Maybe OT Maybe not - our guys and their war

[rielle]

Someone on another list in another fandom posted something I found fascinating, partly because I hadn't seen it mentioned before in the context of the men who came home/survived after the Civil War/ War Between the States.

Her article said that doctors of that period were very familiar with a condition they commonly called 'soldier's heart'... which we today call PTSD. These were veterans/survivors of those four years of unbelievable carnage and unprecedented violent loss of lives. And like our veterans today, and from the past 100 years they suffered from what the WW1 public called 'shell shock' or what the WW2 populace called things like nervous breakdowns... and so forth and so on.

We know the symptoms nowadays, its a recognized disorder. So its not hard to see where and how this 'soldier's heart' shows up in the post Civil War era.These men [for the most part, although women did go to that War] were uprooted, restless, torn by memories, unable to settle, unable to deal very well with new conflicts, except through the learned violence of the former soldier. And we're talking about the men of two generations, roughly, who fought in that War.

And so I'm now pondering whether anyone else here its possible that James or Artemus had this going on to some extent? I know this is waay serious to contemplate as regards our heroes. But to me as noted its fascinating to consider. Was James stoicism due in part to his reaction to the War? Was Artie's reluctance to use violence a similar reaction?

I know James is famous for what looks like an iron self-control, but we did see that slip on occasion under unusual stress... ie Pistoleros 'You begin to question my WHAT?'

I know Artie has this ebullience going on most of the time. And of course he's an actor, most writers seem to think from his young adulthood at the least if not his childhood. So he certainly knows how to 'cover' what's actually going on with him.

I know the show wasn't meant to be taken entirely serious, too. But still, I wonder. What does this 'soldier's heart' condition suggest about our two agents and the world they dealt with? Well, mostly to me it suggests they were human.

What do all y'all think?

[California gal]

A very interesting and thoughtful question to speculate on, rielle. Many of the outlaws in the post-war period probably suffered from the problem. Why not the "good guys" too? We don't know what Jim and Artie went through or witnessed, but we know they were in a horrific war with inadequate medical services. Even getting the wounded and dead off the battlefields was often a problem. Men lay on the field moaning and crying while the unwounded prepared to move on, and died without attention. Did they have to leave friends and even relatives, without knowing their fate? I've read so many stories of fathers, usually higher officers, finding their dead or dying son on the field. No doubt brothers and friends found brothers and friends.

I think it would be something very difficult to write about, although possibly recurring nightmares might be a symptom that could be in a story.

The TV show was written as mostly lighthearted (despite the whine about the "violence" by certain sections of the public and lawmakers at the time). However, we fan fiction writers have certainly taken it a step further, and isn't that what fan fiction is all about? Exercising our imagination as well as knowledge that might not have been there when the show was written.

There are indeed accounts of battlefield experience existing. Many veterans wrote books, as well as letters. It's just a matter of finding them. Some preferred to whitewash their experiences--probably in case a "delicate" female came across it accidentally. I have an account written by a member if the 8th NY Cavalry who barely mentions the death of its commanding officer!

I watched AMC's western, Hell on Wheels, which was about a Civil War vet seeking the murderers of his wife. Although it's never specifically stated, this "hero" probably suffered from PTSD. His obsession was such that he killed the wrong man and then had guilt for that to deal with. Had WWW been a TV show of today, it would undoubtedly have been more realistic, for good or ill.

A very intelligent question to think about, rielle. I'll be doing more of that!

[rielle]

thank you to both of you for your responses. I am intrigued enough to try to explore this idea in fanfiction. And yes, of course the series wasn't ever gonna 'go there', anymore then they were ever going to talk much about the Civil War itself. That was 'backstory', need to know the War happened as it motivated a fair number of the villains for the series... Noel Vautrain for one.

Just by the way they were portrayed, Jim is far less likely to talk about the War as he knew it. But Artie has that touch of melancholy in his eyes that suggests to me a hidden sorrow or regret. Of course what Ross could 'say' without speaking a word was another great gift to his audiences, always. And as time goes on I have noted [on this forum before now] that Robert as Jim does a great deal of his 'talking' with his eyes and his gestures.

I would add that imo the reason we as fans and fanfiction writers delve further and further into these characters and their lives is that both Ross and Robert gave us so much more in their gifted portrayals of Artie and Jim, being both wonderful actors who only got better working together. That, to me is what makes this series continue to live and breathe for so many people, far beyond other series or movies.

And I'm still interested in what other forum folks think about this matter?