MARY ANN BICKERDYKE
MOTHER TO THE UNION ARMY
"She Outranks Me"

On a hot day in June of 1861 Mary Arm Bickerdyke was at church when the pastor, Dr. Edward Beecher, read a letter to his congregation from Dr. Woodward. The letter spoke of the poor conditions of the military hospitals in Cairo, Illinois.

The congregation was moved by the letter and gathered money and supplies to send to Dr. Woodward, but they needed someone to deliver them. A church member elected Mary Ann Bickerdyke, and she proudly accepted.

Mary Arm was appalled at the hospital conditions and went right to work cleaning up the hospital with the help of a young soldier named Andy Somerville. She told the men how to keep the hospital clean and promised to check on them. As she was leaving, Andy called after her "Goodnight, Mother." The name stuck and Mary Arm became known all over as Mother Bickerdyke.

Mary Arm was born on July 19, 1817 on a farm in Knox County, Ohio. Her father, Hiram Ball, was a farmer and her mother, Annie, died when Mary Ann was just seventeen months old. She was sent to live with her grandparents and when they died she went to live with her uncle, Henry Rodgers.

When Mary Ann was just sixteen she moved to Oberlin, Ohio and possibly worked in a professor's home. She later returned to live with her uncle on his farm in Hamilton County, near Cincinnati.

Throughout her childhood Mary Ann received only a very basic education. Although some people have guessed, no one really knows for sure what Mary Ann did during the years of 1837 to 1847. On April 27, 1847 Mary Ann married Robert Bickerdyke, a widower with three children. They had two boys of their own, Hiram and James.

In 1856 the Bickerdyke's moved to Galesburg, Illinois and three years later Robert died. Their third child, Martha, died at the age of two a year after Robert's death.

She now began using her "botanic medicines" to care for the sick.

Mary Ann was now a widow and needed to find a way to support her sons. Growing up on a farm Mary Ann had the opportunity to learn about herbs and how to use them to make medicine.

When Mary Arm was elected to take supplies to the hospital she was determined to stay and do what she could to help. The patients loved her but the doctors did not want her coming into their hospitals and changing the way things were run. But Mary Arm did not care; she was only concerned about doing what was best for the soldiers.

As the wounded were brought in to the hospital, Mary Arm worked quickly and efficiently giving out food and drink. She was like an angel to the soldiers, always there to offer what they needed and give them comfort. Each time the patients were moved to a new hospital, Mary Ann would work hard cleaning and making sure it ran smoothly.

In November of 1862 she went on a fund raising tour for the Sanitary Commission. She visited several towns and told stories of her experiences in the war. Her talks were a success and her audiences made generous contributions.

General Grant ordered Mary Arm to go to Memphis where she was put in charge of the Gayoso Block Hospital and it became known as Mother Bickerdyke's Hospital.

When she was no longer needed in Memphis, General Sherman sent word for Mary Ann to go to Vicksburg to help with the wounded. Mary Ann got along well with General Sherman and she became a special part of his corps. During her time with the army, Mary Ann made several trips up North, giving speeches and asking the people to donate food and other items for the soldiers. She always made sure her "boys" had what they needed.

While travelling with the troops Mary Ann suffered the same hardships and struggles as the soldiers did. The extreme cold weather, poor conditions and lack of good food and supplies was hard on everyone. When Atlanta was taken over by the Union on September 2nd, Mary Ann helped evacuate the wounded from the hospitals.

On Sunday, April 9, 1865 General Lee surrendered at Appomattox; the war was finally over. She stayed with the army for another month helping to get the patients ready to go home. Her last stop was at Camp Butler in Springfield, Illinois

But her hard work did not end, when locusts destroyed all of the crops in Kansas Mary Arm came to the rescue again. She made many trips and gave hundreds of speeches asking for help for the settlers. She came back with 200 carloads of grain' food and clothing. All of this took its toll on Mary Arm's health and she soon became tired. But Kansas did not forget what she had done for them. A portrait of Mary Arm was painted for the state capitol and Topeka planned a great banquet in her honour and soldiers came from all over.

It was a wonderful occasion for her but she became ill that winter and could not get her strength back. The doctor said a warm place to live would be the best thing for her, so she decided to move to California.

While there Mary Arm found another cause to work for, trying to get pensions for the soldiers. She spent many hours filling out forms and tracking down information that required a lot of travel. She did not charge for her services. If a veteran could pay her he did, but if he couldn't she paid from her own pocket.

While Mary Ann spent her time fighting to get pensions for the soldiers her old friends Mary Livermore and General Logan were fighting to get a pension for her. Thirty years after Mary Ann's service in the war the Pension Committee finally agreed to award her $25.00 a month for life.

Early November had a slight stroke. Mary Ann passed away peacefully on November 8, 1901.

The above article first appeared in the ACWS Newsletter, Spring 2008