Nurses

__ Civil War Female Nurses __

From Katherine Mayer, a free encyclopedia

=Introduction=

The **Civil War Female Nurses** often were referred to as "battlefield angels." More then 2,000 of the Civil War nurses that served in the civil war are unsung heroes. Many of the nurses that were on duty who attended to the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War did not even get paid. None of the **Civil War** **Female** **Nurses** had any training or experience. The nurses work was very significant during the Civil War they all had multiple responsibilities and also many of them made critical decisions.

toc =What the female nurses did?=

Main points: What the **Civil War Female Nurses** did?

The **Civil War Female Nurses** work was very significant. The women supervise, prepared, and served the patients their meals when they stayed at the hospital. Annie Wittenmyer a female nurse described the nurses as "superintendents of special diet." The women surgeons would prescribe their patients either a "full," "half," or "low diet" depending on how the patients status. The "low diet" was only advised to a patient that was seriously ill or a patient who had been wounded in battle. The diet consisted of coffee and toast and farina. Overall a main job of the nurses was to make sure that the patient was fed the correct diet. The nurses also made sure that the patients had the correct amount of lines and clothing or supplies. The nurses gained their supplies from the U.S Sanitary Commission or aid societies. The last most critical thing that the nurses did was cared for the emotional and spiritual needs of the patients. This included a daily conversation with patients to writing letters for them or reading them letters. Some nurses would sing to there patients or even place flowers by their cots or decorating the wards. All of their patients truly appreciate the efforts that were made by their nurses. Many of the patients said the nurses took on the role of mothers, daughters, and sisters. This was most meaningful to a lot of the soldiers because they were away from their families when they were in battle. Many of the nurses were not actually on seen at the battles but they were working in general hospitals or hospital transports.

=How they dressed?=

Main points: What the Civil War Female Nurses dressed like?

Dorothea Dix thought the Northern **Civil War Female Nurses** clothing should me plain. "All nurses are required to be plain looking women," she said. "Their dresses must be brown or black, with no bows, no curls, no jewelry, and no hoop-skirts." The rules that she wanted all the nurses to follow did not happen during the war because both the nurses in the North and the South changed their clothing to the type of conditions that they face everyday. The dresses that the **Civil War Female Nurses** wore were were dark, solid or patterned. The reason that the dress were like this was so that you could not see the blood stains or dirt on the dresses. The dresses were produced by cotton and were easily cleanable. Petticoats were worn because the aisles of the hospitals are very narrow. The Catholic nurses had their own since of style which was to wear black. The range of the clothing differed substantially. An outfit of the nurses were tied together by an apron, work shoes, and a bonnet. The hair had to be tied up with in hairnet.

=Dorothea Dix=

Main Points: Who was Dorothea Dix's?

During the Civil War between the North and the South Dorothea Dix was the Union's Superintendent of the Female Nurses which she would hold for five years and not earn any pay. Dix did not just hire any nurses, they had to fit her guidelines. The women had to be between 35-50 years old and plain-looking. The women had to dress in black or brown dresses and wore not allowed to wear any jewelry. The reason for this was that she did not want any male doctors or patients flirting with her nurses. Dorothea Dix was very tough and fought with almost everyone. She faught with surgeons, male doctors, and army bureaucrats. Dix would treat the Union and Confederate soldiers equally when she was supplying treatment. Many of the nurses would disagree with her policy. Dix had trouble relating with her nurses on a "human level." George Templeton Strong, treasure of the Sanitary Commission one said," She is energetic, benevolent, unselfish, and a mild case of monomania. Working on her own hook, she does good, but no one can cooperate with her, for she belongs to the class of comets and can be subdued into relations with no system whatever.” Even though Dorothea Dix was very sick during the Civil War she organized women into nurses corps, inspected hospitals, an raised money for medical supplies.

=Sally Louisa Tompkins=

Main Points: Who was Sally Louisa Tompkins?

The government had asked for help for the wounded after the First Bull Run. Sally answered with opening a private hospital in a house on August 1, 1861. John Robertson had donated the house and Sally named the hospital Robertson Hospital. During the time that the hospital was opened it treated 1,333 Confederate soldiers. Officers tried to place their most seriously wounded men in Tompkins care because she returned more patients to the ranks that any other medical-care facility. Sally had asked President Jefferson Davis if she could keep the hospital going even as he shut down other private hospitals in the city and he was convinced. On September 9, 1861 Davis assigned Tompkins captain of calvary, which made her the only women to hold a commission in the Confederate States Army. Davis did this because regulations required that all military hospitals were run by military personnel. Since, she now contained a military ranking she was allowed to draw government rations and a salary to help her operation keep going. During 45 months that Robertson Hospital was in business there was only 73 death accounts. There was a 94.5 precent survival rate at Robertson Hospital. Patients referred to Sally as "the little lady with the milk-white hands," and later was "Captain Sally."

=Clara Harlowe Barton=

Main Points: Who was Clara Harlowe Barton?

During 1861, Barton had been living in Washington, D.C and was working at the U.S Patent Office. She organized a relief program for the soldiers after the Baltimore Riots. After First Bull Run Barton had learned that soliders were lacking in medical supplies, so she asked for donations in the Worcester Mass.,Spy and started her own independent organization to distribute goods. The operation was working and a year later U.S Surgeon General William A. Hammond gave her a pass to travel with army ambulances. She followed army operations for 3 years thought out the Virginia theater and in the Charleston, S.C, area. She also cared for soldiers wounded at Antietam and was nickname "the angel of the battlefield" for the great work that she did. Her work went national noticed in the Fredericksburg, Va., hospitals for caring for the casualties from the Battle of the Wilderness. Another thing that Barton did was grow her concept of soldier aid, traveling to Camp Parole, Md., organizing programs for locating men that went missing. Barton had performed most of the services that would later be associated with the American Red Cross, that she founded in 1881.

=Videos and Pictures=

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=For Further reading and research=

For more information about Clara Barton [|Click Here] For more information about Dorothea Dix[|Click Here] For more information about How they Dress? [|Click Here] = = =Bibliography= All Research has been shared via Google Docs with Mr. Mejail.
 * "Canton Asylum." Carla Joinson. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * Captain Sally Louisa Tompkins. Bing. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * "A Civil War Biography - Sally Louisa Tompkins." A Civil War Biography - Sally Louisa Tompkins. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * "Civil War Nurses." Civil War Nurses. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * "Civilwar Logowear." Civilwar Logowear. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * "Clara Barton Biography." Clara Barton Biography. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * "Dorothea Dix by Samuel Bell Waugh." Dorothea Dix by Samuel Bell Waugh. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * Richard Hall. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * "Sally Louisa Tompkins Biography Page." Sally Louisa Tompkins Biography Page. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * "What They Did." What They Did. Web. 28 May 2012. .