Mae McGraw’s March 2026 Newsletter: Women Serving as Nurses in the Civil War
Many know Louisa May Alcott as the author of Little Women, but she was so much more than an author. Fiercely independent, Alcott briefly served as a nurse during the Civil War. From this experience, she wrote Hospital Sketches. Although a fictionalized story of Tribulation Periwinkle, the stories are similar to Alcott’s experiences as a Civil War nurse in late 1862 early 1863. Her realistic portrayal of the plight of nurses and the soldiers they cared for was reflected in poignant and sometimes humorous stories of hospital life.
While working at the Union Hotel Hospital in Washington D.C., she cared for sick and injured soldiers, assisted surgeons and dressed wounds. While nursing, her health suffered due to typhoid pneumonia, an all too common ailment, and she had to return home after nursing for only six weeks.
Alcott’s work along with many other women’s service was essential to the war effort. The Carnegie Library near Pittsburg has a life size photo exhibit of women who made noteworthy contributions in the Civil War. Many Catholic nuns also served, Including Sister Ignatius Farley, who nursed both Union and Confederate soldiers in the Wheeling Hospital.
Sister Ignatius worked tirelessly after the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. She was honored by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and memorized with the Nuns of the Battlefield monument in Washington D.C. She was hardly alone in her sacrifices for soldiers. After a particularly grueling day of nursing, Sister Ignatius went to the sacristy to pray. There she found her colleagues sleeping on the floor. The nuns had given up their beds for the newly arrived injured soldiers.
Sister Ignatius and many other women’s portraits and stories are on display until May 9, 2026, at the Carnegie Library & Music Hall at 300 Beechwood Ave., Carnegie, PA. This beautifully designed library alone is worth visiting. Built in1899, it is one of the many libraries donated by Andrew Carnegie, a 19th century industrialist and philanthropist.