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Letter Of A Civil War Nurse

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Document Analysis: Letters of a Civil War Nurse

Sabrina Jehanzeb
Hist 1301.003
Professor: Dr. Hudson
Word Count: 1843

In “Letters of a Civil War Nurse”, written in 1863, Cornelia Hancock’s account of the Civil War gives readers an account of the suffering and hardship of soldiers through the point of view of an Union nurse. This document written by Cornelia Hancock is an account as a nurse who went through the Battle of Gettysburg and the after effects. Through a series of letters written to her loved ones, Cornelia wrote what nurses went through during the times of war. At the time women were expected to be good wives; with Cornelia Hancock’s effort she was able to help soldiers and contribute to the idea that women are capable of much more than being good wives; women can be apart of war. With her background as a Quaker and her family history, Cornelia Hancock was able to contribute greatly to the war effort even though she was originally denied to becoming an union nurse. Cornelia was born on February 8, 1840 outside of Salem, New Jersey. Her ancestors were greatly involved in politics and religious activities. They were Quakers and sided with the Union, which added to the reason that she joined the Union Army as a nurse. This allowed her to become easily involved in a cause that she firmly believed in; she wanted to server her nation and got the chance once the revolution started. Cornelia saw the opportunity with the Battle of Gettysburg to

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