Civil War Nursing

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Civil War Nursing

Over 5000 volunteer nurses’ north and south served in military hospitals during the Civil War. Nurses were of all sorts and came from all over. Women wanted to be involved in this national struggle in any way they could. They did not want to stay home and play their traditional domestic roles that social convention and minimal career opportunities had confined the majority of their sex to. Many women thought of nursing as an extension of their home duties, almost like taking care of “their boys.” They recall the Civil War as a time when their work as nurses made a difference. It gave them an opportunity to prove they had the ability and courage to help.

The presence of women in military hospitals with male soldiers raised concerns at first regarding motivation and proper etiquette. This was regulated when Dorthea Dix became the general supervisor or superintendent over all women nurses. She set requirements for the women who were to be recruited. They had to be over 30 and healthy, be of good moral character, dress modestly, be unattractive, and able to cook...

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