Angels of Mercy: Civil War Nurses and the Rhode Island Connection

Nursing as a profession was in its infancy when the Civil War broke out. Brave women on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line often worked under dangerous and unsanitary conditions to bring care to the sick and wounded on and off the battlefield. Rhode Island was the site of a Civil War Military Hospital, Lovell General in Portsmouth, that provided post-battlefield care. This lecture includes a number of rare visual images and the story of a Rhode Island woman who made a profound impact on care of the sick and wounded.