Nurses

Background
Nurses played a big role in the Civil War. Almost 2,000 to 5,000 women, from both North and South, volunteered to take care of soldiers in hospitals. They did a lot to help support and cure many soldiers in both the Confederate and Union armies of the Civil War. Their roles included acting as mothers, acting as daughters or sisters, and caring for all of the soldiers as much as they could. They provided medicines and gave minor surgeries. Women nurses proved themselves by tending to soldiers in the Civil War. They proved that women could do more than just clean and cook. Just like the soldiers, women wanted to show their support for the war by volunteering as nurses.

Nurses in Numbers
When the Civil War started, two thousand to five thousand women volunteered and were recruited as nurses. Women from both the North and the South volunteered. Yet all these volunteers were not enough to prevent or care for the many wounds and illnesses that occurred in the Civil War. There was a total of 620,000 deaths, at a rate of four hundred deaths a day. There were ten million illnesses and nurses had to perform the brave tasks of mutilating and amputating bodies of soldiers.

How they Dressed
Unlike women during the Civil War period, nurses in the Civil War were forced to follow a strict dress code. Women wore jeweled necklines and ribbons that were detachable from the collar. The sleeves were very wide and exagerated on the elbow. All skirts were tucked in to waistbands and they were as wide as possible. The skirts were also fashioned to make them look full. On the other hand, nurses were required to wear plain looking outfits. All of their dresses had to be either brown or black. They were not allowed to wear anything with curls on them and no hoops or jewelry was accepted. This rule was to be strictly followed by all nurses. VS.

A Nurses Duty
A nurse took on many jobs while serving in the army. They comforted soldiers and took care of their basic needs. They served in field hospitals and brought food and water back and forth. They took on a role as a mother figure at times and helped soldiers write to their families. They acted as sisters, daughters, and mothers. Nurses have one of the hardest and most physical jobs in the whole army. They have to clean wounds and perform minor surgeries. They have to be very careful when performing minor operations so they will not catch diseases themselves. They had to fight off diseases on their own. While they have to tend to themselves, they also had to bathe and dress patients. A nurses duty is much more than it seems.

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Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford Massachusetts. Barton was the youngest of five and started curing people at the age of eleven starting with her brother. She tended to him for three years and learned how to use medicines throughout that time period. Her inspiration while developing an interest in nursing was her great-aunt Martha Ballard. On April 20, 1862, she organized a relief program for soldiers. This was after the first Bull Run. She saw that many soldiers got hurt and wanted to help. She was given a pass by general William Hammond who was a sur- geon. The pass allowed her to travel with army ambulances and nurse and comfort hurt soldiers. Finally on July of 1862, she received the permission to travel and tend soldiers behind the lines. Abraham Lincoln assigned Clara to search for missing men, this gave her the nickname, "The Angel of the Battlefield". She had many successful accomplishments in her lifetime. One big accomplishment was her founding the American Cross on May 21, 1881 in Dansville New York. She died on April 12, 1912.

Requirements
The requirements for nurses were that they needed strong health and a strong stamina. They had to have a good immune system as to not get diseases and sicknesses while tending to wounded soldiers. They had to come into the job without any diseases on them and they could not come down with sudden illnesses. They had to be people of good experience and of good conduct. They needed to be neat, in order, and organized in order to help patients. They needed experience for surgeries and minor operations. Recruiters required applicants with a certificate of qualification, without that they were not allowed to serve. They also needed to be obedient to the rules and to enforce special regulations. These requirements were to all be followed in order to be a nurse of the Civil War.

Mary Edwards Walker
Mary Edwards Walker was born in Upstate New York and began her own medical parctice in Ohio and New York. She graduated from Syracuse Medical College in 1855 and graduated from Geneva Medical College and became the first female physician. She was not successful because she was a woman. She was awarded with a medal of honor in 1865. She was caught by the confederate forces for crossing enemy lines to treat soldiers and was accused of being a spy. She was a prisoner in Richmond, Virginia, and was released in a prisoner exchange. In 1917, the U.S. Congress checked the standards for medals and wanted hers returned because she did not meet the standards. She did not give it back and wore it until her death of 1919.