Cornelia Hancock (–1926)

Cornelia Hancock, a Quaker, left her New Jersey home to nurse during the Civil war over the objections of her family. Her letters home 1863-1865 present a vivid portrait of the conditions under which she worked at Gettysburg and Richmond. She ventured onto the battlefield to aid wounded soldiers, and nursed in contraband camps.

She was called “The Florence Nightingale of America.” From the fighting at Gettysburg to the capture of Richmond, this young Quaker nurse worked tirelessly to relieve the suffering of soldiers, serving in field and evacuating hospitals, in a contraband camp, and on the battlefield. Her letters to family members are witty, unsentimental, and full of indignation about the neglect of wounded soldiers and black refugees.