Civil War Nurse: Diary Letters Hannah Ropes [Paperback]

John R. Brumgardt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 1993

The chief nurse of the Union Hospital in Washington, D.C., describes life and stress in the hospital and comments on notable persons of power. Her heretofore unpublished diary and letters comprise a fresh, hightly significan document concerning the medical history of the Civil War and the contributions of women nurses in the Northern military hospitals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press; 1 edition (February 23, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870497901
• ISBN-13: 978-0870497902
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #349,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm mad at Ms. Ropes. She should have written more!, July 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Civil War Nurse: Diary Letters Hannah Ropes (Paperback)

Hannah Ropes was a feminist of her day. Yet she believed a wounded soldier needed a motherly woman's touch. These letters are a great gift and the editing job on the book is superb.

Ropes worked herself to death in Union hospitals in Washington D.C. The Union lost a good nurse and history lost a terrific writer. (In fact Ropes was a writer before the war.) She battled anyone who got in the way of good health care including going all the way to and old friend, the Secretary of War to roust out a thief in the hospital system. She poignantly describes the wounded wrecks who passed her way and the efforts made by those who cared are poignantly described as well. Ropes writing abilities were great. They are aided markedly by the brief biography of her which serves as introduction to the book. Through it, we come to know the iron will of the woman which was so beneficial to her as a nurse but which she herself down-played. For any who value "first person history" this book is a gem!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Woman who Cared..., February 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Civil War Nurse: Diary Letters Hannah Ropes (Paperback)

Hannah Ropes kept a diary for only one year during the time she served as a nurse in the Civil War. She actually supervised Louisa Mae Alcott and was responsible for many of the reforms in the hospital where she worked. She was a well-spoken woman who was also not afraid to stand up to her male supervisors. She cared very much for, "her boys" as she called the patients she worked over day and night. She is one of those women who has not been given credit and has not been well-known until recently. Her untimely death ended a daring career as a feminist and take-charge Civil War Nurse. This is fascinating and inspirational reading.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting, March 2, 2005

By 

Epstein LaRue "RN, BS, Traveling Nurse, Educa... (Southeast Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Civil War Nurse: Diary Letters Hannah Ropes (Paperback)

A young woman treads the hallways of the Union hospital with a mission to serve the young men that are fighting in the bloodiest war seen on this fair land of ours. While her son is out fighting the battle, her battle is at the hospital attempting to provide better care for the soldiers.

Excellent content, I just wasn't too crazy about the format that it was wrote in.