Bickerdyke pronunciation
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Mary Ann Bickerdyke
Mary Ann Bickerdyke was an energetic heroine whose sole aim during the Civil War was to care for wounded Union soldiers efficiently.
Born in Knox County, Ohio, to Hiram Ball and Annie Rodgers Ball, in 1817, she later moved to Galesburg, Illinois. Widowed two years before the war began, she supported herself and her two half-grown sons by practicing as a “botanic physician” in Galesburg.
When a young Union volunteer physician wrote home about the filthy, chaotic military hospitals at Cairo, Illinois, Galesburg’s citizens collected $500 worth of supplies and selected Bickerdyke to deliver them.
She stayed in Cairo as an unofficial nurse, and through her unbridled energy and dedication, she organized the hospitals and gained Ulysses S. Grant’s appreciation. Here, she also worked alongside another famed Civil War Nurse, Mary J. Stafford. When Grant’s army moved down the Mississippi River, Bickerdyke went too, becoming the Chief of Nursing and setting up hospitals where they were needed.
She was adamant about cleanliness, dedicat
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Mary Ann Bickerdyke
American nurse and philanthropist (1817–1901)
Mary Ann Bickerdyke | |
|---|---|
Mary Ann Bickerdyke in 1898 | |
| Birth name | Mary Ann Ball |
| Nickname(s) | "Mother" Bickerdyke |
| Born | (1817-07-19)July 19, 1817 Knox County, Ohio |
| Died | November 8, 1901(1901-11-08) (aged 84) Bunker Hill, Kansas |
| Buried | Galesburg, Illinois |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Bickerdyke |
| Relations | Two sons |
| Other work | lawyer, advocate for veterans |
Mary Ann Bickerdyke (July 19, 1817 – November 8, 1901), also known as Mother Bickerdyke, was a hospital administrator for Union soldiers during the American Civil War and a lifelong advocate for veterans. She was responsible for establishing 300 field hospitals during the war and served as a lawyer assisting veterans and their families with obtaining pensions after the war.
Early life
Mary Ann Ball was born on July 19, 1817, in Knox County, Ohio, to Hiram and Annie Rodgers Ball. She is cited as one of the first women who attended Oberlin College in Ohio, but official records sho
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Bickerdyke, Mary Ann (1817–1901)
American nurse and Sanitary Commission agent in the Civil War, whose strength, tireless devotion, and care for the wounded "boys in blue" earned her the respect and friendship of generals.Name variations: Mary Anne Ball Bickerdyke or Byckerdyke; Mother Bickerdyke; "Calico Colonel." Born Mary Ann Ball on July 19, 1817, in Knox County, Ohio; died in Bunker Hill, Kansas, on November 8, 1901; buried in Galesburg, Illinois; daughter of Hiram Ball (a farmer and businessman) and Anne (Cassady) Ball; may have attended Oberlin College around 1833 (the evidence is vague as some biographers claim that Bickerdyke received only the most "rudimentary" education); married Robert Bickerdyke (a widower, housepainter, and musician), on April 27, 1847 (died 1859); children: John Ball (b. 1849), James Rodgers (1850–1904), Hiram Ball (1854–1909), and Martha M. (1858–1860).
Family moved to Galesburg, Illinois (1858); volunteered as a "nurse" in the Civil War (1861–65); worked with the Chicago Home for the Friendless (1866–67); operated a boarding house for vet
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