Mary (Sullivan) Freese – Civil War Nurse
During the Civil War, many women followed the troops from battlefield to battlefield, providing nursing care for the wounded and performing other duties. They were commonly the wives or loved ones of soldiers. Mary (Sullivan) Freese, who immigrated at a young age and had no known formal nursing training, followed her husband to war.
Mary Sullivan was born in Ireland on November 10, 1836. She immigrated with her family to the state of Indiana in the United States when she was about one year old. When her mother died a few years later, Mary went to live with a wealthy family named Duffy in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she was given a good home and an education. She had one brother, Dennison Sullivan.
In January 1854, Mary became engaged to and married Dr. Robert H. Freese, age 22, in Sullivan, Indiana. They had three children—Joseph F., John D., and George—before Robert enlisted in Company E of the 11th Missouri Infantry in August 1861 at Olney, Illinois.
Robert was attached to the General Hospital Department in Tennessee. He performed detached service as the steward of a contraband hospital* in La Grange, Tennessee. Another record reported that Robert and Mary served aboard a Union gunboat** at Vicksburg, where Mary assisted her husband.
The couple lost their three-year-old son, George, while living in Memphis.
Robert was discharged in 1864 at the end of his three-year tour of duty. The couple moved first to West Salem, Illinois, and then settled in Sumner, Illinois, in 1867. They had three more children: Ading, Lena, and Ada Oliver. The 1880 census showed that they owned the Empire House hotel in Sumner, which was popular in the area.
The Rural Republican noted in May 1878 that "Dr R H Freese closed his hotel and resumed the practice of Medicine."
Mary’s husband died in June 1880 at age 47 after being diagnosed with consumption. She continued to operate the hotel until the government eventually recognized her husband’s Civil War service and provided substantial compensation. Records show that, in 1886, $1,060 was awarded for her husband’s service, and Mary received $624. She sold the hotel, retired, and lived quietly in Sumner, devoting herself to her family and the Presbyterian Church. Mary lived to age 78 and died in Sumner, Illinois, in 1915.
* The thousands of African Americans who fled north across Union lines became known as “contrabands.” The Union Army built contraband hospitals and camps to shelter and care for formerly enslaved refugees and Black soldiers. These facilities included one-story frame buildings and tents, with separate quarters for men, women, and people with smallpox.
**During the Civil War, armored vessels traveled the Mississippi River. These gunboats, also called ironclads, were specifically designed for river operations and provided significant support during key battles. Medical personnel provided care for injured sailors and soldiers. The chaotic nature of naval battles and conditions on gunboats made medical care challenging but doctors worked tirelessly to treat the wounded.
Research by J Randall
