- Joined
- Nov 26, 2016
- Location
- central NC
Mary Morris Husband - 1865
Well, meet Mary Morris Husband. Mary served as a nurse from 1862 until well after the war ended in 1865. She was the granddaughter of founding father Robert Morris. She served as nurse and hospital matron all over the Eastern Theater: Harrison's Landing, Baltimore, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Brandy Station, White House Landing, Port Royal, City Point. Frank Moore, in his book "Women of the War" writes, "She modified her dress so as to move without inconvenience up the narrow alleys that divided the rows of cots, and made herself a great apron, with a row of deep pockets, which were several times each day filled as she made her round. Almost every patient received some little thing or other from those deep and roomy receptacles." You can see this apron in the photo, along with what I think are some of the little trinkets some of her patients made her (these are mentioned in accounts of her work) strung on a cord at her waist. The diamond shaped badge on her lapel may be a 3rd Corps badge, in the winter of 1863-64 she was matron of the hospital for the 3rd Division of the 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac.
After the war she lived in DC where one of her sons, a Union veteran, worked as a clerk for the Post Office. She joined the Daughters of the American Revolution (of course) and on at least one occasion took someone to task in the newspaper for claiming they were descended from Robert Morris claiming no one in the family was aware of this person. When she died in 1894 newspapers across the country carried her obituary. She is buried in Philadelphia.
@JPK Huson 1863 has done a wonderful thread on Mary. I contribute this to discuss the carte de viste and as my way of paying homage to a wonderful woman.