By Russell Roberts.
Susie King Taylor was an African American Civil War nurse & educator, a woman who spent countless hours learning to be a nurse, and teaching others how to read and write.
What was it like, for the thousands of African-American women who bravely served the Union during the Civil War, despite the ever-present threat that they would likely be treated without mercy if they fell into enemy hands? Thanks to an account written by Susie King Taylor, we know the answer.
Taylor had several occupations during her life, but two of the most important were educator and Civil War nurse. Susie was born on August 6, 1848. She was the daughter of a slave on the Grest Farm on the Isle of Wight, an island off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. At age seven, Susie left the farm and went to Savannah to live with her grandmother. There Susie attended two secret blacks-only schools to learn how to read and write. There were laws against educating African-Americans, so Susie had to cover her books with paper and hide them from white eyes.
Fortunately, some whites rebelled against the outrageous laws against educating African-Americans. Two of these picked up Susie’s schooling where the black schools left off and continued her education.
When Fort Pulaski at the mouth of the Savannah River fell to the Union in early 1862, frightened slave-owners fled, leaving their slaves to fend for themselves. Susie reached St. Simon’s Island, which was under the protection of Union troops. Here her educated manner stood out, and she was soon teaching children during the day and adults at night. She was the first black instructor to openly, teach African-Americans in Georgia. Susie had to be ever vigilant, for if she strayed too far from the fort she ran the risk of being captured by rebels and disappearing forever, as happened to several African-Americans.
Susie then traveled with the 1st South Carolina Infantry Volunteers, an African-American regiment. She served as a laundress and teacher for the men. Soon her intelligence and knowledge led her to the medical tents, where she became a nurse. Whether it was picking her way through a field of human skulls, or drinking sassafras tea to help ward off smallpox, there was little medically that she did not encounter. Clara Barton happened to see Susie work one day, and was so impressed by her, that she often took Susie along with her to visit local hospitals.
After the war, Susie wrote a famous book about her wartime experiences – the only black woman to do so. She said, “I shall never forget that terrible war until my eyes close in death,” which they did on October 6, 1912.
Featured Photo Credit: libraries.uc.edu
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