Our Army Nurses: Stories from Women in the Civil War

During the Civil War, more than five thousand women served the Union cause as army nurses. In 1895 Mary Gardner Holland collected these reminiscences, reprinted here for the first time. In this book, you will read the stories of one hundred of these women, often in their own voice. Some are well-known--Clara Barton, Mary Livermore, Dorothea Dix, and Mother Bickerdyke. Others served their country, often heroically, and returned home to a quiet life. The women recall a time when their work made a difference. One nurse, Vesta Swartz, wrote, "The war for the preservation of the Union...did much to advance the best interests of women. It created a necessity for her labor in new and untried ways. It gave her an opportunity to prove her ability...and cultivate true courage." OUR ARMY NURSES provides a rich picture of the role of women in the Civil War. The impact of their stories, Frank Freeman writes in Microbes and Minie Balls, "... is quite moving."