Soldier Self-Care in the year 1862

Soldier Self-Care in the Year 1862, in The Shenandoah Valley and The Peninsula Campaigns

Research Paper Proposal

I intend to write my paper on the topic of Soldier Self-Care in the year 1862, in the Shenandoah Valley and the Peninsula Campaigns. The research is to look at the reasons of the large number of soldiers who died during this time. This is also to look at what the soldiers were doing to help manage their self care on their own. The role of surgeons is also debatable. What were they doing when these soldiers were dying and what they should have done to prevent the loss of lives of soldiers.

Background

The Peninsula Campaign was an operation that was launched in 1862, in south eastern Virginia. It was led by Maj. General George McClellan. It was a movement against the North Virginian Confederate States Army. The battle was meant to capture the capital of Richmond. The General was considered amongst the best officers of those times. He was an excellent organizer and even better administrator. He was very cautious about all the things needed in the battles, and he was very particular about the manpower. For three months, McClellan battled his way through all the hardships and the opposition, to Richmond. Robert E. Lee then came into command and took command of the forces of Confederation. It was a then a matter of only seven days for Lee and his forces to change the course of the war. Lee drove the army of McClellan out of Richmond.

The condition of soldiers during this civil war was not something that can be hauled. They suffered from environmental attacks on their mental, as well as, their physical health. This was one of the most important concerns of the soldier off the battle field. The illnesses and diseases took over the soldiers in this war. Around two third of the soldiers lost their lives, not to the battle, but to diseases and illnesses. The hygiene of battle camps was way too poor. In the early days of war, it was even poorer. A lot of different kinds of diseases spread in the army camps. Many of them proved to be fatal.

Thesis

The research paper is based on looking into the actual conditions that the soldiers were facing in this war. There were many kinds of diseases spread in the camps, including dysentery, diarrhea, ...