Lucy Ashby Sharp
Spanish-American War Nurse
Dates:
1862-1912
Lucy Ashby Sharp, born January 13, 1862, dreamed of becoming a nurse while growing up after the Civil War on the family plantation, Edgewood, near Eden in Rockingham County, North Carolina. She probably imagined herself in a crisp white uniform with matching starch white cap, providing care in a clean and busy hospital ward. To this end, Lucy graduated from the John’s Hopkins Training School for Nurses in Baltimore, MD in 1892. She began her nursing career as planned, but when the United States declared war on Spain on April 25, 1898, Lucy’s life as a nurse took an unexpected turn. Lucy’s father was a decorated Confederate officer and Quartermaster, so as her father had done, when she had an opportunity to serve her country in war time she volunteered to do her part.
Additional Resources
Articles
- Pollitt, P.A. & Humphries, A. (2012). Serving With Care and Compassion: North Carolina Nurses in the Spanish-American War. Junior Tar Heel Historian, 35-36. Available at: https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/listing.aspx?id=25321