The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1905-07-06
The Memorial to Mother eicksrdyke.

-Gouverneur Morris Aladdin % Brien.'
The Memorial to Mother Bickerdyke.
The land is dotted with monuments,
In memory of heroes of the Civil war,
but the memorial to Mother Bicker-
dyke" is the first for a woman of the
war.
The design. like the woman 1t Is in
tended to commemorate, is strong and
simple. A wounded soldier on the
battlefield has been tenderly lifted into
half-sitting posture by the army
nurse. while she holds a cooling drink
to his parched lips. The figure OF the
soldier Is admirably done. and there
ia fine feeling in the figure Of Mother
Bickerdyke-the plain. tender woman
whose mission II was to relieve suf-
fering soldiers wherever she found
them. Her hair is done up simply.
Her dress is that of the army nurse,
but the feeling of genuine tenderness
in the face and figure of the woman
positively ennobles her. II is truly
that Of a mother bending over her
wounded boy and ministering to his
immediate wants.
The llfe-size group rests on gran
tie pedestal without ornament, and
only the words. Mary A. Bickerdyke-
Mother" inscribed on the sides. The
simple lines of this pedestal and its
shape lend much emphasis to the
group on top.
Mother Bickerdyke's biography,
strange enough, is missing from the
encyclopedias. while those of many
women less famous are given. Mary
A. Bickerdyke was born near Mt. Yer
non. Knox county. Ohio, July 10. 1917.
Her mother died when she was only II
months old One of her grandfathers
fought in the Revolutionary war. She
married young.
After some years OF married life her
husband died and left her with several
little children. When the war broke
the women In Galesburg, ILL.,, to work
for the soldiers at the front. and when
at one time a trainload of supplies for
the army we're sent from Galesburg to
Cairo. she accompanied them as del
egate. After the battle of Belmont
she was assigned as nurse to the
field hospital where she was indefati.
gable in her exertions to relieve the
wounded soldiers. Her first sight OF
real battle, however. was at Fort Don
elson.
The inadequacy Of The hospital IA
cilities and the hospital supplies
shocked her and she made several
trips north to arouse more interest in
these matters. She inaugurated the
celebrated Cow and hen" mission
through which she was enabled to
send 100 cows and 1000 hens to the
hospitals of the West.
In the winter of 1S63-64 she went
home, but returned and took part in
the establishment OF the Adams Block
Hospital at Memphis, Tenn. This &C
commodated about 5000 wounded men
From this she became matron OF the
Gayoso hospital, where more than zoe
men had been brought In after Sher
mans battle OF Arkansas Post
She next took charge in Memphis
| of the smallpox hospital. which she
cleaned and renovated with her owr
hands while nine men lay dead OF the
disease In the building. She followed
the Western armies through Vicks
burg, Lookout Mountain, Missionar!
Ridge and Chattanooga, and tended
friend and foe alike.
She next accompanied Sherman Will
his 100000 men in their march to thu
sea. She helped care for the 1900,
men who were wounded at Resaca
Kingston. New Hope. Carsvllle. Al
toona. Dallas and Kenesaw Mountain
When Sherman cut his base she wen
north, and raised great stores OF SAM
tary supplies for the soldiers.
When Sherman entered Savannah
she sailed south to take care Of tn
liberated Union prisoners Of Whining
ton. She pursued her mission at Beau
fort. Averysboro and Bentonvllle, an,
al the request Of Gen. Logan and tn
Fifteenth Army Corps she marche
into Alexander with the army.
Then when the last battle wa
fought and all the soldiers marched Il
review at Washington. she was one O
the most noted figures in the grea
parade.
After the Rebellion she went bac
TO her home and lived with her sor
Prof. Bickerdyke, at Russell. KaI
But she never lost her interest in tn
old soldiers, and she devoted much G
the time in her late years to attend
ing to their wants in various homes
and in aiding them TO secure pensions