Phoebe Pember: A Beloved Caretaker of Wounded Soldiers

This Civil War nurse cared for both Union and Confederate soldiers.

An undated photo of Civil War nurses at Seminary Hospital in Washington. Over 6,000 women worked as nurses in Union hospitals during the war. Library of Congress/Public Domain

Phoebe Pember directly cared for over 15,000 wounded soldiers during the Civil War. With no formal training, her efforts running a household and taking care of her dying husband helped prepare her to successfully run what was the world’s largest hospital at the time.

A Life of Service

Pember was born on Aug. 18, 1823, in Charleston, South Carolina, to a well-off family. Her father was a successful merchant, and her mother was a popular actress. She married Bostonian Thomas Pember in 1856, but she quickly became his caretaker after he became ill with tuberculosis. Her husband succumbed to the disease five years later.

A portrait of Phoebe Pember. Public Domain