Miss Connie's Commentary

   White Roses is a little book filled with big stories that will slip easily into a camp bag for quick reference. This slim volume offers thumbnail sketches of memorable Confederate and Union nurses who became renowned for fighting two fronts  -- against the enemy and against the prejudices of their time.  Each heroine profiled found work in the field hospitals, homes that were turned into hospitals and yes even on the battlefields.  The soldiers they tended admired and even worshiped them for their courage, moral fiber, gentleness, determination and audacity under extraordinary circumstances.
    All of the women highlighted by White Roses were fearless advocates for
decent and early care for wounded men.  Yet none were prepared by experience,
culture or background for the horror, the bloodshed, the filth, and the personal degradation they encountered.  All did their part, not knowing at the time that it would change the course of medicine as well as the future of women within the context of society.
   White Roses is the perfect mini-reference book for any reenactress. Since nursing was one of the more visible roles that women portrayed in camp life, it is imperative that every reenactress familiarize herself with their stories. I keep my copy handy at all events so I can quickly refresh my memory before interacting with reenactors doing a medical impression.  The bibliography is also a valuable source for continuing research and ferreting out the details of each heroine's life history.