Mother to the Boys in Blue: The Story of Mother Bickerdyke
Written by Ella Carlson
Illustrated by Greta Holmquist
A BOOK by ME - True Stories Written by Kids for Kids
When the Civil War broke out, Mary Ann Bickerdyke felt a calling to serve, and she volunteered her services as a nurse in 1861. She was known for her tireless dedication to the welfare of soldiers, often traveling to various battlefields and hospitals to provide care. She improved sanitary conditions in military hospitals and advocated for better supplies and medical care for wounded soldiers. Her efforts earned her the respect and admiration of both soldiers and fellow nurses, and she was affectionately referred to as “Mother Bickerdyke.”
I admire this woman so much because stories from the Civil War are personal to me. William King Tyler, my great-great-great grandfather died while guarding POWs in Alton, Illinois across the river from St. Louis. Missouri fought for the confederacy so the enemy was close by. But it was the sanitary conditions that killed many in this POW camp. It was terrible and sadly, many like him died. We should not forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country so I created a hero card in William King Tyler’s memory. You can view it here.
William King Tyler would have been proud to know that my grandfather, father, and brother were all named Sherman after General William Tecumseh Sherman.
Deb Bowen, Executive Director Understanding Works
Illustrator Greta Holmquist
“Mother Bickerdyke was an amazing woman because of her compassion and heart to serve others. She had determination and didn’t let anyone stop her or keep her from doing what she knew was right.” – Illustrator Greta Holmquist
Author Ella Carlson
“I learned from Mother Bickerdyke that caring for people is the best thing you can do.” – Author Ella Carlson
Mother Bickerdyke – Angel of Mercy
Mother Bickerdyke was born in 1817 in Knox County, Ohio as Mary Ann Ball. When Mary was only 18 months old, her mother died, and she was left with her Grandfather Rodgers, who served in the Revolutionary War under General Washington. Mary was also related to Mary Ball Washington, the mother of George Washington. In Ohio, it has been told that she had a neighbor named William Tecumseh Sherman, later known as General Sherman in the Civil War.
Mary grew up learning how to best take care of the sick with clean water and good food. During this era, many doctors did not understand the role of germs and infection, but Mary grew up learning about these dangerous forces. Women were not allowed to go to college, but Mary went to Oberlin College just to listen to the professors speak about medical care.
Later in her life, she moved to the Cincinnati, Ohio area where she helped with a cholera epidemic. While there, she met her husband, Robert, and she became a Bickerdyke. At that time in the 1840’s, a lot of slaves were seeking freedom across the Ohio River. It was a dangerous time! If anyone helped these slaves, they could be arrested and hung. Mary’s husband was a painter and had his own paint wagon. He was afraid to be involved with the Underground Railroad, but not Mary. She wanted to help these innocent people reach freedom by taking them from one area to another, and that paint wagon was an excellent place to hide them.
Around 1856, the Bickerdykes moved from Cincinnati with their two young boys, James and Hiram, to an abolitionist town in Illinois called Galesburg. Mary had another baby, Martha, who only lived for three years. Her husband Robert passed away suddenly at the same time, and Mary became Galesburg’s botanic physician, as she helped those who were sick to eat better and drink clean water.
She and her sons attended the Brick Congregational Church where Edward Beecher was the pastor. Mr. Beecher was the brother of Harriett Beecher Stowe who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the book mainly responsible for the stirrings of many Northern citizens against slavery. Edward Beecher was also involved with the Underground Railroad in Galesburg, Illinois.
One Sunday morning in 1861, Pastor Beecher had a message, or a plea, for someone to take food and medical supplies to soldiers in Cairo, Illinois. Beecher had heard that many soldiers were dying of poor care in Union camps even before they were able to fight on the battlefield. He knew that Mary would be the one to stand up against the red tape of army regulations. Pastor Beecher prayed for Mary, and she accepted this work, knowing that the “Lord Almighty gave me this job to do, and no one could outrank that.”
That day in church a collection of over $500 was given to help her buy materials and bring aid to the soldiers. Pastor Beecher promised that members of his church would take care of her two small boys while she was away.
Pastor Edward Beecher
When Mary arrived at the Cairo camp, she was astonished with the poor care given to the ill soldiers. They were lying on rotten, wet straw and were left to take care of themselves. The food they were given was hardtack, coffee, saltpork and beans. Mary found some dependable volunteer soldiers to help her bathe their comrades. She gave out new bedding and clothing. Then, she fed them her famous country-fried chicken─ they were delighted. This is when the soldiers started calling her Mother Bickerdyke. The doctor that was with Bickerdyke tried to get her to go home, but she kept saying that she would go home when the work was done. That was four years later.
General Grant heard about Mother Bickerdyke’s work at Cairo after she helped to set up six field hospitals. He knew she had assisted in eliminating the dysentery and disease that swept through the camps. When some of the freed slaves, known as contrabands, joined Grant but were not allowed to fight, Bickerdyke requested their help. These former slaves were sent to her to look after the many cows and chickens received for food from farmers in Illinois. They also assisted Bickerdyke with the care of the sick and injured soldiers for the rest of the war. Overall, Bickerdyke started over 300 field hospitals on 19 battlefields from 1861-1865. She was well loved by “her boys.” When she walked near soldiers in assemblies, they gave her standing ovations and flowers. Once, when she came off the train in Nashville, Tennessee, the Union band played “Hail to the Chief.” In Vicksburg, a woman tried to complain about Mother Bickerdyke to General Sherman, to which he replied, “She outranks me.”
General William Tecumseh Sherman
After the war Bickerdyke fought for soldier and nurse pensions and helped 300 veteran families to move to Kansas to start new lives. There, she opened the Bickerdyke Home for veterans and orphans in Salinas, Kansas. When a grasshopper plague ruined farmers’ crops, Bickerdyke lobbied the Illinois legislature and the Sanitary Commission for 100 train cars full of food, seeds, and clothing to be sent to Kansas. She was granted this aid, and the veterans thrived in Kansas. Thus, Bickerdyke became famous in Kansas. Her picture was placed in the Kansas Legislature, and in the 1870’s she was given a veteran pension of $25 per month (about $600 in today’s value).
We are so thankful for this dedicated, strong woman of faith who gave so much of her life to her country. A fourteen-ton statue of Mother Bickerdyke now stands in the Galesburg, Illinois Courthouse. She has a bridge named after her on Seminary Street in the same town. In the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, her picture hangs with five famous Illinois generals from the Civil War, including General Grant. When the Encyclopedia Britannica wrote an article about Mother Bickerdyke, she was named one of “300 Women Who Changed the World.” She truly was an American patriot.
Mother to the Boys in Blue
A BOOK by ME, a book series developed by Deb Bowen, empowers students to preserve history by telling the story of unsung heroes in our communities. For the young participants, it’s a guided cross-curricular project that gathers stories of people who do amazing things but have received little or no recognition. Students learn how to publish a picture book that is a primary source document with photographs and a biography.
Since 2003, Deb Bowen has been arranging meetings between students and individuals from the WWII generation. This intergenerational storytelling results in unique storybooks written and illustrated by kids for kids in the A BOOK by ME series. More about Deb Bowen >
