping-someone-with-ptsd.htm
Contact the local Mental Health and Recovery Services in your area for further information.
Civil War related PTSD reading:
Living Hell: The Dark Side of the Civil War by Michael C.C. Adams
The History of PTSD in Veterans: Civil War to DSM-5 by Matthew J. Friedman, MD, PhD
“Soldier’s Heart” and “Shell Shock”: Past Names for PTSD – Frontline interviews, PBS
The Shock of War by Ron Soodalter – HistoryNet.com
[1] Friedman, MD, PhD, M. (2017). History of PTSD in Veterans: Civil War to DSM-5 – PTSD: National Center for PTSD. [online] Ptsd.va.gov. Available at: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/history_ptsd.asp [Accessed 6 Jul. 2021].
[2] Horowitz, Tony. (2017) Did Civil War Soldiers Have PTSD?: Smithsonian Magazine [online] smithsonianmag.com. Available at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ptsd-civil-wars-hidden-legacy-180953652/[Accessed 6 Jul. 2021].
[3] US Department of Veterans Affairs. (2007), “What Is PTSD?”. [online} PTSD: National Center for PTSD, https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/ [Accessed 6 Jul. 2021.]