Three years in field hospitals of the Army of the Potomac

A modest yet vivid memoir from a Union nurse who tended the wounded in the Army of the Potomac’s field hospitals. Drawing from hurried notes kept during the campaigns, she recounts the chaotic arrival of soldiers after Antietam, the cramped makeshift wards in Frederick and the frantic scramble of women’s aid societies to gather food, medicine, and clothing. Her voice blends personal resolve with the raw reality of battlefield injuries, offering listeners an intimate glimpse of the early months of the war through the eyes of someone who chose service over idle comfort.

The narrative moves through the early summer of 1863, touching on the surge of volunteers at Gettysburg and the symbolic raising of a flag on “Round Top.” Alongside vivid descriptions of cramped tents, soot‑stained faces, and desperate prayers, she captures the camaraderie among nurses, the logistical challenges of moving hospitals northward, and the quiet heroism of ordinary citizens thrust into extraordinary circumstances.