New Book Honors American Civil War Nurse Cornelia Hancock

July 15, 2010 - PRLog -- Civil War soldiers called Cornelia Hancock the “Florence Nightingale of America.” Hancock served from 1863 at Gettysburg until the end of the war near some of the war's bloodiest battles. If Hancock had not proven her ability from her first days of service and continually thereafter, officials would have sent her home. She succeeded where many other women did not. Once surgeons saw how Cornelia worked, they asked her to serve in their wards, and soldiers relied on her care. Union soldiers said they would hollar ‘Miss Hancock’ as soon as they fell. Commanders allowed her to stay because she put soldiers first and did not complain about insults or privation. Hancock’s unshakable sense of duty is highlighted in Baldino's new book.

Civil War commemorations from 2010-2015 will inspire millions of Americans to imagine what it must have been like for soldiers or officers. Cornelia Hancock cared for those soldiers and for freed slaves. This book honors the Civil War sesquicentennial with a broader understanding of dedication to duty during a great national crisis. Georgiann Baldino's biography is based on the letters Hancock wrote from 1861-1868.

The book is available at retail and internet bookstores, ISBN: 978-0-6508093-0-3, Trade Paperback, $9.95, 112 pages. Author Georgiann Baldino also provides a first-person, living history program of Cornelia’s adventures. Please contact her at georgiann@asoldiersfriend.com

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Freelance author and public speaker. Programs available for general audiences. References available on request.