Maryanne Bickerdyke

Maryanne Bickerdyke - Nursing Pioneer Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke was a nursing pioneer and an important figure during the United States Civil War. Her contributions to the field of nursing can be seen in her work for Civil War soldiers and in army hospitals around the country. Because of her work for Union soldiers, Birckerdyke earned commendations from leaders such as General Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. Bickerdyke was born on July 19, 1817 in Knox County, Ohio. She was only one-year-old when her mother passed away.

The young Mary Ann spent much of her childhood on her grandparents' farm in Richland County, Ohio. Not much is known about Mary Ann's pre-nursing life. Biographers like Garrison (1999) believe that she went to nursing school at Oberlin College in the 1830s. Garrison also states that Mary Ann spent time caring for cholera victims during the epidemics that swept through Cincinnati in 1837 and again in 1849. In 1847, Mary Ann Ball married a mechanic named Robert Bickerdyke. The couple had two children and lived in Cincinnati.

Robert supplemented the family income with extra work as a sign painter and bass violin player. The family lived a simple life until Robert's death in 1859. A young widow, Mary Ann now had to earn a living to support both herself and her children. During this period, Mary Ann took assorted jobs as a nurse, a housekeeper and a laundress (Garrison 1999). When the Civil War began, Mary Ann found her calling. Upon learning of the living conditions faced by Union soldiers, she decided to devote her energies to nursing full-time.

Mary Ann left her children with another family and, uninvited, made her way to an army hospital in Cairo, Illinois. Though alone, Mary Ann carried with her donated food and medical supplies worth more than one hundred dollars (Garrison 1999). It was here in these surroundings that Mary Ann Bickerdyke began to take her place in Civil War history. During this time, soldiers wounded in battle had to recover amid unsanitary surroundings. Medical supplies were scarce, and the dearth of doctors meant that physicians focused on immediate emergencies such as amputations.

The dirty conditions and lack of clean water thus delayed recovery and for many soldiers, introduced infection. While army doctors focused on emergency treatment, Bickerdyke turned her energies to providing basic needs. She ensured that soldiers had clean water and sanitary living conditions. She helped to provide soldiers with nutritious meals and took ambulant patients for walks in fresh air. Because of her efforts, soldiers recovered more quickly, and hospitals had less infectious diseases.

When a larger military hospital was opened in Cairo, Bickerdyke was then named matron ("Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke" 2004). However, Bickerdyke's innovations did not stop at the centralized hospitals. She continued working in field hospitals, moving with the Union Army from one battle to another. In 1862, Bickerdyke was officially appointed a sanitary field agent, earning $50 a month ("Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke" 2004). This salaried position meant that Bickerdyke could travel freely through the troops.

More importantly, she now had authority to draw from the Army supply stores and did not have to worry about raising money for her medical and.