National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War

History

Dorothea Dix founded the group on June 18, 1881, under the name Ex-Nurse's Association of the District of Columbia. It served as both a social club and an advocacy group, pushing for official recognition and benefits for its members. The association helped former nurses find jobs, provided care when they fell ill, and worked to uphold the honor of the Union. Dix was elected its president for life.

The organization held yearly meetings in Washington, D.C., and later began gathering during the National Encampments of the Grand Army of the Republic, starting with the 1888 encampment. At the 1892 encampment, 35 members from around the country attended, prompting a name change to the National Association of Army Nurses of the Late War. After a two-year pause, the group revived with a national meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 13, 1895.

By 1897, now called the National Army Nurses Association, it met in Buffalo at the Women’s Christian Association Building with roughly 500 members. Members also reunited for the 1899 G.A.R. encampment in Philadelphia. In 1901, the name shifted to National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War to set it apart from nurses of the Spanish-American War. The organization disbanded in September 1931, when only five members remained alive.

Membership

Membership was open to applicants who had served at least three months as a paid or volunteer nurse during the Civil War. Documentation was required, and applications needed approval by the local Grand Army of the Republic post. An 1897 article listed members including Dorothea Dix, Harriet P. Dame, Clara Barton, and Mary A. Livermore. Officers in 1897 included Emily E. Woodley as president and Elizabeth W. Ewing of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Chief among the achievements of this association were the efforts of its leaders to secure recognition and benefits for the women who had served as nurses during the American Civil War. In 1892, Congress passed a law allowing a pension of $12 per month for nurses hired and paid by the Government, though most volunteer nurses still were not awarded pensions as of 1910. Members were entitled to burial in National Cemeteries.

Did You Know?

• Over 3,000 middle-class white women served as paid or volunteer nurses during the Civil War.
• Many of these nurses had no prior medical training and learned on the job.