Greetings! I’m Tara
Kingston, historical romance author and lover of all things Victorian. I’m fascinated
by history through the ages, especially the bold, brilliant women who helped
shape our world, and I’m delighted to be a new monthly contributor to History
Undressed. I’ll be sharing facts about daring women through history—some famous,
some not so well-known, but all remarkable with their own unique contributions.
Today’s post
touches two areas of interest that are dear to my heart—the American Civil War
and remarkable women. My Secrets & Spies series looks at Civil War
espionage, but I’m quite intrigued by the women who put their lives on the line
to nurse the wounded. Here’s a bit about some of the brave, bold women who
served as nurses during the Civil War…some are common names, while the
contributions of others were fascinating to discover.
CLARA BARTON
Dubbed the “Angel
of the Battlefield”, Clara Barton delivered supplies to the frontlines and
tended the wounded on the fields of battle, including during the Battle of
Antietam. After the war’s end, she worked to identify missing soldiers through
a nationwide campaign. Years later, in 1881, she founded the American Red
Cross.
DOROTHEA DIX
The social reformer
devoted many years of her life working for better treatment of the mentally
ill, but during the Civil War, she was appointed the Union’s Superintendent of
Women Nurses in 1861. During her years of volunteer service, her duties
included recruiting females into the nursing ranks at army hospitals and
setting up field hospitals. After the war, she resumed her efforts on behalf of
the mentally ill.
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
Perhaps best known
as the author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott served as a Union nurse at
Georgetown’s Union Hotel Hospital from December 1862 through January 1863.
Stricken with typhoid pneumonia, her service was cut short. After her recovery,
she wrote a book, Hospital Sketches, based on her experiences at the hospital
she dubbed the “Hurly burly Hotel”.
 |
| Courtesy of the National Library of Congress |
HANNAH ROPES
A social reformer
and abolitionist, Hannah Ropes became the Head Matron at the Union Hotel
Hospital in 1862, tirelessly advocating for better care of the wounded. Mrs.
Ropes served there during the weeks when Louisa May Alcott served as a nurse at
the hospital. Both she and Louisa May Alcott were stricken with typhoid
pneumonia in January 1863. Louisa May Alcott recovered, but Hannah Ropes died
on January 20, 1863.
HARRIET TUBMAN
The renowned conductor
of the Underground Railroad served as a nurse to African-American troops and a
spy behind the front lines during the Civil War. Many years after the war, she
was awarded a nurse’s pension by the government.
SUSIE BAKER KING
TAYLOR
The daughter of
slaves, Susie Baker King Taylor served as a teacher and nurse during the Civil
War. Born in 1848, she was a teenager when she served as a nurse at the
country’s first hospital for African-American soldiers in South Carolina,
working with Clara Barton. Years later, she published an account of her
experiences, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp.
AMANDA AKIN
A nurse at the
Armory Square hospital in Washington between April 1863 and July 1864, Amanda
Akin kept a detailed diary of her experiences. Shortly before her death in
1909, she wrote a book about her recollections, The Lady Nurse of Ward E, under
her married name, Amanda Akin Stearns.
Thousands of brave
women served the Union and the Confederacy as nurses during the Civil War. The
women I’ve highlighted are a sampling of the courageous females who offered
care, comfort, and compassion to the wounded during the war, often at great
personal risk.
To learn more about
Civil War nurses and the contributions of the women I’ve highlighted, here are
some sites you might enjoy:
http://www.historynet.com/louisa-may-alcott
***All photographs are
in the public domain.***
About The Author:
Award-winning author Tara
Kingston writes historical romance laced with intrigue, danger, and adventures
of the heart. A Southern belle-out-of-water in a quaint Pennsylvania town, she
lives her own love story with her real-life hero in a cozy Victorian. The
mother of two sons, Tara's a former librarian whose love of books is evident in
her popping-at-the-seams bookcases. It goes without saying that Tara's husband
is thankful for the invention of digital books, thereby eliminating the need
for yet another set of shelves. When she's not writing, reading, or burning
dinner, Tara enjoys cycling, hiking, and cheering on her favorite football
team.
Connect with Tara
at www.tarakingston.com and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTaraKingston
In a world where a man’s
loyalty doesn’t depend on the color of a uniform, danger, intrigue, and passion
are facts of life for the men and women of Tara’s Secrets & Spies
series, historical romances set against the backdrop of the Civil War. [Buy link to Book
One, SECRETS, SPIES & SWEET LITTLE LIES] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GK677PY/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
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