The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-02-24
Was Surgeon in Civil War
and Awarded Medal by
Congress
PIONEER OF SUFFRAGE
Only Woman Allowed by Act of Con-
gress to Appear in Male
Attire

WATERFOWL, N. Y, Feb. 24-
DR.. Mary Walker, aged % years, died
at her home on Bunker i'll, near Os-
wego, Friday night, after long ill
ness. She was surgeon in the Civil
war, and was awarded congressional
Medal of Honor. She gained consider
able notoriety by being the only wo-
man allowed by Congress to appear
in male attire.
DR.. Walker was injured in fall on
the capital steps, in Washington two
years ago and returned home last
spring considerably weakened in
health. She declined to accept the
proffered assistance of neighbors III
caring for her house, but later she
yielded to the suggestion of the town
authorities that she go to the Uni
ted States General Hospital at Fort
Ontaria, where she remained for
several weeks, and was apparently
much improved in health.
At her request she was permitted
to leave the hospital and return home.
She died in the home of a neighbor
who had been caring for her.
DR.. Mary e. Walker led a picture
esane career. Four years We're spen.
on the battlefields of the Civil war.
The remainder of her active life was
spent in fighting for feminine dress
reform and woman's right to political
Suffrage, in which movement she
was pioneer. She frequently claim
ed to have been the first American
woman to attempt to cast a ballot
in a legal election. Her ivlihood was
earned during all these years by her
private medical practice and by writ
ing.
Dressed by Special Law.
By special authorization from the
federal Congress DR.. Walker adopted
male attire during the Civil War and
for the half century since she has
continued to wear it in civil life--the
only woman in the country who ever
had her rights in this respect pres
cribed by the national legislators. She
wore a black frock coat, trousers
and a high silk hat and carried
cane.
DR.. Walker also was distinguished as
the only woman in history who, when
held as captive in war, was ex-
changed as prisoner of war for a
man of equal rank in the army of the
foe. She was also the first woman
to be regularly enlisted in an army
az a surgeon.
Born in Oswego, N. Y, in 1882,
Miss Walker was a graduate doctor
with the degree of NJ. D. at the age
of %. Beginning practice immed-
lately she soon adopted masculine
clothes. Her war coreer began at the
age of 20. She volunteered her SER
vices, entering the Union army as an
assistant surgeon with the rank of
first lieutenant. She dressed like her
brother officers, having a gold stripe
running down the trousers legs, wear
ing a felt hat with gold cord, and an
officers overcoat. Her jacket was
cut like blouse and fitted loosely at
the neck.
"When / had on my overcoat" DR..
Walker declared, II looked every inch
the man, and I am sure I acted it"
DR.. Walker never married. Her
proudest possession was the bronze
medal she wore on the bosom of her
frock coat. On the back was en-
graved this legend: Presented by the
Congress of the United States to
Mary E. Walker, A. A. Surgeon, U.
s. Army"
She became celebrated in the.
United States and England as lee
turer during the half-century follow
ing the Civil war.
Occasionally policeman failing to
recognize the little, .gray-haired wo-
man, placed her under arrest. This
recently happened in Chicago. Show
ing the documents which gave her
the right to wear masculine attire,
she was released. Her only remark
regarding the guardian of the law
was:
"He's an old idiot"
Although pioneer in the woman
suffrage movement, DR.. Walker was
out of sympathy with the methods of
some of her sister, workers.
women will get suffrage just as
soon as they stop making fools of
themselves" she declared recently
with considerable vigor. They've