Neuropsychiatric Casualties

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Forum Host
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
In earlier American wars psychiatric casualties had been ignored. During the Civil War neuropsychiatric casualties for the first time were recognized as "injured". Surgeon General Hammond was particularly concerned and believe this was a significant military problem. Still, both sides, during the Civil War treated these injured men with contempt and labeled the casualties 'sulkers' or "stragglers". This resulted in poor record keeping, but one-sixth of one percent of all Union Civil War casualties were classified as having mental or nervous diseases. The true number would be much higher. Only three diagnoses of psychological conditions counted: nostalgia, insanity, and sunstroke. Sunstroke was the most common injuries recorded.

From mid-1864 to the end of the war 15,350 white Union soldiers and 1,110 black Union soldiers were diagnosed with psychological injuries. (0.03 % of the white soldiers serving and 0.02 % of the black soldiers serving). There is no reason to believe that the Confederacy did not suffer at roughly the same percent of neuropsychiatric casualties, but Confederate records are not available to confirm this.

Some people theorize that the new style of modern warfare practiced during the Civil War greatly increased the number of neuropsychiatric causalities. The actual numbers of this kind of injuries in early wars remains open to debate. Still this kind of injuries were finally recognized in the Civil War. Some of the veterans in post war Soldiers' Homes certainly suffer from this kind of injury, but the U.S. Army only officially listed 2,000 Union veterans being placed in Soldiers' Homes or public asylums for these ailments.
 
I wonder if some of these poor men committed suicide, or just wandered off to be recluses in the wilderness. That might account for the seemingly low numbers in the hospitals.
 
I'm pretty sure there were more psychologically injured men than we will ever know. There are probably some we know all too well. I think Bill Anderson was one such. If not before his sister died, I think he certainly whacked out after she died.
 
With all the men lived through in this war, it would be naïve to think there were people who had not experienced problems coping during and after the war. Just because modern medicine treats these ailments as a serious medical problem today does not mean they did not happen in the past and esp the Civil War.
 
I'd assume that once you've "seen the Elephant", the process starts in earnest. I have no idea how these soldiers DIDN'T have PTSD....We've all seen the pictures, but something tells me the REALLY gruesome stuff never saw the camera's lense. That's just the visual aspect, telling nothing of the despair, sleep deprivation, hunger, loneliness, etc.,.then there's the auditory component of the battle....on it goes. Skys the limit for how bad one could suffer.

God bless them all. Blue AND Gray.
 
PTSD does seem rather "Some people are unlucky.", but I doubt anyone who served through the whole thing was wholly at peace with it. Even if it doesn't leave permanent damage, it's still high stress.

God grant that they're all at peace now, indeed.
 
Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa AL was available to ACW vets for mental "insane" adjustment problems n/k/a PTSD.

Dr. James Thomas Searcy (of the Lumsden Battery, AL, CSA) at 21 surrendered to nurse his brother, after the battle at Murfreesboro, for wounds from artillery fire for nine days without any meds for pain nor antiseptic before his brother died. He decided then he wanted to become a doctor. After the ACW he went to NY City College of Medicine and later became the director of Bryce Hospital (in addition to his general surgery and family practice) and came to realize the patients (vets) responded to fresh fruits, vegetables, sunlight and exercise. Work parties were arranged for those able to plant and tend gardens next to the hospital.

Local lore says that is where the term Dr. Searcy's "Funny Farm" was coined.

Dr. Reuben Searcy his father brought the first bathtub to western Alabama and his mother Abigail Fitch a northeastern school teacher taught slaves to read and write in the family basement under threat of death, in the 1850s. Abigail Fitch Searcy was of that New England Fitch family. Her uncle (John Fitch) invented and operated the first Steamboat circa 1795 before Fulton, Fulton used Fitch's patent drawings after Fitch's death.

Dr. Searcy studied mental illnesses of the Bryce patients and of the prisoners May 1887 (mostly Apache, Indians got PTSD too) held for seven years at the Mount Vernon Barracks (outside Mobile) formerly an Arsenal. Dr. Searcy tended and became good friends with Geronimo a prisoner there. A young Dr. Walter Reed worked for / with Dr. Searcy, at Mount Vernon Dr. Reed studied and proved the connection with mosquitoes and yellow fever. (not the result of mental fever)

Dr. Searcy would ride on horseback weekly from his home in Tuscaloosa to attend to his medical superintendent duties and patients and prisoners at Mount Vernon. It was not the best of healthcare but at least they had regular visits from Dr. Searcy.

Dr. Searcy was the first southern doctor and only CSA vet to be elected President of the (n/k/a) American Psychiatric Association.

After the Federal government finally released all the Indians Dr. Searcy lobbied for the State of Alabama to turn the Arsenal / Barracks / Prison into the first Psychiatric and general Hospital for the Colored in the State of Alabama.
 
Last edited:
I wonder if some of these poor men committed suicide, or just wandered off to be recluses in the wilderness. That might account for the seemingly low numbers in the hospitals.

Many probably became poor soldiers. I would not be surprised that many officers and sergeants found formerly good soldiers suddenly became unable to perform anything but the most basic task and labeled them as lazy, or sulkers, or such. In some cases the solder simply was too damaged to do their jobs. I have seen solders under too much stress who would not be able to attack, not be able to retreat, I have seen some who could not have deserted if they wanted to. Most recovered enough to do their jobs in a short time, but at times of stress they again could do little more than follow simple orders. I have sent soldiers to mental health care facilities for this exact reason.
 
I wonder if some of these poor men committed suicide, or just wandered off to be recluses in the wilderness. That might account for the seemingly low numbers in the hospitals.

In the case of my family, one man (my great x4 uncle) went west in the late 1860s and spent some 30 years travelling around California, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. He never could settle down for very long and eventually spent 10 years moving back east before moving in with his sister and spent the last few years of his life with family. He had enlisted in May 1861 and served almost continuously until June 1865 and had been wounded at Gaines Mill.

His brother (my great x3 grandfather) crawled into a bottle, assaulted his first wife who left him, remarried and abused his new wife and children. He ended up dying drunk in a ditch, leaving his wife and children destitute. He had served from December 1863 through June 1865 and had seen heavy combat during the Overland Campaign, the early stages of the Petersburg Campaign, and the Valley Campaign.

While no one knows for sure, their actions before the war and post-war indicate that they were suffering from something.

R
 
Last edited:
In the case of my family, one man (my great x4 uncle) went west in the late 1860s and spent some 30 years travelling around California, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. He never could settle down for very long and eventually spent 10 years moving back east before moving in with his sister and spent the last few years of his life with family. He had enlisted in May 1861 and served almost continuously until June 1865 and had been wounded at Gaines Mill.

His brother crawled into a bottle, assaulted his first wife who left him, remarried and abused his new wife and children. He ended up dying drunk in a ditch, leaving his wife and children destitute. He had served from December 1863 through June 1865 and had seen heavy combat during the Overland Campaign, the early stages of the Petersburg Campaign, and the Valley Campaign.

While no one knows for sure, but their actions before the war and post-war indicate that they were suffering from something.

R
God Bless them and their family
Unfortunately studies show that is not an uncommon pattern for those who saw herds of elephants
 
I know too many people who have suffered or are suffering from various levels of PTSD after being deployed in most of the wars of the 20th and 21st century. It has to have been a side effect of all wars, people just handled in their own ways, because there was nothing else they could do. Even with all the benefits of modern health care and psychology, it is hard to get everyone the help they need, often because they cannot accept that they need help.
 
I know too many people who have suffered or are suffering from various levels of PTSD after being deployed in most of the wars of the 20th and 21st century. It has to have been a side effect of all wars, people just handled in their own ways, because there was nothing else they could do. Even with all the benefits of modern health care and psychology, it is hard to get everyone the help they need, often because they cannot accept that they need help.
In WW1 it was called "shell shock" for many of the cases for these poor people. For decades after " he was in the war" is all someone needed to say. They nodded but what could they do? Just scores of them affected in one way or another.
 
Some Generals were aware of psychological "wounds". The following took place after the Battle of the Wilderness.

As was his custom, General Rodes and one of his staff members, walked over the battlefield after the fighting had ceased. After three years of campaigning, the sights and sounds they encountered, were familiar to them. They came across a young Confederate not more than sixteen years old, standing at a tree as if he was glued to it. “Move on and get with your command.” said General Rodes. “I can’t.” was the reply. They continued, “Why can’t you?” “I don’t know, Sir; but I feel like I am going to fall all to pieces.” “All right – go back to the hospital and tell Dr Whitfield I sent you there. Don’t pretend that you are sick or wounded; and when you get so you don’t feel like you are going to fall to pieces come back to your regiment.” General Rodes knew that not all battle wounds were physical. Apparently, that boy made a first-rate soldier Rodes would later observe.[1]


[1]“Third Alabama! The Civil War Memoirs of Brigadier General Cullen Andrews Battle, CSA edited by Brandon H. Beck, page 107
 
I know too many people who have suffered or are suffering from various levels of PTSD after being deployed in most of the wars of the 20th and 21st century. It has to have been a side effect of all wars, people just handled in their own ways, because there was nothing else they could do. Even with all the benefits of modern health care and psychology, it is hard to get everyone the help they need, often because they cannot accept that they need help.

I know of several ancient writings from Greece and Rome that describe soldiers who seem to have suffered from PTSD. It seems that emotional trauma from combat has been around forever.

R
 
I know of several ancient writings from Greece and Rome that describe soldiers who seem to have suffered from PTSD. It seems that emotional trauma from combat has been around forever.

R

Reading about the old British navy, they were always talking about lunatic sailors. Given the type of combat these ships saw, it's no wonder they had an abundance of damaged people. Some have suggested Robert E Lee had PTSD, and that might well have been - he certainly wasn't the same after the war.
 
a study was done during ww2 as to how many days a man could see battle, culminative total, before they began to become unstable. about 40. "In for three years or the war"
 
This is a pretty interesting page from the VA on the subject.

Among other things it states:

It is estimated that about 30 out of every 100 (or 30%) of Vietnam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.

And decreases in more recent wars (mainly because of the nature of warfare and the amount of personal involvement)

Based on this, and the nature of the ACW warfare as far as personal involvement goes, the number should be much higher than the Vietnam number, but hard to estimate. No WWII or WWI numbers.
 
Back
Top