Literary Nurse

The year is 1862. The Civil War is well under way in America. Men of all ages are wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg and the war hospitals need nurses and doctors. In a time when women are not allowed to even vote, they are called on to serve as army nurses.  Who better than Louisa May Alcott to answer that call?

Louisa May Alcott? The famous author of the beloved children’s book Little Women? What a fascinating woman!
 
When she enlisted to join the army nurses, she wasn’t a very famous writer. It wasn’t until she wrote home about her experiences as an army nurse that she discovered the writing style that made her so well-known.
 

Read more about the inspiring Louisa May Alcott in Kathleen Krull’s Louisa May’s Battle: How the Civil War led to Little Women, beautifully illustrated by Carlyn Beccia.