War lung?

[LSBusch]

One of my Civil War ancestors (Valentine Spawr of the 14th Iowa) left the battle of Pleasant Hill, La., in 1864 with problems with his lungs. His widow's pension application in 1883 contained affidavits from family saying he always trouble with his lungs and would be unable to work for days or weeks at a time because of it. He died of pneumonia in 1882 at about age 50.

Part of the 14th was positioned right behind the 25th New York battery in the battle, but it didn't stay in the fight very long. However, there were other batteries present and the battle lasted a few hours. Is it possible Spawr was exposed to something from the smoke that would have caused his lung problems?

I gave a presentation about my book (see my signature) to the Cedar Valley (Iowa) Civil War Roundtable this week, and they suggested the possibility of something called "war lung." I'd like to know more about it.

 

[tmorr]

I'm no expert, but modern "war lung" is a term often associated with a variety of lung aliments from soldiers breathing in toxins on the modern battlefield, along with dirt and dust that they're not accustomed to. There are numerous reports of lung ailments related to servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc...

From the perspective of the American Civil War, I would say (and again, I'm not an expert nor a doctor) that many, many soldiers contracted lung ailments due to the long term exposure to the elements, sanitation and so forth. There are contemporary accounts from soldiers describing the mornings in camp where scores of men are coughing and/or clearing their lungs and throats from phlegm and so forth. While your ancestor may have had a reaction to being stationed near a battery, it's probably more likely that he contracted chronic bronchitis or pneumonia in the army, possibly even a form of TB, due to exposure, poor hygiene and nutrition. Months and years in the field or on campaign could wear even the heartiest man down as diseases, new and old, ravaged the troops of both sides.

 

[Fairfield]

One of my Civil War ancestors (Valentine Spawr of the 14th Iowa) left the battle of Pleasant Hill, La., in 1864 with problems with his lungs. His widow's pension application in 1883 contained affidavits from family saying he always trouble with his lungs and would be unable to work for days or weeks at a time because of it. He died of pneumonia in 1882 at about age 50.

Part of the 14th was positioned right behind the 25th New York battery in the battle, but it didn't stay in the fight very long. However, there were other batteries present and the battle lasted a few hours. Is it possible Spawr was exposed to something from the smoke that would have caused his lung problems?

I gave a presentation about my book (see my signature) to the Cedar Valley (Iowa) Civil War Roundtable this week, and they suggested the possibility of something called "war lung." I'd like to know more about it.

Pneumonia was the 3rd most common cause of death in the Civil War. Stonewall Jackson may have died of sepsis that was triggered by pneumonia. There is a detailed--but depressing--description of ACW ailments on https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/disease-in-the-civil-war.html (go down to case #44, especially paragraph 2)

 

[lupaglupa]

One of my gr-gr-grandfathers who fought in the War developed a lung ailment that the doctors said was TB. They sent him home from Virginia. He recovered enough to re-enlist but again got sick in his lungs and had to go home. He eventually lived to be 77. After his death his wife applied for a pension and said he had gotten measles in his lungs, which troubled him all his life. I read about it and this was not uncommon - many soldiers became sick in their first army camp, exposed to diseases they'd not had in childhood. That could be what happened to your ancestor.

 

[Lubliner]

There is also a common ailment called 'consumption' that is the same as TB;

How We Conquered Consumption

As the most feared disease in the world, the disease was known as the "Great White Plague" (due to the extreme paleness of those affected), striking down the young and old, the rich and poor. It seeme

www.lung.org

Lubliner.