Mary Edwards Walker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Edwards Walker
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Walker with her Medal of Honor, photographed by C. M. Bell
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| Born | November 26, 1832 Oswego, New York, U.S.
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| Died | February 21, 1919 (aged 86) Oswego, New York, U.S.
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| Resting place | Rural cemetery, Oswego |
| Education | Falley Seminary (1850–1852) Syracuse Medical College (1853–1855) Hygeio-Therapeutic College (1862) |
| Occupation | Surgeon |
| Employer | United States Army |
| Known for | Receiving the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, was the first female U.S. Army surgeon, prohibitionist, abolitionist, first and only female Medal of Honor recipient |
| Spouse(s) |
Albert Miller
(m. 1855; div. 1869) |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (born November 26, 1832, died February 21, 1919) was an amazing American woman. She was a doctor, a fighter for equal rights, and a brave person during the American Civil War. She is the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor, which is the highest military award in the United States.
In 1855, Mary became a medical doctor from Syracuse Medical College. She then started her own medical practice. When the Civil War began, she wanted to join the Union Army as a surgeon. At first, they said no because she was a woman. But Mary didn't give up! She volunteered at a hospital in Washington, D.C.. Eventually, she became the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army. She bravely treated wounded people, even crossing into enemy territory. Because of this, Confederate soldiers captured her and held her as a prisoner of war in Richmond, Virginia. She was later freed in a prisoner exchange.
After the war, Mary received the Medal of Honor for her courage. She helped many wounded soldiers and civilians during the conflict. This made her the only woman and one of only eight civilians to ever get this special award. For a time, her name was removed from the list of Medal of Honor recipients in 1917. But in 1977, her medal was officially restored, recognizing her important contributions.
After the war, Mary continued to fight for what she believed in. She became a writer and speaker, supporting the movement for women's right to vote until she passed away in 1919.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary Edwards Walker was born in Oswego (town), New York, on November 26, 1832. Her parents, Alvah and Vesta Walker, raised their children in a very modern way for their time. They encouraged Mary's independent spirit and strong sense of justice. The Walkers were Freethinkers, meaning they taught their children to question rules and think for themselves.
Mary's parents also shared chores equally around their farm. Her mother often did heavy farm work, while her father helped with household tasks. Mary worked on the farm as a child. She didn't wear traditional women's clothing for farm work because she found it too tight. Her mother also believed that tight clothing like corsets was bad for health.
Her parents started the first free schoolhouse in Oswego, ensuring their daughters received a good education. After primary school, Mary and two of her older sisters attended Falley Seminary in Fulton, Oswego County, New York. This school taught new ideas about equality, learning, and health. These ideas strengthened Mary's resolve to challenge traditional feminine standards. Mary became interested in medicine by reading her father's books on anatomy and physiology at an early age.
As a young woman, Mary taught at a school in Minetto, New York. She saved enough money to attend Syracuse Medical College. She graduated as a medical doctor in 1855, being the only woman in her class.
She married Albert Miller, another medical student, in 1855. Mary chose to keep her own last name and did not promise to "obey" him, showing her independent spirit. They opened a medical office together in Rome, New York. However, it was hard for them because many people didn't trust female doctors back then. They later divorced.
Mary also attended Bowen Collegiate Institute for a short time. She was suspended because she refused to leave a debating club that had only been for boys before she joined. She believed in equal opportunities for everyone.
Service in the American Civil War
When the American Civil War started, Mary wanted to help as a surgeon. The Army first turned her down because she was a woman. They offered her a job as a nurse, but Mary wanted to be a surgeon. So, she volunteered as a civilian surgeon for the Union Army.
She worked at important battles like the First Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Fredericksburg. She also helped at a hospital in Washington, D.C. Mary worked without pay as a surgeon close to the battlefields, including after the Battle of Chickamauga in Chattanooga. Mary was happy to see women helping in the war, even some who disguised themselves as men to fight. She even told newspapers about one such woman, Frances Hook.
Mary was the first female surgeon in the Union Army. She often wore men's clothing because it was more practical for her demanding work.
In September 1863, the Army officially hired her as a "Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon." This made her the first female surgeon employed by the U.S. Army. She worked with the 52nd Ohio Infantry. She often went into dangerous areas to treat both soldiers and civilians.
On April 10, 1864, Confederate soldiers captured her. They thought she was a spy. She was held in a prison called Castle Thunder in Richmond, Virginia, until August 12, 1864. She was released in a prisoner exchange, where she was traded for a Confederate surgeon. Even in prison, she refused to wear clothes that she felt were not practical for her.
After her release, she continued to serve. She supervised a women's prison in Louisville, Kentucky, and led an orphanage in Tennessee.
Later Career and Advocacy
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After the war, Mary received a small pension because she had suffered some muscle weakness while imprisoned.
Mary became a writer and speaker. She spoke about important topics like health care, temperance (reducing alcohol use), women's rights, and changing women's fashion. She was often arrested for wearing clothes that looked like men's. But she always stood up for her right to wear what she felt was right. She famously said, "I don't wear men's clothes, I wear my own clothes."
Mary was a strong supporter of women's right to vote. She tried to register to vote in 1871 but was not allowed. She believed women already had the right to vote under the Constitution. However, other leaders in the movement disagreed and wanted a new amendment. Because of this, and her unique style of dress, she sometimes felt left out of the main suffrage movement. She found more support for her ideas in England.
In 1907, she wrote a book called "Crowning Constitutional Argument." In it, she explained why she believed women already had the right to vote. She even spoke to the U.S. House of Representatives about women's suffrage in 1912 and 1914.
Mary Walker passed away on February 21, 1919, at 86 years old. She was buried in a simple ceremony, wearing a black suit. Her death happened just before the 19th Amendment was passed, which finally gave women the right to vote across the United States.
Dress Reform and Personal Style
Mary's parents taught her to dress for health and comfort. She became well-known for challenging traditional women's clothing, a movement called rational dress. In 1871, she wrote that women suffered from "unhygienic manner of dressing!" She strongly disliked women's long skirts with many petticoats. She felt they were uncomfortable, made it hard to move, and collected dirt.
From a young age, she experimented with different styles. She often wore men's trousers under shorter dresses. By 1861, she usually wore trousers with suspenders under a knee-length dress.
Even though her family supported her, many people criticized Mary's clothing choices. She was sometimes teased or even attacked for how she dressed. But Mary never gave up. She believed clothes should "protect the person, and allow freedom of motion." She wrote to a women's journal, The Sibyl, explaining why traditional fashion was bad for health and freedom. Her writings helped spread her ideas to other women and doctors.
In 1870, Mary was arrested in New Orleans because of her clothing. She was released once people at the police station recognized her.
Honors and Awards
Medal of Honor
After the war, Mary wanted official recognition for her service. President Andrew Johnson decided to award her the Medal of Honor. This was a special way to honor her bravery, as there was no clear rule for officially commissioning a woman as a military officer at that time.
In 1916, the U.S. Congress created a pension for Medal of Honor recipients. The Army then reviewed the rules for who could receive the medal. Before 1897, the rules for the Medal of Honor were not very strict. Many medals were given for reasons that were not related to combat.
In 1917, a special Army board reviewed all Medal of Honor awards. They removed 911 names from the list, including Mary Walker's. This was because new rules stated that only military officers or enlisted members could receive the medal. Mary was a civilian contract surgeon, not a commissioned officer.
Some people believe Mary was treated unfairly. Other civilian surgeons who were also not eligible kept their medals. The people whose names were removed were not asked to return their medals.
In 1977, Mary Walker's Medal of Honor was officially restored. This decision was made by the Army's Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. This action recognized her important place in history.
Mary felt she earned the Medal of Honor because she bravely went into enemy territory to care for suffering people. She believed no man had the courage to do so, fearing imprisonment.
National Women's Hall of Fame
Mary Walker was honored by being added to the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2000.
Legacy and Recognition
During World War II, a Liberty ship, the SS Mary Walker, was named after her.
In 1982, the U.S. Postal Service issued a twenty-five-cent stamp in her honor. This stamp celebrated the anniversary of her birth.
The medical facilities at SUNY Oswego are named the Mary Walker Health Center. A plaque there explains her importance to the Oswego community.
There is a United States Army Reserve center named for her in Walker, Michigan.
The Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., is named in honor of Mary Walker and poet Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman was a nurse in D.C. during the Civil War.
The Mary Walker Clinic at Fort Irwin National Training Center in California is also named after her.
The Mary E. Walker House is a special home for homeless women veterans in Philadelphia.
In May 2012, a large bronze statue honoring Mary Walker was unveiled in front of the Oswego, New York Town Hall.
In 2019, Mary Walker was included in Hillary and Chelsea Clinton's book The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience.
On August 25, 2023, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia was officially renamed Fort Walker in her honor. This was part of a decision by the U.S. Defense Department to change names of military bases that were named after Confederate soldiers. Mary Walker became the first woman in U.S. history to have a United States military installation exclusively named after her.
Walker is an honoree on a 2024 American Women quarter. The design shows Walker holding her pocket surgical kit with the Medal of Honor and a surgeon's pin on her uniform.
Images for kids
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Mary E. Walker, photographed after the Civil War.
See also
In Spanish: Mary Edwards Walker para niños
