William Hammond (August 28^th, 1828 – January 5^th, 1900) and Silas Weir Mitchell (February 15^th, 1829 – January 4^th, 1914) established the specialty of American neurology in the late 19^th century. Though hysteria was the hallmark diagnosis of the time, and the rest cure an important therapeutic intervention, historians tend to gloss over American neurology and its innovations as derivative of the more famous and previously established European models of neurology. But American neurology was different, largely because of its roots in Civil War medicine. Using Mitchell’s research on hysteria as an example of a prominent American neurologist attacking one of the major neurological concerns of the 19^th century via experiences specific to the Civil War, this paper demonstrates that experiences unique to the United States allowed American neurology to forge its own path separate from the European model.