Adruain, is it the same author?
The word "variola" refers to the smallpox virus in general. There are a
number of different strains of variola, characterized by different
descriptive words. For example, "variola major" is a severe form of
smallpox, characterized by a fatality rate of 25 to 40 percent. "Variola
minor" is a milder form of the virus, with a much lower fatality rate. There
are other descriptive words for the various strains that have to do with the
size of the spots, etc... (reference: Dorland's Illustrated Medical
Dictionary, 26th Edition, p. 1437). In other words, lots of people survived
smallpox.
While I'm sure there were a number of deaths all at once when smallpox
visited, to say that all other reasons for death at Alton prison were as a
result of smallpox...that is absurd. Civil War medicine is no mystery,
since Union pensioners have detailed reports of medical examinations in
their pension files, made by Army surgeons. There are also hospital records
available, not to mention the actual prison records that list cause of death
for those who died there.
"General debility" is kind of a catch-all phrase that they used to show when
a person's health was failing for multiple reasons, without giving a whole
laundry list of what all was failing them. When one part of the body isn't
working right, it affects other parts and other things start breaking down.
Because there weren't any antibiotics at the time of the Civil War, a lot of
men had bacterial infections, rheumatic fever, etc... that would cause
scarring of their heart valves, and other problems that we no longer see in
our modern society today. Over the years, scarring of the heart valves
would lead to "dropsy" (archaic word for congestive heart failure), which
many were pensioned for. Others were pensioned because they caught cold
from sleeping outside on a damp night and developed pneumonia or
tuberculosis. They might survive, but would be in a weakened or debilitated
condition afterward. Drinking bad water gave them chronic diarrhea. Some
died from it right away, in the prisons and in field hospitals, for others
it was a slower process that lasted long after the war until they finally
became debilitated enough to die from it years later. These problems
happened with or without ever having had smallpox.
My apologies for going on so off-topic, but historical research is really
set back light years by authors who print undocumented and unresearched
generalizations such as: "All of the other reasons for death at Alton were
as a result of Small pox". Who told her that, and why would she print such
a thing without checking it out first? Research is for revealing history,
not for rewriting it.
Peggy Reeves
----- Original Message -----
From: "Adruain Cato" <cato324(a)bellsouth.net>
To: <CATO-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 7:34 PM
Subject: Re: [CATO] Fw: Eakin Book
Peggy,Cynthia, & grp
I have a book on Alton and the Author said Variola was a lighter case of
Small pox. She also said all the other reasons for death at Alton were as
a
result of Small pox. she said if you for some reason survived the other
diseases
probably got you.
Yes Chapman died from Variola
Nathan died from Pluersy (this is my great great grandfather and it took
me 10 yrs to
prove it through the process of elimination) There were 3 Nathan's in the
war and I
tracked the other two to the end of their lives.
Wilson Sr --General Debelity??
The John H who died also from small pox is from Jacob Cato from Tn to Ill
to Ar.
Adruain
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peggy K. Reeves" <peg(a)reevesweb.com>
To: <CATO-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 6:14 PM
Subject: Re: [CATO] Fw: Eakin Book
> Wow, I have never seen this! I would like to know what her sources are,
> too. Has anyone ever looked for information on Confederate soldiers at
> the MO or AR State Archives or the various Historical Societies in those
> places? They might have information that NARA does not. Each state
> varies in what kind of information they have available.
>
> "Variola" is smallpox. "Plurtus" is probably
"Pleuritis", which is
> inflammation of the membranes covering the lungs and chest cavity. "Gen
> Del" is probably "General debility", meaning that the person was
already
> in ill health, perhaps an older person. It usually refers to people who
> are old and in a broken-down state of health. (my previous occupation
> was that of a medical transcriptionist)
>
> Men who were sent to "City Point" were going there to be exchanged.
>
> "Ball and chain" was a penalty, and "execution" was a penalty.
This
> really doesn't make sense to me, to be sentenced to both. A person
> cannot be executed and then be made to drag around a ball and chain.
> I'll have to compare this list with the court-martial records.
>
> I would also like to know if Ms. Chiles has additional sources, other
> than information sent to her by other individuals. There is a real need
> to look at the original documents.
>
> Peggy Reeves
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Adruain Cato" <cato324(a)bellsouth.net>
> To: <CATO-L(a)rootsweb.com>
> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 6:09 PM
> Subject: [CATO] Fw: Eakin Book
>
>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Adruain Cato
>> To: cato324(a)bellsouth.net
>> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 5:05 PM
>> Subject: Eakin Book
>>
>>
>> Joann Chiles Eakin Book--Missouri prisoners of War
>>
>> Name Rank Regiment Captured Date
>> Prison Remarks
>> Cata, Chapman B.W. Bollinger Co Mo Stoddard Co Mo 8/24/1862
>> Gratiot To Alton 10/24/62
>> Cata, J.T Sgt Morgans Co I Boonville Mo
>> 10/18/64 Myrtle St To Alton 12/6/64
>> Cata, Nathaniel Citizen Bollinger Co MO Bollinger Co Mo 8/2/62
>> Gratiot To Alton 9/12/62
>> Cata, William B.W. Stoddard Co Mo Stoddard Co Mo
>> 7/24/62 Gratiot O&B 10/24/62
>> Cata, Wilson, Jr Citizen Bollinger Co Mo Bollinger Co Mo
>> 8/2/62 Gratiot To Alton 9/12/62
>> Cata, Wilson Sr Citizen Bollinger Co Mo Bollinger Co Mo 8/2/62
>> Gratiot To Alton 9/12/62
>>
>> Cato Abner S pvt Fieldings Stoddard Co Mo
>> 1/27/63 Gratiot To Alton 2/25/63
>> Cato, Chapman Citizen Bollinger Co Mo Stoddard Co Mo 8/18/62
>> Alton Il D=1/3/63 Variola
>> Cato, Nat pvt Recruit Bollinger
>> Co Mo 7/9/62 Gratiot To Alton 7/19/62
>> Cato, Nathan Citizen Bollinger Co Mo At Home 5/2/62 Alton Il
>> Cato, Nathan Citizen Bollinger Co Mo At Home 8/3/62 Alton Il
>> To City Point
>> Cato, Nathaniel pvt Phelans Stoddard co mo
>> 11/27/62 Gratiot EX=12/12/62
>> Cato, Nathaniel pvt Reeds Co Wayne Co Mo 5/18/62
>> Alton Il
>> Cato, Nathan Citizen Bollinger Co Mo Bollinger Co Mo
>> 8/2/62 Alton Il D=2/5/63, plurtus
>> Cato, William pvt 2nd Mo Cav Wayne Co Mo 11/25/62
>> Alton Il To City Point=Ex
>> Cato, William pvt McCulloughs Wayne Co Mo 12/1/62
>> Myrtle St
>> Cato, Wilson Jr citizen Bollinger Co Mo Bollinger Co Mo 8/2/62
>> Gratiot Oath 3/10/63
>> Cato, Wilson Jr citizen Bollinger Co Mo Bollinger Co Mo 8/2/62
>> Alton Il
>> Cato Wilson Jr Citizen Bollinger Co Mo At home 5/2/62
>> Alton Il
>> Cato, Wilson Sr Citizen Bollinger Co Mo At Home 5/2/62 Alton
>> Il D=11/9/62 Gen Del
>>
>> Cats, Jno H pvt Gordons Co F Fayetteville Ar
>> 11/4/64 Alton Il D=2/8/65--smallpox
>>
>> As you can see there are many mistakes, I'm not critizing Joann, it is
>> hard to track this family even if you
>> know them.
>> William Cata under remarks O&B--Joann says in her footnotes that this is
>> violation of Oath sentenced
>> to Ball and Chain--penalty is execution.
>> Abner Cato is really Abner Cates and she has it right previous to this
>> entry--Phelans Co
>> We know thes Cata's are Cato's for there are no Cata's in the census
>> during this era.
>>
>> Adruain