Mary Edwards Walker

Mary Edwards Walker

Mary Edwards Walker was a surgeon, spy, and abolitionist, and she is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor

Mary Edwards Walker was a surgeon, spy, and abolitionist, and she is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

Walker married Albert Miller, another medical student, in 1855 and started a practice with him, but it failed because the public did not accept a woman as a doctor. When the Civil War broke out, Walker wanted to help the Union. She went to Washington to try to help, but she was not allowed to serve as a surgeon and was only able to practice as a nurse. In 1862, however, she moved to Virginia so she could help wounded soldiers at the front lines.

In 1863 her request to practice as a surgeon was accepted and she became the first woman to serve as a U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War. She often crossed battle lines to help soldiers, and in 1864 she was captured by Confederate troops while helping with a surgery. She was a prisoner of war for four months. After she was released, Walker became the assistant surgeon of an infantry unit.

Walker received the Presidential Medal of Honor from President Andrew Johnson after the war. She is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

Mary Edwards Walker was born in 1832 to abolitionist parents who encouraged her to think freely. The Walker family also placed great emphasis on education, so Mary attended school and went on to receive a medical degree in 1855 from Syracuse Medical College. She became just the second woman to graduate from the college when she received her degree.

After the Civil War, Walker advocated for women’s rights and the right to vote, and advocated for women to be able to wear different clothing. Walker wore pants her entire life instead of the skirts and corsets women were supposed to wear at that time. Walker tried to register to vote, but was denied. She also campaigned to be in Congress twice, but lost both times. However, she was able to testify in front of the US House of Representatives on behalf of women’s suffrage.