The Civil War and P.T.S.D.

I wonder very much about my great-great-grandfather. He clearly suffered from something after the war, but it does not appear to have been a physical ailment, and he lived for his last years at a state hospital, but was (physically) healthy enough to attend family reunions and G.A.R. stuff. Records are unclear and family records are not revealing... which causes me to suspect that it was something mental or emotional.
 
I wonder very much about my great-great-grandfather. He clearly suffered from something after the war, but it does not appear to have been a physical ailment, and he lived for his last years at a state hospital, but was (physically) healthy enough to attend family reunions and G.A.R. stuff. Records are unclear and family records are not revealing... which causes me to suspect that it was something mental or emotional.
There was an excellent book published on the subject in 1997.
It was entitled 'Shook Over Hell; Post Traumatic Stress, Vietnam, and the Civil War by Eric T. Dean, Jr.
(Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., London, England.
It draws some eye opening connections between both wars and the PTSD that existed and was exhibited during the CW.
 
The Amazon site: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0674806522/?tag=civilwartalkc-20
has some good reviews.

Another good book is: http://www.amazon.com/Achilles-Vietnam-Combat-Undoing-Character/dp/0684813211/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400864728&sr=1-1&keywords=achilles in vietnam

along with its companion: http://www.amazon.com/dp/074321157X/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

The War of the Rebellion / American Civil War had significant differences when we compare PTSD and TBI to "all wars". First, is the size - almost two million Union vets and perhaps 900,000 Secesh dwarfs the number in all previous wars.
Second is the nature of artillery - elsewhere on the board there have been comparisons between WW I and Civil War artillery, the ACW being the first to use the monstrous huge cannon and mortars...

To me, what was remarkable about the ACW aftermath was the generosity of the Federal gov't. True, it had all the shortcomings of our current system: not enough money, stinginess (for want of a better term), sometimes really tough interviewing qualifying standards. But in many cases the $25.00 a month disabled vets rec'd was all that stood between them and starvation.

By the way, the haziness between TBI and PTSD is still there. Too many Iraqi vets were banged around in humvees and came out severely damaged. Problem is the affects of TBI and/or PTSD might not show up for years.
 
CMWinkler,

It is amazing what a supposedly fragile body can endure in physical injurty and punishment, that the mind cannot be forced to bear.

Thanks for posting this story.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

My pleasure. This is an important topic because those who suffered through those years could not help but be changed. With the contemporary relevance of PTS as an issue one can only imagine the difficulties large numbers of soldiers and their families had as a result. It's something we all ought to try to think about and remember. It amazes me that anyone can go through such trauma and function at all.
 
[QUOTE="
PTSD is classified as an anxiety disorder- it's not a physical problem, but a mental one. The symptoms are rarely physical (aside from those common to anxiety disorders) and generally those with PTSD can lead a "normal" life to all appearances. However, the changes to the brain are more localized and only detectable through advanced brain imaging (TBI can be detected using MRI). It can be brought on by physical trauma, but doesn't require physical trauma. TBI and PTSD can co-occur, where the traumatic incident (an explosion or car crash for example) causes physical damage to the brain and causes an anxiety disorder.[/QUOTE]

I was in a military airplane crash, been flying my whole career and you are correct with the anxiety after a traumatic event. I never had issues flying until that crash and now everytime I get on the plane it is like reliving that crash and my anxiety level increases greatly so I cope and deal with it as best I can but it doesn't ever go away. It is always there.
During the war I watched missles fly up at us but I never felt in danger because they weren't tracking us with radar so it was funny to see em trying to shoot us down blindly. There was alot of radio traffic with peoples lives at stake on the ground and we helped destroy and kill alot of Iraqi soldiers and equipment but that stuff never had an impact on me because I felt untouchable at the time. That all went away with that crash, and it is amazing how one event can change your life forever.
To think of these people being on the firing line for 4-5 years non stop not to mention even when on furlough you could get bushwhacked at any moment truly amazes me that they held up the way they did and many lived what seemed to be normal lives after such a horrible war.
 
This is another of those morbidly interesting - and relevant - topics.

I wonder how many dependents suffered PTSD in the CW.

I think John Winn's three sisters and little brother suffered PTSD after the CW. Their father had died a few years before the war leaving his wife in a very fragile position and with five children. John, being the oldest, went to Richmond for work and then joined the Howitzers. His mother ran a boarding house to support the family but they apparently led a marginal existence. John's mother died during the war leaving the children to be farmed out to distant relatives. After the war John was expected to take care of everybody but he wasn't really able to do it. They almost literally starved. Eventually, his oldest sister married a wealthy man in WV who soon became a Senator and he supported everybody but John (who had moved to Georgia). John's only brother was never able to deal with finding a trade, moved about aimlessly, ended up in an asylum and died there. None of the other sisters ever married or, apparently, had any social life of their own.

I wonder how many other dependents in the CW had similar or even worse experiences and how many of them were mentally damaged by it. Had to be quite a few I'd think.
 
This is another of those morbidly interesting - and relevant - topics.

I wonder how many dependents suffered PTSD in the CW.

I think John Winn's three sisters and little brother suffered PTSD after the CW. Their father had died a few years before the war leaving his wife in a very fragile position and with five children. John, being the oldest, went to Richmond for work and then joined the Howitzers. His mother ran a boarding house to support the family but they apparently led a marginal existence. John's mother died during the war leaving the children to be farmed out to distant relatives. After the war John was expected to take care of everybody but he wasn't really able to do it. They almost literally starved. Eventually, his oldest sister married a wealthy man in WV who soon became a Senator and he supported everybody but John (who had moved to Georgia). John's only brother was never able to deal with finding a trade, moved about aimlessly, ended up in an asylum and died there. None of the other sisters ever married or, apparently, had any social life of their own.

I wonder how many other dependents in the CW had similar or even worse experiences and how many of them were mentally damaged by it. Had to be quite a few I'd think.

Very perceptive. Look at the relationship Joshua Chamberlain had with his wife. True, he had a severe genital injury and had to use a catheter and probably diapers for the rest of his life, which didn't make things any easier, but you read the biographies and their relationship was never the same after the war.
I am not too sure O W Holmes Jr. didn't have the same problem. He was unfaithful to his wife, and probably suffered from PTSD, but I don't recall enough about the relationship otherwise....
 
PTSD is a catch-all for a trauma-induced anxiety disorder; no physical damage is inflicted on the brain

This. Although it seems most closely associated with returning soldiers, there is more than one way to be traumatized.

CMWinkler,
It is amazing what a supposedly fragile body can endure in physical injury and punishment, that the mind cannot be forced to bear.


Yes.
 
I seem to know a lot of hoarders. A disproportionate number survived The Great Depression, or are children of those who did.

Guess I should clarify that since most of us descend from GD survivors , lol. I guess what I mean is that people cope in different ways and I definitely remember stories from people who were terrified of being hungry (I'm thinking -again-.) the things they kept around them are kind of startling, and I wish to God mom would quit carrying cheeseburgers in her purse but I think that's a different kind of problem :confused:
 
Both Mom and Dad are still careful about food even though they haven't starved for a good many years. Every so often we find a pile of rolls or cupcakes she's pilfered from the dining room! (If they want more food, all they have to do is tell the staff they want more...)
 
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