Mary Ann Bickerdyke, Part 1

Mary’s early life was filled with loss. Nevertheless, unlike many other women born in the 1800s, Mary was determined to go to college. She graduated from Oberlin college, married, became a step-mother, and birthed two sons before experiencing the loss of her beloved husband. During this time, Mary studied and trained in the field of nursing under an eminent doctor and became a practitioner. One Sunday at church, Mary heard an urgent appeal for trained nurses to volunteer to nurse the injured northern forces and immediately volunteered. Her care, service, and contributions to the welfare of the “boys” fighting in the Civil War became well-known. Mary set up over 200 field hospitals, collected and organized supplies, enforced life-saving hygienic practices, and saved countless lives. Mary was a force of nature! This podcast is filled with entertaining antidotes of her determination and success. Mother Bickerdyke and the Boys in Blue (Annotated) by Margaret B. Davis Mary Bickerdyke: Civil War Heroine by Julie McDonald