Today, the medical world recognises the shock and horror to which combatants are exposed on the battlefield. They can be recognised long after the guns have fallen silent. But is this somehow a modern phenomenon only associated with the wars of the 20th and 21st centuries? Or can historical research find similar cases and symptoms in veterans of earlier wars? The Civil War Petitions project, which has transcribed and analysed more than 4000 petitions from veterans, their wives and widows and even communities seeking relief as a result of the wars, offers intriguing evidence of consequences of combat on ordinary soldiers from both sides. According to project manager Dr Ismini Pells, the individual stories reveal examples of veterans whose symptoms and behaviour we would recognise today as battlefield trauma, suggesting a diagnosis such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
