Private Gustavus Pratt died of typhoid fever on June 25, 1862. He was 32 years old. His death did not end with him.

It tore a hole through his family, through the mind of his wife, the faith of his father, and the life of his brother. “The Awful Hole Left by Gustavus Pratt” is the story of how the loss of one ordinary soldier during the American Civil War set off a chain reaction of grief, madness, and ruin within a single family. The full episode drops January 14, 2026.