Anna Etheridge
Encyclopedia
Lorinda Anna "Annie" Blair Etheridge (1839–1913) was a Union
nurse and vivandière
who served during the American Civil War
. She was one of only two women to receive the Kearny Cross
.
Anna Etheridge was born Lorinda Anna Blair in 1839 in Wayne County, Michigan
. In 1860, Anna married James Etheridge. At the outbreak of the American Civil War
, Etheridge enlisted in 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment
, serving as a nurse and Vivandiere (Daughter of the Regiment). She had wanted to nurse, having cared for her father before his death. Before the war, Etheridge worked in a hospital with a poor reputation for patient care, which she had attempted to improve.
Etheridge was famous for her courageous work under fire. She was noted for removing wounded men from combat. Ethridge embodied the idea daughter of the union. She was "brave, constant, tender possessed nerves of steel, and willing to join the fight as necessary, encourage[d] the men to greater valor, or remain[ed] in the rear treating wounds" In 1862 all women were ordered out of camp by General George B. McClellan temporarily . "Gentle Annie" then worked for the Hospital Transport Service, a subcommittee of the U.S. Sanitary Commission . Assigned to the Knickerbocker, under Amy M. Bradley, she aided in the transportation of wounded men from the ports of Alexandria, VA to Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington. However, she rejoined the 2nd Michigan regime off the shore of Harrison's Landing for the remainder of the war For her work and courage, she received the Kearny Cross.
After the war she married and worked in the United States Treasury Department, eventually receiving a monthly pension of $25 for her unpaid military service. She died in 1913 and was buried with veteran's honors in Arlington National Cemetery
.
Gentle Annie: The True Story of a Civil War Nurse, written by Mary Francis Shura, is a “fictionalized biography” of Anna Etheridge.
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
nurse and vivandière
Vivandière
Vivandière may refer to:*Vivandière a generic name for women attached to military regiments*La Vivandière, a ballet choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon.*La Vivandière , an 1867 musical play by W. S. Gilbert...
who served during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. She was one of only two women to receive the Kearny Cross
Kearny Cross
The Kearny Cross was a military decoration of the United States Army, which was first established in 1862 during the opening year of the American Civil War...
.
Anna Etheridge was born Lorinda Anna Blair in 1839 in Wayne County, Michigan
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
. In 1860, Anna married James Etheridge. At the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Etheridge enlisted in 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment
2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 2nd Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 2nd Michigan Infantry was organized by Francis William Kellogg and others at Fort Wayne in Detroit, Michigan. It mustered into Federal service for a...
, serving as a nurse and Vivandiere (Daughter of the Regiment). She had wanted to nurse, having cared for her father before his death. Before the war, Etheridge worked in a hospital with a poor reputation for patient care, which she had attempted to improve.
Etheridge was famous for her courageous work under fire. She was noted for removing wounded men from combat. Ethridge embodied the idea daughter of the union. She was "brave, constant, tender possessed nerves of steel, and willing to join the fight as necessary, encourage[d] the men to greater valor, or remain[ed] in the rear treating wounds" In 1862 all women were ordered out of camp by General George B. McClellan temporarily . "Gentle Annie" then worked for the Hospital Transport Service, a subcommittee of the U.S. Sanitary Commission . Assigned to the Knickerbocker, under Amy M. Bradley, she aided in the transportation of wounded men from the ports of Alexandria, VA to Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington. However, she rejoined the 2nd Michigan regime off the shore of Harrison's Landing for the remainder of the war For her work and courage, she received the Kearny Cross.
After the war she married and worked in the United States Treasury Department, eventually receiving a monthly pension of $25 for her unpaid military service. She died in 1913 and was buried with veteran's honors in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Gentle Annie: The True Story of a Civil War Nurse, written by Mary Francis Shura, is a “fictionalized biography” of Anna Etheridge.
External links
- Daniel K. ElderDaniel K. ElderCommand Sergeant Major Daniel Keith Elder is a retired United States Army Command Sergeant Major who served as the 12th Senior Enlisted Advisor, United States Army Materiel Command from 2005 to 2008...
"Remarkable Sergeants: Ten Vignettes of Noteworthy NCOs", Center for the Advanced Studies of the US Army Noncommissioned Officer, April 30, 2003. (URL accessed on November 8, 2008).