Mary Edwards Walker
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker wearing her Medal of Honor
Born	November 26, 1832(1832-11-26) Oswego, New York
Died	February 21, 1919 (aged 86)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Doctor
Employers	United States Army
Known for	Receiving the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War 1st Female U. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Oswego is a City in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18096 at the 2000 census. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South S. Army Surgeon Feminism Prohibitionist Abolitionist
Spouse	Albert Miller

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (November 26, 1832 – February 21, 1919) was an American feminist, abolitionist, prohibitionist, alleged spy, prisoner of war, surgeon, and the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol Surgery (from the χειρουργική cheirourgikē, via chirurgiae meaning "hand work" is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government.

Early life and education

Mary Walker was born in 1832 in Oswego, New York, the daughter of Alvah and Vesta Walker. Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Oswego is a City in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18096 at the 2000 census. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous She was the youngest of five daughters and had one younger brother. Walker worked on her family farm as a kid. She did not wear women's clothing during farm labor, because she considered them too restricting. Her elementary education consisted of going to the local school where her mother taught. As a young woman, she taught at the school to earn enough money to pay her way through Syracuse Medical College, where she graduated as a medical doctor in 1855 as the only woman in her class. She married a fellow medical school student, Albert Miller, and they set up a joint practice in Rome, New York. Rome is a City in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 34950 at the 2000 census. The practice did not flourish, as female physicians were generally not trusted or respected at that time.

At the beginning of the American Civil War, she volunteered for the Union Army as a civilian. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. At first, she was only allowed to practice as a nurse, as the Army had no female surgeons. During this period, she served at the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), July 21, 1861 and at the Patent Office Hospital in Washington, D.C. She also worked as an unpaid field surgeon near the Union front lines, including the Battle of Fredericksburg and in Chattanooga after the Battle of Chickamauga. Background Brig Gen Irvin McDowell was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to command the Army of Northeastern Virginia. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Background and Burnside's plan The battle was the result of an effort by the Union Army to regain the initiative in its struggle against Lee's smaller but more aggressive army Initial movements in the Chickamauga Campaign In his successful Tullahoma Campaign in the summer of 1863 Rosecrans moved southeast from Murfreesboro Tennessee Finally, she was awarded a commission as a "Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon (civilian)" by the Army of the Cumberland in September, 1863, becoming the first-ever female U. The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common S. Army Surgeon.

Walker was later appointed assistant surgeon of the 52nd Ohio Infantry. During this service, she frequently crossed battle lines, treating civilians. On April 10, 1864, she was captured by Confederate troops and arrested as a spy. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 She was sent to Richmond and remained there until August 12, 1864 when she was released as part of a prisoner exchange. This article is about the city of Richmond the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year She went on to serve during the Battle of Atlanta and later as supervisor of a female prison in Louisville, Kentucky, and head of an orphanage in Tennessee. Background In the Atlanta Campaign Maj Gen William Tecumseh Sherman commanded the Union forces of the Western Theater. An orphanage is an institution devoted to the care of children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable to care for them Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States.

Late career

After the war, she became a writer and lecturer, supporting such issues as health care, temperance, women's rights and dress reform for women. See also Prohibition, Teetotalism The Temperance Movement attempted to reduce the amount of Alcohol consumed within a community or society in She wore men's clothes exclusively for the rest of her life.

Medal of Honor

After the war, Walker was recommended for the Medal of Honor by Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and George Henry Thomas. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. George Henry Thomas ( July 31, 1816 &ndash March 28, 1870) was a career United States Army officer and a Union On November 11, 1865, President Andrew Johnson signed a bill to present her the medal, specifically for her services at the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Andrew Johnson (December 29 1808 – July 31 1875 was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865-69 succeeding to the Presidency upon the assassination

In 1917, the U.S. Congress, after revising the standards for award of the medal so that it could only be given to those who had been involved in "actual combat with an enemy", revoked more than 900 previously-awarded medals, including that of Dr. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Mary Edwards Walker and William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (February 26 1846 &ndash January 10 1917 was an American soldier bison hunter and Showman. Although ordered to return the medal, she refused to do so and continued to wear it until her death.

President Jimmy Carter restored her medal posthumously in 1977. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays

Attribution and citation

Rank and organization: Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon (civilian), U. S. Army. Places and dates: Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861; Patent Office Hospital, Washington, D. C. , October 1861; Chattanooga, Tenn. , following Battle of Chickomauga, September 1863; Prisoner of War, April 10, 1864-August 12, 1864, Richmond, Va. ; Battle of Atlanta, September 1864. Entered service at: Louisville, Ky. Born: 26 November 1832, Oswego County, N. Y.

Citation:

Whereas it appears from official reports that Dr. Mary E. Walker, a graduate of medicine, "has rendered valuable service to the Government, and her efforts have been earnest and untiring in a variety of ways," and that she was assigned to duty and served as an assistant surgeon in charge of female prisoners at Louisville, Ky. , upon the recommendation of Major-Generals Sherman and Thomas, and faithfully served as contract surgeon in the service of the United States, and has devoted herself with much patriotic zeal to the sick and wounded soldiers, both in the field and hospitals, to the detriment of her own health, and has also endured hardships as a prisoner of war four months in a Southern prison while acting as contract surgeon; and Whereas by reason of her not being a commissioned officer in the military service, a brevet or honorary rank cannot, under existing laws, be conferred upon her; and Whereas in the opinion of the President an honorable recognition of her services and sufferings should be made:

It is ordered, That a testimonial thereof shall be hereby made and given to the said Dr. Mary E. Walker, and that the usual medal of honor for meritorious services be given her.

Legacy

Walker, ca 1870. She often wore men's clothes and was arrested for impersonating a man several times.

In World War II, a Liberty ship, the SS Mary Walker, was named for her. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including History and service In 1936 the American Merchant Marine Act was passed to subsidize the annual construction of 50 commercial merchant vessels to be used in wartime by This section of List of Liberty ships is a sortable list of Liberty ships, Cargo ships built in the United States during World War II, with names

In 1982, the U.S. Postal Service issued at 20 cent stamp in her honor.

The medical facilities at SUNY Oswego are named in her honor. The State University of New York at Oswego, also known as SUNY Oswego and Oswego State, was founded in 1861 as Oswego Normal School by Edward Austin On the same grounds a plaque explains her importance in the Oswego community.

There is a United States Army Reserve center named for her in Walker, Michigan.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients: Civil War M-Z
• Sarah Taylor (soldier)
• Malinda Blalock
• Albert Cashier
• Sarah Emma Edmundson
• Loreta Janeta Velazquez
• Laura J. Williams
• Mollie Bean

References

• Mary Edwards Walker at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2008-01-01
• National Library of Medicine, Dr Mary Edwards Walker Biography
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