Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
History
Date of Award
8-2020
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Steven Nash
Committee Members
John Rankin, Tom Lee
Abstract
This thesis is a case study aimed at a key argument in the emerging field of Civil War medical and environmental history. While historians have long acknowledged disease as a major killer during the Civil War, only recently have environmental and medical historians turned their collective attentions to unpacking the complex interconnections of disease, environmental conditions, and culture. By examining the 58th North Carolina Infantry Regiment from the mountains of western North Carolina, this thesis asserts that the combined role of the disease environment and conditions in military camps created the massive outbreaks of disease that characterized the seasoning process of the regiment. Furthermore, the soldiers were practical in their response to conditions, weighing family, nation, and other factors in the face of death. When the threat of disease combined with personal and other factors, many soldiers deserted or took other actions of self-preservation over loyalty to the Confederacy.
Document Type
Thesis - embargo
Recommended Citation
Richard, Ashlie, "A Case Study of Civil War Environmental and Medical History Through the Disease Seasoning of the 58th North Carolina Infantry Regiment in East Tennessee" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3784. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3784
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.