Margaret Hamilton

Margaret Hamilton (October 19, 1840 – January 11, 1922) was a Union nurse during the American Civil War.

Early life Hamilton was born October 19, 1840, in Rochester, New York. She was the only child of Cornelius and Mary (née Sheehan) Mahoney. Cornelius was the son of Dennis Mahoney and his wife, Margaret Hamilton was quite close to both of her parents until her mother's death in 1857. She was educated at the public schools and St. Joseph's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. At the seminary, she joined Sisters of Charity, Only a few days after she began her service, Hamilton witnessed the consequences of so few resources as hundreds of soldiers arrived from the various battles around the Chickahominy River. Among her other services at the hospital, Hamilton volunteered to nurse in the isolated smallpox ward. Disguised as a man, the soldier's sex was only discovered upon admittance to the hospital for treatment. It was said she followed a lover into battle, and exhibited incredible bravery; she had even reached the rank of lieutenant. She was president of the National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War, elected at the 1902 national meeting.