Civil War History

Atlanta, Georgia Tuesday, November 15, 1864 Finally, inexplicably, there is wood for the fireplace. Warmth spread throughout Caitlin's body, relaxing muscles kinked from weeks of shuddering in the drafty house. She stepped closer to the fire, smiling as the heat caressed her face. Finally, the chill is gone. "Wake up! Wake up!" Caitlin jerked awake to find Ana yanking on her arm. Wraiths of smoke crawled across the ceiling. The fire was not in the parlor hearth, but on the floor, spreading in a crackling pool from a blackened pine torch. The clock's chimes jarred Caitlin's nerves once, twice, three times, as flames flashed on its face. _____________________________________________________________ The above excerpt from Yankee in Atlanta reflects the historical event of Sherman's armies burning Atlanta 150 years ago today. Actually, Sherman's men had begun the fires on November 12, 1864, targeting places of military importance such as factories and railroad stations. But, even though General Slocum issued a five-hundred-dollar reward for anyone who caught soldiers committing arson at private residences, wayward soldiers did torch plenty of homes. Ten-year-old Carrie Berry wrote the following in her diary about this night: [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1110", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-2550", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"300", "height":"240", "alt":"carrieberry"}}]]"Oh what a night we had. They came burning the store house and about night it looked like the whole town was on fire. We all set up all night. If we had not set up our house would have ben [sic] burnt up for the fire was very near and the soldiers were going around setting houses on fire where they were not watched. They behaved very badly."* The Berry family was among about five hundred residents still living in Atlanta. When Confederate General Hood evacuated Atlanta a couple of months earlier, Atlanta's population was at four thousand, down from its war-time peak of more than twenty thousand. When General Sherman moved in in early September 1864, his forced evacuation of the shell-shocked residents whittled it down to a mere fifty families or so, who were allowed to stay by special permission. For those residents, November 12-15, 1864, was a terrifying time, indeed. [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1111", "attributes":{"class":"media-image size-full wp-image-2553", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"540", "height":"640", "alt":"Train depot ruined upon Sherman"}}]] Train depot ruined upon Sherman's departure   None of them knew then that Sherman's departure would be the start of his infamous March to the Sea, in which the idea of "total war" would be played out with a vengeance. [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1112", "attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-2555 size-full", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"597", "height":"467", "alt":"Painting: \u0026quot;War Is Hell\u0026quot; by Mort Kunstler, depicting Sherman in Atlanta"}}]] Painting: "War Is Hell" by Mort Kunstler, depicting Sherman in Atlanta   [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1113", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-full wp-image-2559", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"150", "height":"190", "alt":"carrie diary"}}]]*I obtained a transcript of Carrie Berry's full diary courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Portions of her diary have been published in several different books, as well, including A Confederate Girl: The Diary of Carrie Berry, 1864. For more about the historical background to Yankee in Atlanta, visit www.heroinesbehindthelines.com.

It’s impossible to write a Civil War novel about medical care in the Union army without having at least some text devoted to amputations. Here’s some of the information that helped me as I wrote both Wedded to War and Widow of Gettysburg. Contrary to popular belief, the days of “biting the bullet” (or a leather strap) during an amputation were over by the time of the Civil War. Anesthesia was available in the form of chloroform and ether, even in field hospitals. However, if the soldier had been wounded more than 24 hours prior to amputation, the surgeon would not give anesthesia for fear the patient would not recover from it. And unfortunately, the Confederacy had a severe shortage of medicines, including these, to work with. So even though the medicine existed, there were plenty of cases where the patients had to go without it. But in the cases where anesthesia was available, there were specific guidelines for how to administer it. Chloroform According to the Manual of Military Surgery Prepared for the Use of the Confederate States Army (published 1863): Chloroform should be given in the fresh air with the patient’s head on a pillow and the body remaining horizontal throughout inhalation. Clothing should be loosened about the neck, chest and abdomen so that breathing is not restricted. Only a light but nutritious meal should be given earlier, or the state of unconsciousness during the second stage of the anesthetic might bring on vomiting. Before giving the chloroform, first give brandy. (Union surgeons did not always follow this point. They used alcohol stimuli only on physically depressed patients because they felt it could slow down the induction of anesthesia in a healthy patient.) The Confederate manual went on to instruct: “all special instruments of inhalation have been discarded, and a towel or napkin, folded into a cone, by having its corners turned down, is not almost universally employed for the purpose. The chloroform, about a drachm (one-eighth ounce) is poured into this cone, and is held over the patient’s mouth and nostrils which should previously have been anointed.” Holding the cone a half-inch from the patient’s face prevented facial blistering and allowed adequate air flow. The first stage of anesthesia was one of excitement, producing “muttering, wild eyed, the cries, the exalted imagination” followed by “violent struggles, attempts to rise, and rigid contraction.” If the spasm extended to the larynx, there would be danger of breathing being obstructed. Surgeons were instructed to remove the cone temporarily if this were the case. The second stage was that of unconsciousness, insensibility and relaxation of the voluntary muscles. Eyelids would no longer contract when touched. The pulse would slow and weaken, respiration became shallow and feeble. Ether Ether was slow-acting, had a foul smell patients objected to, and caused coughing. But it was frequently used in general hospitals where time was not as pressing, because, unlike chloroform, it did not cause vomiting, prostration or increased excitement. It was also far less dangerous if the wrong dose was given. Throughout the Civil War, only four deaths were recorded from overdoses of ether, while chloroform’s rate was 5.4 deaths for every thousand that used it. The Operation The book, Civil War Medicine, by C. Keith Wilbur, M.D. has easy-to-understand explanations and diagrams of various types of amputations. Those interested in primary source material for the operations can thank SonoftheSouth.net for posting excerpts from The Practice of Surgery by Samuel Cooper, here: http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/amputation.htm  The book, written in 1820, would have served as the how-to guide for surgeons in the beginning of the war. These online excerpts provide detailed instructions for amputation of legs, arms, fingers and toes, including photos of original Civil War instruments. Carl Schurz, commander of the Union’s 11th Corps at Gettysburg, offers this account of amputations after the battle: Most of the operating tables were placed in the open where the light was best some of them partially protected against the rain by tarpaulins or blankets stretched upon poles. There stood the surgeons their sleeves rolled up to the elbows, their bare arms as well as their linen aprons smeared with blood, their knives not seldom held between their teeth while they were helping a patient on or off the table, or had their hands otherwise occupied around them pools of blood and amputated arms or legs in heaps sometimes more than man high. Antiseptic methods were still unknown at that time. As a wounded man was lifted on the table often shrieking with pain as the attendants handled him the surgeon quickly examined the wound and resolved upon cutting off the injured limb. Some ether was administered and the body put in position in a moment. The surgeon snatched his knife from between his teeth where it had been while his hands were busy, wiped it rapidly once or twice across his blood stained apron and the cutting began. The operation accomplished the surgeon would look around with a deep sigh. and then—“Next!” Read The Reminiscences of Carl Schurz at Google Books here: http://bit.ly/OCf1CD  Recommended Sources: For more in-depth study, in addition to the resources I listed on my last post, I recommend: Cooper, Samuel. The Practice of Surgery. London: A and R Spottiswoode, 1820. Available at Google Books here: http://bit.ly/OvS97P. Hamilton, Frank Hastings. A Practical Treatise on Military Surgery. New York: Balliere Brothers, 1861. Available at Google Books here: http://bit.ly/O72JCN Teacher Tube video (5 min.) from the Museum of the Confederacy about amputations and artificial limbs. Not graphic at all. http://bit.ly/SZhlEF

Last week, I shared three Civil War recipes for your Wedded to War book club--or just for your own enjoyment at home. Today I'd like to share three more. 4. Alice Carlisle’s Gingerbread Gingerbread was popular among soldiers in both the North and South. Wives like Alice Carlisle often baked and sent loaves of this spicy bread to their husbands in camp, and when hospitals had the ingredients, they baked this for the patients who could eat it. Ingredients: 1 TB butter 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 cup butter 1 1/4 cups molasses 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 1/2 tsp. allspice 1 cup very hot water Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9″ square baking pan with the butter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, soda and spices, and cut in softened butter to the flour mixture with a fork. Combine molasses, egg and water in a small mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well. Pour the batter into a baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 9 servings. *Recipe courtesy of Total Gettysburg 5. Fanny Hatch’s Switchel “Make some switchel, I says, and she uses too much vinegar, not enough ginger. Dust it, I says, and she leaves rims of the fuzzy grey filth on the edge of the mantelpiece.” Fanny threw up her hands in a state of helplessness, and Phineas murmured his sympathies. ~Wedded to War Switchel was a refreshing drink to quench summertime thirst, also known as Haymaker’s Punch. There are countless variations on the recipe, as it depends on the person’s taste. Here is one version you can make at home. Ingredients: 9 cups water, divided 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup 1/4 cup molasses 3/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup cider vinegar Fresh berries, mint sprigs or lemon slices for garnish 1. Combine 3 cups water with ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let infuse for 15 minutes. 2. Strain the ginger-infused water into a pitcher, pressing on the ginger solids to extract all the liquid. Add honey (or maple syrup) and molasses; stir until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice, vinegar and the remaining 6 cups water. Chill until very cold, at least 2 hours or overnight. 3. Stir the punch and serve in tall glasses over ice cubes. Garnish with berries, mint sprigs or lemon slices, if desired. 6. Charlotte Waverly’s Beef Tea Soon the Daniel Webster would be full of living, pulsing cargo, men needing beef tea and brandy, milk toast and gruel. Charlotte wouldn’t get a moment’s sleep until they were all washed, bedded, fed, and cared for. She would snatch back to life men teetering on the brink of death. Fever patients would rage in their madness, and she would not rest until they were consoled. Charlotte couldn’t wait. ~Wedded to War Beef tea is mentioned several times in Wedded to War, as one of the staples of the “special diet” intended to revive and restore health to patients with typho-malarial fever. Here are two variations on the recipe, from Outlines of the Chief Camp Diseases, by Joseph Janvier Woodward, published in 1863.   Recipe 1 for Beef Tea A pound of lean beef should be cut into small dice, a little salt and a quart of water added; simmer very gently for two hours, then bring to a boil, and remove from the fire; skim off the fat, and give a wineglassful every two hours. Pepper in moderate quantities is not objectionable, if it makes the tea more agreeable to the patient. Recipe 2 for Beef Tea Cut 3 lbs. of beef into pieces the size of walnuts, and chop up the bones, if any; put it into a convenient sized kettle, with ½ lb. of mixed vegetables, such as onions, leeks, celery, turnips, carrots (or one or two of these if all are not to be obtained), 1 oz. of salt, a little pepper, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 2 oz. of butter, and a half pint of water. Set it on a sharp fire for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, stirring now and then with a spoon, till it forms a rather thick gravy at the bottom, but not brown; then add 7 pints of hot or cold water, but hot is preferable; when boiling let it simmer gently for an hour; skim off all the fat, strain it through a sieve, and serve. 

Music is important to us. We use it to set the mood, lift our spirits, and teach, among other reasons. If we were to look at the most popular songs of America today, we’d get a sense of what is important to our culture, wouldn’t we? When writing historical fiction, we can do the same thing. Looking at the popular songs and poetry gives me a more robust flavor of the Civil War era, and helps me understand the mindsets of my characters better. Music was so much a part of life then (just as it is today) that some of the lyrics made their way into my novel, Wedded to War, and they will appear in the rest of the series as well. Here are five songs and poems which both reflected and colored public and military sentiment. Victory’s Band by Dan Emmett This song, written in 1861, was sung to the tune of Dixie’s Land. In my novel, troops stationed outside Washington City sang this song after a day of drilling before they were tested with their first real battle—the Battle of Bull Run. We’re marching under the Flag of union, Keeping step in brave communion! March away! March away! Away! Victory’s band! Right down upon the ranks of rebels, Tramp them underfoot like pebbles, March away! March away! Away! Victory’s band! CHORUS Oh! We’re marching on to Victory! Hurrah! Hurrah! In Victory’s band we’ll sweep the land, And fight or die for Victory! Away! Away! We’ll fight or die for victory! This song reflected their over-confidence. The Union suffered a staggering defeat at the Battle of Bull Run and retreated in shame. Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Ward Howe Julie Ward Howe was prompted to rewrite the lyrics to the tune of John Brown’s Body (aka the John Brown Songs) when she was staying at the Willard Hotel in Washington City in November 1861. She awoke before dawn, penned the new lyrics, and went back to bed. It was first published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862 and soon became the rallying cry of the Union. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on. I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps; His day is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on. I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel; “As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel, Since God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat; Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet; Our God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me: As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free; [originally …let us die to make men free] While God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on. He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave, He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave; So the world shall be His footstool,and the soul of wrong His slave, Our God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on. Singing songs like this at a battlefield hospital increased morale—and helped drown out the moaning of wounded and dying men. [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"908", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-361", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"254", "height":"300", "title":"howland_mary_elizabeth_watts_woolsey", "alt":""}}]]A Rainy Day in Camp by Mary Woolsey Howland During the early years of the war, Mary Woolsey Howland (pictured above) wrote several poems that were published and distributed among grateful troops. (Mary was the sister of Georgeanna Woolsey, who was the inspiration for Wedded to War’s main character, Charlotte Waverly.) The first of these poems was “A Rainy Day in Camp” and was said to bring tears to the eyes of the most of the men who heard it. Personally, I love how Mary drew a parallel near the end of the poem to God as the commander in chief of a great victorious army.   It’s a cheerless, lonesome evening, When the soaking, sodden ground Will not echo to the footfall Of the sentinel’s dull round.   God’s blue star-spangled banner To-night is not unfurled; Surely He has not deserted This weary, warring world.   I peer into the darkness, And the crowding fancies come: The night wind, blowing northward, Carries all my heart toward home.   For I ‘listed in this army Not exactly to my mind; But my country called for helpers, And I couldn’t stay behind.   So, I’ve had a sight of drilling, And have roughed it many ways, And death has nearly had me;- Yet I think the service pays.   It’s a blessed sort of feeling— Whether you live or die— You helped your country in her need, And fought right loyally.   But I can’t help thinking sometimes, When a wet day’s leisure comes, And I hear the old home voices Talking louder than the drums, — And the far, familiar faces Peep in at my tent door, And the little children’s footsteps Go pit-pat on the floor,— I can’t help thinking, somehow, Of all the parson reads About that other soldier-life Which every true man leads. And wife, soft-hearted creature, Seems a-saying in my ear, “I’d rather have you in those ranks Than to see you brigadier.”   I call myself a brave one, But in my heart I lie! For my country, and her honor, I am fiercely free to die;   But when the Lord, who bought me, Asks for my service here To “fight the good fight” faithfully, I’m skulking in the rear.   And yet I know this Captain All love and care to be: He would never get impatient With a raw recruit like me.   And I know he’d not forget me; When the day of peace appears, I should share with Him the victory Of all His volunteers.   And it’s kind of cheerful, thinking, Beside the dull tent fire, About that big promotion, When He says, “ Come up higher.”   And though it’s dismal—rainy- Even now, with thoughts of Him, Camp life looks extra cheery, And death a deal less grim.   For I seem to see Him waiting, Where a gathered heaven greets A great victorious army, Marching up the golden streets.   And I hear Him read the roll-call, And my heart is all a-flame, When the dear, recording angel Writes down my happy name!   —But my fire is dead white ashes, And the tent is chilling cold, And I’m playing win the battle, When I’ve never been enrolled! [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"909", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-364", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"300", "height":"212", "title":"harpers our women and the war", "alt":""}}]]Somebody's Darling by Marie Ravenel de la Coste Marie Ravenel de la Coste who spent her early days in Savannah, Georgia, teaching French when the Civil War broke out. This poem was first published anonymously in 1864 in Augusta, Georgia, as a song, and is perhaps the best-known Confederate poem. Women in both North and South revered the sentiments it portrays. Into a ward of the whitewashed walls Where the dead and the dying lay— Wounded by bayonets, shells, and balls—   Somebody’s darling! So young and so brave, Wearing still on his pale sweet face—   Soon to be hid by the dust of the grave— The lingering light of his boyhood’s grace.   Matted and damp are the curls of gold Kissing the snow of that fair young brow,   Pale are the lips of delicate mould— Somebody’s darling is dying now.   Back from the beautiful blue-veined brow Brush the wandering waves of gold;   Cross his hands on his bosom now— Somebody’s darling is still and cold.   Kiss him once for Somebody’s sake; Murmur a prayer, soft and low;   One bright curl from the cluster take—  They were Somebody’s pride, you know.   Somebody’s hand hath rested there; Was it a mother’s, soft and white?   And have the lips of a sister fair Been baptized in those waves of light?   God knows best. He has Somebody’s love; Somebody’s heart enshrined him there;   Somebody wafted his name above, Night and morn, on the wings of prayer.   Somebody wept when he marched away, Looking so handsome, brave, and grand;   Somebody’s kiss on his forehead lay; Somebody clung to his parting hand;—   Somebody’s watching and waiting for him, Yearning to hold him again to her heart;   There he lies—with the blue eyes dim, And the smiling, child-like lips apart.   Tenderly bury the fair young dead, Pausing to drop on his grave a tear;   Carve on the wooden slab at his head, “Somebody’s darling slumbers here!” [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"910", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-363", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"230", "height":"300", "title":"when this cruel war is over", "alt":""}}]]When This Cruel War is Over by Charles Carroll Sawyer Published in 1863, “When This Cruel War is Over” (also known as “Weeping, Sad and Lonely”) was one of the best-selling songs during the war both in the North and the South, with more than a million copies of the sheet music sold. Dearest Love, do you remember, when we last did meet, How you told me that you loved me, kneeling at my feet? Oh! How proud you stood before me, in your suit of blue, When you vow’d to me and country, ever to be true. CHORUS: Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain! When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again. When the summer breeze is sighing, mournfully along, Or when autumn leaves are falling, sadly breathes the song. Oft in dreams I see thee lying on the battle plain, Lonely, wounded, even dying, calling but in vain. CHORUS: Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain! When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again. If amid the din of battle, nobly you should fall, Far away from those who love you, none to hear you call – Who would whisper words of comfort, who would soothe your pain? Ah! The many cruel fancies, ever in my brain. CHORUS: Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain! When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again. But our Country called you, Darling, angels cheer your way; While our nation’s sons are fighting, we can only pray. Nobly strike for God and Liberty, let all nations see How we loved the starry banner, emblem of the free. CHORUS: Weeping, sad and lonely, hopes and fears how vain! When this cruel war is over, praying that we meet again. How interesting to see how the sentiments changed from the first two songs on this list to the last two. The war clearly lost its glory and glamour as both Union and Confederacy grew weary of the fight. Think again about the music we listen to today. What does it say about us? What does your music say about you, or about how you view life?  [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"679", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignleft", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"154", "height":"240", "alt":"WeddedtoWarcover-193x300"}}]]More about Wedded to War: When war erupted, she gave up a life of privilege for a life of significance. Tending to the army’s sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she’s combatting more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey’s letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series “Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War,” a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war.            

When people ask me where I get ideas for my novels, I tell them it’s pretty easy—history is already full of fascinating characters and dramatic events. Margaret Culkin Banning said it well: “Fiction is not a dream, nor is it guesswork. It is imagining based on facts, and the facts must be accurate or the work of imagining will not stand up.” Historical fiction is based on facts--and that includes people who lived during the time period. Today I’d like to share with you five real people who inspired my upcoming Civil War novel, Wedded to War. I want you to fall in love with my fictional characters, but I also hope you will grow to respect the real people in the novel, as well. I am convinced that each of them felt ordinary, like you and me, but they did extraordinary things and should be remembered for them. 1) Dorothea Dix. Social reformer Dorothea Dix went straight to Washington within a week of war breaking out and didn’t leave until she had a meeting with President Lincoln himself. Her goal: for the government to allow women to be nurses. It was a shocking suggestion, for nurses in hospitals up until that time had all been male. Proper Victorian women could not be expected to touch a strange man’s body, even if he was sick or wounded—or so society believed. Yet the numbers alone were enough to convince Lincoln he needed help. At the start of the war, the U.S. Army Medical Department had a total of 28 surgeons, and no general hospital. Lincoln gave permission, and made Dix the Superintendent of Female Nurses. She had the authority to provide nurses to the army, and she wanted to be taken seriously. So her requirements for women nurses were stringent: they must be married, at least 30 years of age, of good health and character. They must not wear hoops under their skirts, ruffles, bows or jewelry. She was even known for turning away women because they were not homely enough. (Pretty women were accused of bringing out the men’s “natural desires.”) Even so, Dix was bombarded with applicants. Readers of Wedded to War will meet Dorothea Dix, or “Dragon Dix” as she was commonly called, in the novel. 2) Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. An English immigrant, Dr. Blackwell was the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, and ran an infirmary for women and children near the slums of New York City. When the Civil War broke out, she realized the Union army needed a system for distributing supplies and organized four thousand women into the Women’s Central Association of Relief (WCAR). The WCAR grew into chapters around the county, and this body systematically collected and distributed life-saving supplies such as bandages, blankets, food, clothing and medical supplies. Blackwell also partnered with several prominent male physicians in New York City to offer a one-month training course for 100 women who wanted to be nurses for the army. This was the first formal training for women nurses in the country. Once they completed their training, they were sent to Dix for placement at a hospital. By July 1861, the WCAR prompted the government to form a national version—the United States Sanitary Commission. And it all started because Dr. Blackwell decided to mobilize the women of the country to help the Union. Dr. Blackwell plays a major role in Wedded to War.  3) Georgeanna Woolsey. At 28 years old, Georgeanna should not have been allowed to serve the army as a nurse, but she got through the application process anyway. Against her mother’s and sisters’ wishes, she was one of the 100 women trained in New York City to be a nurse. Not content to sit in a parlor and knit or scrape lint, she was eager to go where the fighting was, to get her hands dirty in a way she had never been allowed to before as a wealthy, privileged woman. Georgeanna wrote many letters and accounts of her experiences, including this: Some of the bravest women I have ever known were among this first company of army nurses. . . . Some of them were women of the truest refinement and culture; and day after day they quietly and patiently worked, doing, by order of the surgeon, things which not one of those gentlemen would have dared to ask of a woman whose male relative stood able and ready to defend her and report him. I have seen small white hands scrubbing floors, washing windows, and performing all menial offices. I have known women, delicately cared for at home, half fed in hospitals, hard worked day and night, and given, when sleep must be had, a wretched closet just large enough for a camp bed to stand in. I have known surgeons who purposely and ingeniously arranged these inconveniences with the avowed intention of driving away all women from their hospitals. These annoyances could not have been endured by the nurses but for the knowledge that they were pioneers, who were, if possible, to gain standing ground for others. . . Georgeanna Woolsey is the inspiration for my main character in Wedded to War, Charlotte Waverly. Georgeanna’s sister Eliza inspired the fictional sister Alice, as well. 4) Louisa May Alcott. Before she wrote Little Women, Louisa May Alcott was a nurse at the Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown for six weeks before she contracted typhoid fever and had to return to her home in Concord. Her book Hospital Sketches is full of vivid descriptions of hospital life, from her own duties to the personalities and sufferings of her patients. Louisa arrived in Washington too late for her to fit the timeline of Wedded to War, but her account of the horrific hotel-turned-hospital—which matched the Sanitary Commission report—helped me color my own descriptions of the Union Hotel Hospital. My main character Charlotte finds herself there in the summer of 1861 and quickly learns what it really means to be a nurse in the Civil War. 5) Frederick Law Olmsted. Most people know him as the landscape architect of New York City’s Central Park, which opened just a few years before the war began, or as the founder of modern landscape architecture. But he also played a critical role as the executive secretary of the U.S. Sanitary Commission from 1861 until he burned out from the job in 1863. He was a master administrator, and did untold good for the Union army by inspecting hospital camps and suggesting life-saving improvements in their hygiene, sanitation, cooking, and general care. Olmsted also helped form the fleet of hospital transport ships that removed sick and wounded Union soldiers from the swamps of Virginia during General George B. McClellan’s ill-fated Peninsula Campaign during the summer of 1862. (For more on the hospital transport’s service, read The Other Side of War by Katharine Prescott Wormeley and Hospital Transports, published by the Sanitary Commission in 1863 and available to read in full for free at http://books.google.com.) Frederick Law Olmsted is a character in Wedded to War, interacting with Charlotte Waverly both in Washington and on the hospital transports. *Bacon, Georgeanna Woolsey and Eliza Woolsey Howland, My Heart Toward Home: Letters of a Family During the Civil War. Roseville, Minnesota: Edinborough Press, 2001 (81).