Nursing in the Civil War History Essay Example

In the Civil War, many women portrayed many extravagant roles such as nurses. Many were perceived as working in male-dominated workplaces even when it was frowned upon by men. Mary Ann Bickerdike, and Harriet Douglas, Dorothea Lynde Dix, were 3 of many who were nurses in the Civil War.  But, how did Women serve the Union Army as Nurses in the Civil War? 

To begin the civil war provided opportunities, especially for women to become nurses. As men had rushed to volunteer as soldiers, they organized benefits to raise funds along with fundraisers to help pay for supplies they needed. They helped families who needed more help often, in financial necessity they carried on family businessperson or took jobs for men. (Men dominated the workplace. That was common.) For many reasons, women had left their homes to serve in hospitals and camps. There were brief descriptions of 8 Indiana nurses plus with the sisters of the Holy Cross. For a war that was fought over 2 ½ million soldiers for over years, about 250 women in the services volunteered as nurses between 1863 and 1865. “Women worked as nurses at Camp Morton first as a training camp for volunteers then a prison for Confederate soldiers.” (Peggy Brase) There were so many women servings as nurses, women who were to serve were to only serve at base hospitals where they were supervised or getting approved. Women nurses in military hospitals were not required to do any formal training, just the training they knew.  

Dorothy Dix was appealed often for her judgment and knowledge repeatedly through the suspicion of men. Through many of her decisions, she entailed a lot of abuse from her duty as a civil war nurse. She felt self-reliant and always right. For years he had been exposed to her own land her position that she had gained in Scotland and the number of positions that would be opened through the country asylum and it acted aspiring to Scottish medical minds that brethren in America. “I have had letters from abroad, urging me to commend various parties to official places in regarding the insane. I, of course, decline such interference, considering it out of my line of activity.” (Tiffany Francis) She had many medical livings, but no man had helped his personal solicitation of her influence. On July 21, 1857, she had begun a letter in Cleveland to Mrs. Rathbone about a new asylum to be found in or near Pittsburgh because of the wealth that had accumulated to $500 to the new hospital. In 1859 in Texas before the Union had found herself as an entire stranger, she was overjoyed and excited working at a reception in a hospital. With the battle between the North and the South had seen to keep steady on her work, however, in February 1861 she writes to her friend in Illinois saying the current events that had happened to her. On April 20th, 1861, she reported herself to duty again as a civil war nurse with the knowledge she knew. The U.S. had remained an army of 20,000-25,000 men who were willing to risk their lives. Women were now working nights and days gathering and accumulating clothes, bandages, along resources for the wounded and food for the sick in the hospitals. Nurses volunteered without the experience of health, there was not enough time to teach them. Dorothy Dix met the qualifications however, she was almost 60 and had malaria, overworked along with pulmonary weakness. She could not bring herself to endure, she tried standing over the wounded and the sick and dressing them when needed until she could not. Through the 4 years, she never took a day off, especially with her health. She was forced to retire where soon after she had died.  

During the war, about 617 sisters representing twelve different orders from 21 separate communities nursed the sick and the wounded soldiers from both the Confederate armies and the Union. The Union army could not outfit men with uniforms, weapons, and not give thought to the casualties. In January 1861, the medical corps consisted of one surgeon general, thirty surgeons, and 83 assistant surgeons. On that October evening, there was a community dedicated to the teaching of small children and young ladies on performing various domestic duties in their own facilities and being able to attend Mass. Many physicians were prejudiced against women in general as nurses felt they could serve no purpose in military hospitals. The conditions of the hospitals were deplorable.  

This was from the perspective of Harriet Douglas Whetten. On Tuesday night, July 15th, 1862, it was mildly hot and afternoon that had wretched Willet #2 had appeared again in the cabin. I did not like him much. I have been making beds but at least the ship is cleaner, and I read a little and wrote a long letter to Maria Potter along with having long talks with Mr. Winslow. The Monitors had been lying along the beds all day. I take it as a commonplace, we have no orders but there is a rumor we will go to the Whitehouse for the wounded men from Richmond. The monitor looked like a black monster with thick brown waves, the dust from the escapement was like a cloud! Mr. Willett came down, so I had to as well. The lady in the white whom I had seen at Carter’s Landing was Mrs. Robert Carter. The old lady cordially meant the slaves were under her control. On Wednesday evening, July 16th, this morning was hot as yesterday, Mr. Hyde and Mr. Winslow had joined me. We had the usual esthetic conversations with Mr. Winslow when he watched the balloon mount for reconnaissance. The heat is getting worse, and I am almost breathless until dinner time. I lay down in the cabin and tried to sleep or read. It is hard. I spend so much time in Willetts’ society (people who talk about our folks and eat with knives.) On Thursday morning, July 31st, I had received orders in the morning to go to City Point with a flag of truce to receive our wounded men and prisoners in Richmond. We reached there about after dinner. I waited for what felt like forever. They were in awful condition. Their wounds were full of maggots, their clothes of vermin and starved. They had ⅙ of a minuscule loaf of bread and ½ of a pint of beef broth one a day. Our men were thrown into a tobacco warehouse where they were told to lie on the ground. He died this morning because he would not have his arm amputated. There were some men who had chronic diarrhea and had died at the hospital. We reached Phill on Friday night and were examined by the health officer and pronounced all right. We reached the dock on Saturday morning and the men were taken by 12:00. On Tuesday, we went to see the Bird Orphan Asylum which was a permanent charity for 12 orphan girls. It seemed peaceful. They all had beds and blankets. The Episcopal Asylum was a large building with wards ready for soldiers but, there were not any soldiers sent. There was a 93-year-old woman who was dying of consumption, we drank tea at Druschel's. However, on Friday night, August 1st, we arrived at Fortress Monroe about 2:00 yesterday. We left Newport News at 4:00 this morning, we went on for about 3 miles and delayed again half till 3 waiting for the mail boat and gunboats. About at 6 pm the rebels had shelled us at this point last night and had killed 16 men on different vessels and taken one man’s leg and killed a horse. As we arrived 2 steamers were lying opposite the western bank and a long Gile of spiders were glistening in the sun, there were 1,500 in all. The large store was last fired. We could see it blazing by the story and my story, it fell outwards than a steady flame at 10:00 was not done. Although on Wednesday morning, August 6th, Sunday had passed uncomfortably as hot and noisy it was very un-Sundaylike. We went ashore early on Tuesday morning and Miss Gill had taken one side of the hospital tents and I with the others. Patients had chronic diarrhea and were ill for longer than 2 months. It was heartbreaking.  

Civil War nurses were extremely significant, especially for bandaging the wounded soldiers who were fighting for their country. They provided with all of the knowledge they knew to save lives even when they were drained mentally and physically from the abuse they got from patients and the long-lasting screams from the enduring pain. They risk their lives for the long-term effect of saving lives.  Civil war nurses are what impacted the Civil war positively.