Mary Edwards was born in Oswego, New York back in 1832 to Alvah and Vesta. For her day, she was unconventional in that she did not wear woman’s clothing while doing choirs around their farm. Besides her parents encouraged all of their children to question the regulations and restrictions for women in those days.
She attended an elementary school that her parents had started, it was the first free schoolhouse in Oswego in the 1830’s. she attended Falley Seminary in Fulton, New York which cemented her determination to defy traditional female roles. She went on to attend State University of New York Upstate Medical University. She opened a practice around 1855, where she wore a short skirt with trousers underneath.
When the Civil War outbreak started she volunteered for the Union Army as a physician. Working as an unpaid surgeon, she was there for the Battle of Fredericksburg, Chattanooga and the Battle of Chickamauga. Later she was employed by the Army of the Cumberland becoming the first female surgeon employee.
She was captured by Confederate troops and later released in a prisoner exchange. After the war, she served as a supervisor of a female prison in Louisville, Kentucky and as the head of an orphanage in Tennessee.
What you may not know about Mary Edwards Walker is she is the first and only female to be awarded the Medal of Honor by the United States. Until tomorrow keep that smile showing, pass it on to someone in need.
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