Susie King Taylor

A groundbreaking figure in every sense of the word, Susie King Taylor (1848-1912) was one of the first Black nurses during the Civil War, tending to the wounded soldiers of the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Afterward, she was a key figure in establishing a postbellum educational system for formerly bonded Black people, opening several dedicated schools in Georgia. Taylor was also one of the first Black women to publish her memoirs....

Excerpts from the diary of a woman who served as nurse to a regiment of black soldiers fighting for the Union during the Civil War, including her observations on the treatment of "coloreds" after the war.