“My Bruises Are Inward:” A Study of Mental Trauma in the American Civil War

<p>War is traumatic. Since the American Psychiatric Association first recognized post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 1980, living veterans of combat have been diagnosed at an alarmingly high rate. However, mental trauma related diagnoses have existed for centuries, including several that were identified around the time of the American Civil War. This thesis argues that Civil War soldiers experienced mental trauma related to their military service. It does so through three lenses. Focused on the mental trauma among Northern veterans, this study investigates in particular the relationship between mental trauma and socioeconomic status. It analyzes the experiences of both white and African-American soldiers with mental trauma resulting from combat, and it examines the public’s perception of veterans and their mental trauma accrued during the war. This work is grounded in a rich secondary literature and contemporary personal correspondence, diaries, newspapers, periodicals, military pensions, asylum records, and medical documents. These primary sources offer an intimate examination of the struggles of Civil War soldiers to overcome the psychological impact of war. An in-depth study of the emotional suffering of Civil War combatants results in a better understanding of mental trauma as it relates to military history.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Turnbaugh, Cody

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Susannah J. Ural
• Dr. Andrew Wiest
• Dr. Kyle F. Zelner

• American Civil War
• mental trauma
• PTSD
• African American
• Class
• War and Society
• History
• History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
• Military History
• Psychology
• United States History

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/824

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1884