Jonathan Jones discusses his first book which uncovers the hidden history of an opioid addiction epidemic that plagued veterans in aftermath of the Civil War–America’s first opioid crisis. Employing the approaches of gender, social, and medical history, the manuscript investigates the causes and tragic consequences of drug addiction for Civil War veterans and their families, as well as the radical responses by the American medical community and government authorities to the addiction crisis.
Jonathan Jones is Assistant Professor with the Department of HIstory at the Virginia Military Institute. His upcoming book is adapted from his doctoral dissertation, which was awarded the 2021 Anne J. Bailey Dissertation Award from the Society of Civil War Historians and the inaugural Chancellor Distinguished PhD Graduate Dissertation Award from SUNY.