The Role Of Nurses In The Civil War

The most devastating and deadly war to happen in American history became known as the Civil War, lasting four long years between 1861 and 1865. This war affected everyone in America on a personal level. Whether they wanted to be invested or not, both men and women ultimately were. History highlights the sacrifice and devastations that the men of the Civil War had to endure, yet there has been little regard for what the women sustained. Women played many significant roles in the Civil War, many times stepping into what was traditionally a man’s role. Each of these roles came with their own set of hardships and dangers. One of these considerable roles was the nursing of the fallen soldiers. Nurses undertook this demanding and arduous role as
At the start of the Civil War the nursing profession was in its infancy, and recovering soldiers who weren’t yet strong enough to resume their original duties were left to nurse their fellow comrades’ (Chipley 2009, 24). It was quickly apparent that the troops’ medical needs were not being met, and something significant had to happen. This is when a group of Northern women formed a national organization called the Women’s Central Association of Relief (WCAR). These women under the coordination of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, gathered and provided supplies for the troops, and also trained women volunteers to become nurses (Chipley 2009,
The extent of their experience had been taking care of family members when they were ill. So, while most of them were very excited for this new opportunity and to be able to help aid in the war efforts, they were quite literally shocked when they were met with the demands of the job. Not only were the hours grueling, they were right at the center of horrors they could not have even begun to imagine. Nothing could have prepared them for this arduous duty they were about to embark