Pondering the price of a war

Today I was reading through some files of a civil war soldier with the same name of one of my ancestors. He was an officer and served honorably for quite some time. He then tendered his resignation stating that he was physically unable to perform his duties.  After reading through, there was a statement from a medical doctor who examined him and said he was suffering from Congenital Club Feet and that his ankles were too weak to continue marching.

I would guess that he was aware of this condition prior to joining the confederate army, although it's possible he did not know what it was if he'd not seen a doctor about it.  But in my head, I can only imagine the horror of seeing men killed and the trials of war weighing so heavily on him that he decides that it just is not worth the pain and consults a doctor for a way to go home.

I don't see this as a weakness in a strong man. Having no personal experience with war or death in such a manner, I assume it was an awful thing to experience.  Perhaps the case is that after all the marching and battles that he participated in, that his weak ankles could no longer carry the burden and made him incapable of continuing.

Whatever the reason, I find it very interesting either way. Each time I find a little tid-bit of information pertaining to the lives of those that came before me, I find myself pondering what life could have been like for them and their families.

I hope that as I continue this journey, that I learn more about how people lived, survived and died and that I continue to enjoy these Adventures in Genealogy.