Being a POW in any war is a terrible situation. My Uncle was one in Korea and then wounded and captured during the Bay of Pigs mess. He suffered and this was after the Geneva Convention. Those who were prisoners in the War of Northern Aggrivation had some very ugly things to deal with. I would think their diet could have been a contributing factor for many problems they may have developed after the war. One of my GGGrandfather's lost an arm at Murfreesboro. In a way, he was lucky the Union captured him and he was under their medical care. It was also in December so the infection rate may have been lower with the cold and the supplies weren't short for the Union. Later in life, on his pension application, it listed him losing his arm as a disability. Another, the one who was at Ft Delaware had other, undefined, problems listed from his stay in the prison.The only one that was clearly stated on there was "Rheumatism from being held prisoner" When he died, it's been said he was yelling "The Yanks have got my toes". I've read where one of the commandants at Delaware was known to hang prisoners by their thumbs but we don't know why he was talking about his toes. It may be from pain because he had cirulatory problems and his mind was just confused. PTSD wasn't even recognized then, much less treated. Don't know what they'd have used if it was. It's amazing how many men, on both sides, went through so much in a few short years and lived to return to life without war and were pretty much 'normal'. I'd venture a guess and say it was expected of them to do so and they complied. For each of the diaries and memoirs we've read, I'd guess there were 10 or more others that were not written about. So many people with stories about so much that we don't know. That's the sad part of it all. Many individuals aren't even a footnote, just a number.

Pam