While not exactly an ego-booster, the term “inmate” was one of the lesser worries for the old veterans applying to Confederate Soldiers’ camps across the South. One of the major prerequisites stated on the Lee Camp application was that the ex-soldier be “indigent and infirm”. In addition, the application for admission to Lee Camp Soldiers’ Home states:

“Insane persons, habitual drunkards, persons suffering with cancerous affection or contagious disease will not be admitted under any circumstances.” [All caps]

Camp Lee Applications mat be viewed online @ http://ajax.lva.lib.va.us/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas16&local_base=clas16

A really great book on the subject is “Living Monuments: Confederate Soldiers’ Homes in the New South” by R. B. Rosenburg.
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27683131&referer=brief_results