Faking Stiff Joint to Avoid Duty

[lelliott19]

From the Marietta Rebel, reprinted in the Rome Tri-Weekly Courier, Apr. 16, 1864, page 2.

I suppose this soldier was disappointed with the "amazing cure," as he was sent to rejoin his regiment at the front. I wonder how many other soldiers faked disability or illness in order to avoid active duty?

 

[John Hartwell]

That's a good one. I suspect that waking him up in the middle of the night by yelling "Run! the building's on fire!" might have loosened his joints pretty fast, too.

Long-term faking was hard to pull off -- requires a lot of concentration and discipline, 24/7. A stiff leg, like this one, is particularly difficult ... one witnessed slip-up and it's all over.

But, regimental surgeons saw quite a lot of malingering at daily sick-call, just to get out of drill or guard duty, or to spend the day in bed. A man first had to get permission from his captain to see the surgeon, and both officers and surgeons became pretty adept at spotting it -- they came to know what to expect from whom.

I've also seen diaries of men who complain repeatedly of real illness that the doctor refused to believe. That's another problem altogether.