Sally Louisa Tompkins
Encyclopedia
Sally Louisa Tompkins was a humanitarian, nurse, and philanthropist. She is best-remembered for privately sponsoring a hospital in Richmond, Virginia to treat soldiers wounded in the American Civil War
. Under her supervision, although little was known about the cause of infections, her insistence on cleanliness is said to have been a major key to the lowest mortality rate of any such military hospital, Union or Confederate, during the Civil War.Whatever her devotion and work earned the label "Angel of the Confederacy".
, in the Tidewater Region of Virginia's Middle Peninsula
. She had been active in restoring her local Episcopal Church, an older structure, as a youth. Sally had a natural talent for nursing and could often be found tending the sick, both free and slave, on nearby plantations. When her father died, she and her mother moved to Richmond, Virginia.
The First Battle of Bull Run
, also known as the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, was a southern tactical victory which opened the Civil War in the first major hand-to-hand combat. Despite the word of victory, the Confederate capital city was ill-prepared for the hundreds of wounded soldiers who subsequently poured in, many arriving via the Virginia Central Railroad
. The shock brought the reality of the horrors of warfare directly home even as officials and citizens scrambled to take care of the deluge.
Only 28 years old, Tomkins was among the civilians who responded by opening the home of Judge John Robertson as a hospital. After the initial crisis had passed, Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
instituted regulations requiring military hospitals be under military command. However, The Robertson Hospital had done such an outstanding job and was prepared to continue that he commissioned Tompkins as a captain so that she could continue her work. She was the only woman officially commissioned as an officer in the Confederate States Army
. She refused any payment for her services. On her military commission, dated 9 September 1861, she wrote, "I accepted the above commission as Captain in the C.S.A. when it was offered. But, I would not allow my name to be placed upon the pay roll of the army."
The Robertson Hospital, as it was known, treated patients continuously throughout the war, discharging its last soldier on 13 June 1865. During its four-year existence, Robertson Hospital treated 1,333 wounded with only seventy-three deaths, the lowest mortality rate of any military hospital during the Civil War.
Author and Civil War diarist Mary Chesnut was a frequent visitor to the hospital. She recorded "Our Florence Nightingale
is Sally Tompkins." The more than 1,300 men fortunate to be sent to Robertson Hospital called her simply "Captain Sally."
who responded to the urgent needs which were presented during the Civil War, especially after the Battle of First Bull Run when the realities of warfare became stark in both the Union and Confederate capital cities. They helped develop nursing
into the skilled profession it was to become. Sally Tompkins reported obsession with cleanliness led to progress in sanitation during treatment. Her proven lower mortality rates as a result are exceptionally notable among her many legacies to the United States and medical providers everywhere, practices still in widespread use.
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...
. Under her supervision, although little was known about the cause of infections, her insistence on cleanliness is said to have been a major key to the lowest mortality rate of any such military hospital, Union or Confederate, during the Civil War.Whatever her devotion and work earned the label "Angel of the Confederacy".
Youth, family
Sally Tompkins was born to Colonel Christopher Tompkins, an American Revolutionary War veteran, and Maria Patterson Tompkins in Mathews County, VirginiaMathews County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,978 people, 3,932 households, and 2,823 families residing in the county. The population density was 108 people per square mile . There were 5,333 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...
, in the Tidewater Region of Virginia's Middle Peninsula
Middle Peninsula
The Middle Peninsula is the second of three large peninsulas on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, in the United States. It lies between the Northern Neck and the Virginia Peninsula. This peninsula is bounded by the Rappahannock River on the north and the York River on the south...
. She had been active in restoring her local Episcopal Church, an older structure, as a youth. Sally had a natural talent for nursing and could often be found tending the sick, both free and slave, on nearby plantations. When her father died, she and her mother moved to Richmond, Virginia.
American Civil War: Angel of the Confederacy
Richmond became the capital city of the Confederacy after Virginia became one of the last of the Confederate states to secede from the Union in April, 1861. It was generally thought by both North and South alike that the armed conflict which was growing would last only a short time.The First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
, also known as the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, was a southern tactical victory which opened the Civil War in the first major hand-to-hand combat. Despite the word of victory, the Confederate capital city was ill-prepared for the hundreds of wounded soldiers who subsequently poured in, many arriving via the Virginia Central Railroad
Virginia Central Railroad
Virginia Central Railroad was chartered as the Louisa Railroad in 1836 by the Virginia Board of Public Works and had its name changed to Virginia Central Railroad in 1850. It connected Richmond with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad at Gordonsville in 1854, and had expanded westward past the Blue...
. The shock brought the reality of the horrors of warfare directly home even as officials and citizens scrambled to take care of the deluge.
Only 28 years old, Tomkins was among the civilians who responded by opening the home of Judge John Robertson as a hospital. After the initial crisis had passed, Confederate President
President of the Confederate States of America
The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
instituted regulations requiring military hospitals be under military command. However, The Robertson Hospital had done such an outstanding job and was prepared to continue that he commissioned Tompkins as a captain so that she could continue her work. She was the only woman officially commissioned as an officer in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. She refused any payment for her services. On her military commission, dated 9 September 1861, she wrote, "I accepted the above commission as Captain in the C.S.A. when it was offered. But, I would not allow my name to be placed upon the pay roll of the army."
The Robertson Hospital, as it was known, treated patients continuously throughout the war, discharging its last soldier on 13 June 1865. During its four-year existence, Robertson Hospital treated 1,333 wounded with only seventy-three deaths, the lowest mortality rate of any military hospital during the Civil War.
Author and Civil War diarist Mary Chesnut was a frequent visitor to the hospital. She recorded "Our Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
is Sally Tompkins." The more than 1,300 men fortunate to be sent to Robertson Hospital called her simply "Captain Sally."
After the War
Sally's family fortune had been depleted after the Civil War, although she stayed active for many years in charitable work. She remained unmarried throughout her life. Eventually, she went to live in the charitable Richmond Home for Confederate Women in 1905.Death, legacy
Upon her death in 1916, Sally Tompkins was buried with full military honors at Christ Church in Mathews County. She joins the ranks of women like Clara BartonClara Barton
Clarissa Harlowe "Clara" Barton was a pioneer American teacher, patent clerk, nurse, and humanitarian. She is best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross.-Youth, education, and family nursing:...
who responded to the urgent needs which were presented during the Civil War, especially after the Battle of First Bull Run when the realities of warfare became stark in both the Union and Confederate capital cities. They helped develop nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
into the skilled profession it was to become. Sally Tompkins reported obsession with cleanliness led to progress in sanitation during treatment. Her proven lower mortality rates as a result are exceptionally notable among her many legacies to the United States and medical providers everywhere, practices still in widespread use.
External links
- Robertson Hospital Register Collection a database of 1,329 entries of Civil War patients admitted to the hospital from 1861 to 1865, from the collection of the VCU Libraries
- Reunion of The Class of 1865 at Virginia Memory