ABSTRACT
Civil War soldiers coming home from the war experienced reintegration as a lengthy process that did not simply involve reuniting with their families and finding employment. Even those veterans who managed to avoid pauperism and disability still struggled with their sense of identity. They felt a subtle wall dividing them from the civilian populace that led to tension and persistent misunderstanding between civilians and former soldiers, although this tension has been largely masked by the more visible issues of race and regionalism that came to dominate the era.
