What kept me digging regarding my GGrandfather, was my mother had specifically requested that I find what I could on him. The family knew little about him, except that he supposedly lied about his age to be able to sign up for the war.....we've never even seen a picture of him. The only thing that we have to go by as far as what he looked like is concerned, is his papers when he enlisted. It described him pretty well. (more below) At 03:02 PM 10/13/2005,ocontogal2000@yahoo.com wrote: >Mari, > >That is so true. Those who died in battle or of injuries and infection from >wounds were greatly outnumbered by those who died from disease while serving. >Yet, even that is a fraction of what individuals and families faced. > >Chronic Diarrhea may not sound like much to some. When you read about how >many men returned with that ( tens of thousands), and the fact that it lasted >the whole rest of their lives, leaving them with years of weakness and >debilitation, you begin to see how it deeply affected not only the >individuals, their families, but the future history of the family. Yes! There were papers....affidavits from various people telling of what they knew about Elisha both before, during, and after the war. Most described him as being half the strong man he was when he enlisted! And yet, when his tour of duty ended during the war, rather than go home, he re-enlisted at Hilton Head, SC. >The cause was never discovered and there was no cure. They treated the >symptoms as best they could and tried to go on taking care of their families >with what little energy they could muster. Being considered heros didn't help >them feed their families. It was decades before they were accepted for even a >small pension to help defray the medical costs and loss of income. By then >it was not a help in raising their families and the losses included >opportunities for successful farms, businesses, education, family health and >seriously affected the future. They "had not been injured in battle". Elisha's wife cared for him and her brother. Nursing them both health-wise, but as you say, there was no cure, and not much that could be done. I read these affidavits to mom when I had enough gathered. She sat and listened (something she was hard to get to do) and when I finished, she said, "he had a hard life" and that "they didn't have much time together"...meaning her grandparents, Elisha and his wife. It really saddened her. Thankfully, I was able to give mom this information before she died.....but what I gave her was far from what she envisioned. The Civil War never held much interest for me before. But learning what I did about my Ggrandfather, and knowing that these men didn't "push a button" to do battle, that it was pretty much hand to hand combat. One wonders what made these men what they were. They fought because they believed in the "cause".....but more importantly, there was a deep sense of patriotism that is hard to beat. With the less than adequate conditions they lived in and with, and all the chronic health issues, it's a wonder that any of them had the stamina to continue! Mari >Other chronic debilitating conditions that resulted from that devastating war >(for both sides) included serious hernias (ruptures that could not be >repaired as now), bleeding hemorrhoids (causing continuous pain and >generalized weakness), chronic blood infections (blood poisonings), Chronic >Lung Disease (progressive deterioration of the lungs), digestive difficulties >such as ulcers (now we know it is often caused by a bacteria that can be >passed along) which left the person malnutritioned, blood disorders such a >Malaria and chronic anemias, to name a few of the most often seen. > >This does not even begin to touch on the emotional debilitation's that were >never recognized, such as post traumatic stress syndrome. These conditions >came home with them from the war and became part of the family; and our >legacy. > >Rita