Noblesse Oblige

Over 2000 volunteer nurses serve in the army during the Civil War

Introduction and commentary by John R. Brumgardt

A devoted nurse later praised her female colleagues: "Would that I could do more than thank the dear friends who made my life for four years so happy and contented; who never made me feel by word or act, that my self-imposed occupation was otherwise than one which would ennoble any woman.   If ever any aid was given through my own exertions, or any labor rendered effective by me for the good of the South-if any sick soldier ever benefitted by my happy face or pleasant smiles at his bedside, or death was ever soothed by gentle words of hope and tender care, such results were only owing to the cheering encouragement I received from them. They were gentlewomen in every sense of the word, and though they might not have remembered that "noblesse oblige," they felt and acted up to the motto in every act of their lives. My only wish was to live and die among them, growing each day better from contact with their gentle, kindly sympathies and heroic hearts.

Hope you enjoy this.

Mary B.

Reference

BrumGardt, J. R (2003) Civil War nurses: Angles of the battlefield. Retrieved from http://www.civilwarhome.com/civilwarnurses.htm