And Light Was Shed

[bluefox85]

I've been racking my brain of how a young Private in his early 20's could die just two months after enlisting while he was in Savannah/Guyton, GA for training/beginning duties. He never even made it to battle. Granted, training accidents and freak accidents do happen. The other night I had a 40 minute phone conversation with Jim. W Parrish, author of Wiregrass to Appomattox: The Untold Story of 50th Georgia Regiment. He pointed out something I had never considered: immune systems. It's very simple, I just completely overlooked it. While we all know many died from illness...I didn't take into consideration the state of their immune systems. We had boys who grew up isolated on large farms and homesteads, far from city life and large populations of people. A week later and they're thrust into cities and camps with thousands upon thousands of other men from all over, where they encountered illnesses and disease they'd never been around, let alone even heard of. It's sad to know how so many died of illness that we consider simple these days; things that one 30 minute visit to the family practice can remedy. What are some other "simple" (by today's standards) illnesses you've heard of that attributed to deaths of soldiers during the time of the Civil War?

 

[Delhi Rangers]

The soldier's "Quick Step". Many soldiers suffered crippling disabilities and even death due to this problem. This was a huge problen in the Southern armies. Too many green apples and too much green corn I guess. I have also read real-life accounts of just how much the soldiers from the deep south (Florida, etc.) suffered from the cold weather in Virginia that they had never experienced at home.

 

[diane]

There was also a lot of pneumonia and respiratory ailments. I've always been a little surprised by how many people had asthma back then. (Sherman for one. He said it would 'kill me dead as a herring' one day and it did!)

 

[bluefox85]

There was also a lot of pneumonia and respiratory ailments. I've always been a little surprised by how many people had asthma back then. (Sherman for one. He said it would 'kill me dead as a herring' one day and it did!)

Yep, one of those in my signature died of pneumonia in VA or TN (different records say different states). Though many still do die from it, they're usually extremely old or have other more serious illnesses that weaken them. You wouldn't expect it to take the life of a strong, young farm lad.

 

[James B White]

Yep, contageous "childhood" illnesses like measles, scarlet fever, etc. devastated soldiers in training camps, if they weren't already immune. The problem is that childhood diseases often affect adults more seriously than they do young children, so childhood mortality was bad enough before antibiotics, but getting the diseases in adulthood was worse.

 

[bluefox85]

Yep, contageous "childhood" illnesses like measles, scarlet fever, etc. devastated soldiers in training camps, if they weren't already immune. The problem is that childhood diseases often affect adults more seriously than they do young children, so childhood mortality was bad enough before antibiotics, but getting the diseases in adulthood was worse.

That's what Mr. Parrish told me, it was more than likely measles, mumps, or chicken pox that killed him as they were prevalent at that camp.

 

[Delhi Rangers]

Jackson's men often complained and/or dreaded going to the Tidewater Region/ Richmond areas of Virginia. They thought that the mountain air and overall make-up of the climate of the Shenandoah was much better for them. They thought that the low-lands and swamps around Richmond were bad for the health of the men from the Shenandoah. The overall number of yankee bullets that were fired at them in that region might of had something to do with that to.

 

[oldpete63]

The soldier's "Quick Step". Many soldiers suffered crippling disabilities and even death due to this problem. This was a huge problen in the Southern armies. Too many green apples and too much green corn I guess. I have also read real-life accounts of just how much the soldiers from the deep south (Florida, etc.) suffered from the cold weather in Virginia that they had never experienced at home.

My family doctor (also a buff !!) mentioned that the "Quick Step" was especially dangerous as the loss of minerals due to the "runs" could cause other ailments - heart problems, weaken internal organs etc. - which weren't taken into consideration medically at the time. Even though Lee had a bout of angina previous to Gettysburg - his "runs" may have contributed to heart problems at Gettysburg - and he did emphasize "possibly".

 

[bluefox85]

My family doctor (also a buff !!) mentioned that the "Quick Step" was especially dangerous as the loss of minerals do to the "runs" could cause other ailments - heart problems, weaken internal organs etc. - which weren't taken into consideration medically at the time. Even though Lee had a bout of angina previous to Gettysburg - his "runs" my have contributed to heart problems at Gettysburg - and he did emphasize "possibly".

Anyone have a good link to reenactors doing this "quick step"?

 

[oldpete63]

Anyone have a good link to reenactors doing this "quick step"?

This is close - already occupied

 

[Delhi Rangers]

This is close - already occupied

View attachment 4594

 

[Red Harvest]

Typhoid fever, yellow fever, and malaria were problems as well. Savannah's climate/terrain would seem to favor such disease in camps.

 

[diane]

I think that's close about the runs and heart problems. My son is an EMT and he says he picks up a lot of heart patients from their johns! It does drop the potassium levels, which can trigger heart problems.

 

[Glorybound]

My family doctor (also a buff !!) mentioned that the "Quick Step" was especially dangerous as the loss of minerals do to the "runs" could cause other ailments - heart problems, weaken internal organs etc. - which weren't taken into consideration medically at the time. Even though Lee had a bout of angina previous to Gettysburg - his "runs" my have contributed to heart problems at Gettysburg - and he did emphasize "possibly".

Yep, dehydration was a very serious problem with that malady, which brought about it's own set of problems.

 

[ole]

Pre-Kaopectate.

 

[kel1985]

They had corks though

 

[unionblue]

The problem of infection and disease is still a very potent problem even in today's military.

When I enlisted in 1971, URI (Upper Respertory Infection) was the big problem in Basic Training. I and many other recruits had to report to the hospital for a week because our lungs were filled with flem from this URI. Just crowd hundreds of men together and wait, something will come up.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

 

[ole]

In the 40s, moms would take their kids to get pox or measles or mumps from the neighbors. They did know that the kids would live through it and they knew that the adult version could be fatal. Folk medicine, but it worked.Knew a guy who didn't have mumps as a kid. Caught it from his kid when he was in his 40s.

Mumps is a swelling of glands. When you are a kid, the glands affected are in your throat. When you are an adult male, the swelling glands can be considerably different. One didn't necessarily die from the swelling, but it could often make you wish you did.

I had chicken pox as a kid. (Thanks mom.) And I might be able to find a scar. Worked with a guy who got chicken pox in his thirties and it nearly killed him. In 1862, it would have.

The poiint is, as has been admirably explained, if you hadn't had chicken pox or measles or mumps when you were a kid, you could die from any of them when you were 20.

 

[Red Harvest]

ole,

Chicken pox is a disease that can give more than once...about 50% of those living to 85 will experience shingles. And you can even have shingles more than once! I didn't realize that it could hit anyone at any age who had already had chicken pox, until it hit me. That's when I started hearing about teens who had it!

The antivirals work once you figure out what you have, which was lucky for me since I had the dangerous kind...cranial nerves and spreading to my eye.

There is a shingles vaccine but it is pricey and insurance and medicare won't cover it (not that I'm anywhere near medicare age.) Kind of dickish of the insurance companies to not pay for preventative immunization for something with a 50% hit rate, but that's what I've come to expect of our health care system.

p.s. It is my theory that chicken pox has thrived in the human population because of shingles. New generations are/were infected because of the latent virus in their parents.

 

[Republican Blues]

Anyone have a good link to reenactors doing this "quick step"?

Dillan,

dont need a link brother.......had it myself at a few events. Get it from time to time when I eat tomato sauce as well.....not a happy time.