Mary Edwards Walker: Civil War Surgeon

Captured as a spy, this Union doctor earned the Medal of Honor.

Mary Edwards Walker worked as a surgeon in the Civil War. Public Domain

Starting at a young age, Mary Edwards Walker knew that she wanted to make a difference in society. After becoming interested in her father’s medical books as a child, Walker sought to become a doctor.

Edwards was born in Oswego, New York, in 1832 to a Christian family of devoted abolitionists. Her parents opened up the first free school in Oswego for boys and girls.