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4. Becoming a Seasoned Soldier
- The University of North Carolina Press
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99 4 Becoming a Seasoned Soldier Given the tremendous environmental pressures on mental and physical health and the unreliable nature of the Confederate and Union military medical systems, common soldiers attempted to reconstruct personal, informal networks of environmental information and health care based on their prewar experiences. This unofficial system would be based on spontaneous opportunity, experiential knowledge, and the aid of fellow soldiers and individuals near the front and at home. While it was often impossible for most soldiers, except Virginians stationed near their homes or those on furlough, to receive physical nursing from their loved ones, correspondence served as a proxy for family care, while comrades or individuals traveling with the armies or residing nearby could offer personal advice and attention. The difference between those who made up the unofficial network of self-care and those who composed the Medical Departments was that the former were generally not entangled in bureaucracy or military goals; rather, they were focused on helping the soldier to survive. Because of individualized support and because of the self-care emphasis on prevention, the fully seasoned soldier had the best chance of remaining healthy and whole in 1862 Virginia. Of the healthiest and happiest soldiers in this study, a number of trends are apparent. Most important: the healthiest men practiced a wide range of self-care techniques, and equal numbers were Confederate and Union soldiers. Further, those who remained physically healthy were also mentally healthy.1 Men in blue and gray proved remarkably resourceful in their habits and developed the same sorts of techniques. Some habits were simply extensions of civilian life, while others required a cultural shift to master. Sometimes self-care became a group experience, even inciting competition and pride, while other practices were conducted alone, 100 / Becoming a Seasoned Soldier secretly, or in pairs. Self-care could both prevent and treat illness. Some techniques abounded on the march, while others were only useful when in camp. It is not entirely clear why some men adopted effective selfcare routines, while others passively accepted their fates. The evidence suggests that certain circumstances of service proved more conducive to practicing self-care, such as the flexibility of a cavalryman or officer. Officer oversight or the availability of people to participate in the informal network of care played a major role. No doubt, personal resilience and genetic factors also influenced the decision to practice self-care and one’s overall susceptibility to disease and melancholy. Finally, the fact remains that some humans respond to hardship with resignation, while others respond with resilience, lending some credence to the contemporary idea that a positive attitude could bolster health. This is not to say that self-care was a panacea. There were a few cases in which soldiers practiced extensive and varied self-care routines but could not ward off illness and debilitating sadness. Variables such as age, health before enlistment, and the precise locations to which one’s regiment was deployed played a role in the outcome of self-care. Also, it is important to bear in mind that the numbers of sick soldiers far exceeded the numbers of healthy soldiers despite widespread use of certain self-care techniques. Therefore, self-care was only so effective in mitigating the environment of war. For instance, if a person bathed regularly but did not drain his camp of moisture to prevent mosquito infestations, then even if he avoided diarrhea he was still likely to contract malaria. Self-care did, however, provide a means of actively pursuing environmental seasoning on the way to becoming a veteran, a badge of honor for Civil War soldiers. EXPERIMENTING WITH SELF-CARE Confederate Pvt. Randolph McKim was encamped with the Army of Northern Virginia in April of 1862. Miserable, wet, and cold, he did a surprising thing—he broke through some ice by a railroad and plunged his body into the freezing depths below. “Bathing was a rare privilege,” he remarked, a habit worth such a sacrifice. Why he would willingly entice hypothermia was subsequently revealed in his account. “Under the genial sun we would soon forget our miseries and enjoy the beautiful scenery sometimes spread out before us.” Prior to this incident, the men had been “almost broken down with the weather” of that “unfriendly spring.”2 Bathing, therefore, provided important psychological benefits to the weary soldier. Likewise did 13th Massachusetts infantryman Pvt. [54.226.222.183] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 04:06 GMT) Becoming a Seasoned Soldier / 101 Ephraim A. Wood...