The Army Nurse: A Diary Of Lucy Stone

During the Civil War, women played a critical role in providing care to wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Women nurses in particular faced numerous challenges as they navigated a male-dominated profession in a time of great upheaval and social charge. In the Union Army, women nurses faced significant obstacles to their professional and personal well-being, including lack of medical training, poor living conditions, inadequate supplies, high demand, and lack of recognition. This made the role of nurse in an army unit one of the most difficult and demanding jobs of the time, requiring great strength, resilience, and dedication from those who undertook it. Many women who volunteered as nurses had limited medical training and were

(1865). The Army Nurse: A Diary of Lucy Stone. New York, NY: Appleton & Co. is a diary that provides a first-hand account of the experience of a woman who worked as a nurse in the Union Army during the Civil war. The author provides detailed descriptions of the condition she faced, including the long hours, lack of medical resources and training, and the difficult working conditions. The journal also discusses how society views women in medical professions and the challenges they confront because of their gender. Stone’s personal experiences shed light on the difficulties that women encountered in their work, as well as the discrimination and prejudices that they faced. A challenge that Stone describes is the lack of respect and recognition that women received for their work. She writes, “The surgeons do not seem to think we can do much good” (Stone, 1865 p.27). Women were often viewed as inferior to male doctors, and their contributions were not always valued or recognized. Stone also writes about the gendered expectations and prejudices that women faced when serving as nurses. She notes that some male soldiers were resistant to receiving care from women, and that women were sometimes seen as “intruding” on men’s space. Stone writes, “It is hard to work to overcome the feeling that women do not belong here” (Stone 1865, p. 53). Women had to fight to be taken seriously as nurses, and had to navigate a complex social landscape in order to provide care to soldiers. Overall, Stone’s diary highlights the many challenges that women faced as nurses during the Civil War. From shortages of supplies to discrimination and prejudices, women had to overcome numerous obstacles in order to provide care to soldiers. Stone’s personal experiences give us a window into the difficult and often unacknowledged work that women did during this