Betsey Cook

Betsey A. Cook was a nurse for the Union Army during the American Civil War, serving from 1861 to 1863.

Civil War service Not much is known about Cook's early life, except that she was living in Augusta, Illinois at the outbreak of the Civil War. Cook's husband enlisted initially, beginning his service with the 2nd Illinois Cavalry in July 1861. Ultimately, Cook was stationed at Fort Halt [sic], Kentucky, arriving in the middle of October.

After the war After the war, Cook applied for a pension for her wartime services but she was denied; apparently, the women who recruited Cook was not legally authorized to appoint nurses. In her aforementioned letter to Mary Holland, Cook wrote that "if I never receive any pay, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I did what I could to help in the great struggle for Union and the flag."