Though the Civil War soldiers were less distant from home than today's soldiers, many were farm boys who had never been far from home. They didn't have phones or Skype to keep in touch with loved ones back home .
This caused the condition Civil War doctors referred to as "nostalgia," an old term for despair and homesickness so severe that soldiers became listless and emaciated and sometimes died. It was recognized as a serious "camp disease," but generally blamed on "feeble will," "moral turpitude" and inactivity in camp. Few who had it were discharged or granted furloughs to go home. Recommended treatment was drilling and shaming. An even better cure was active campaigning.
After the war, the veterans faced not only wounds but also lingering ailments such as rheumatism, and chronic dysentery.
--Old Secesh
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