Civil War Nurse

Item MED-7816

Description

Civil War Nurse
Elizabeth B. Watton Smith
From the Mike McAfee Collection

In 1860 living in Washington DC with her husband, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Caleb B. Smith, she went to work on behalf of soldiers. In early 1862, she spent her time and attention to administer to the sufferings of sick and wounded soldiers. According to one report she opened her home as a hospital for soldiers, who were cared for by a younger brother George, a physician. In 1862 she planned for a Christmas feast for the wounded and sick. She solicited funds from women across the North and even men donated, said to include General Winfield Scott and President Lincoln. Shortly after holding the Christmas Dinner for the soldiers, she and her husband returned to their home in Indiana after his resignation.

Information from Faces of Civil War Nurses by Ron Coddington and Ancestry.