Southern Woman's Story: Life in Confederate Richmond

by Phoebe Yates Pember, Bell Irvin Wiley (Editor)

From 1862 to 1865 Phoebe Pember served as matron of a division of Chimborazo Hospital, the largest built in the Western Hemisphere, in besieged Richmond. Phoebe recounts her experiences of gossip, greed, and selfishness as well as courage and the suffering of the wounded soldiers in that dark age of medicine.

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction, Memoir, War, Medicine, American Civil War

152 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 1879

About the author

Born on August 18, 1823, Phoebe Yates Levy grew up as the fourth of six daughters of a prosperous and cultured Jewish family in Charleston, South Carolina.

Immediately after the outbreak of the Civil War, Phoebe's husband, Thomas Pember, died of tuberculosis. Moving form South Carolina to the Confederate capitol of Richmond, Virginia, Phoebe received an offer to serve as matron of the Chimborazo Military Hospital from Mrs. George W. Randolph, wife of the Confederate Secretary of War. Phoebe reported for duty in December 1862. The Chimborazo Hospital was reputed to be the largest military hospital in the world at that time. A sprawling institution located on the western boundary of Richmond, Chimborazo began receiving patients in 1862 and was eventually expanded to 150 wards. Each ward was a separate one story building thirty feet wide and one hundred feet long housing approximately forty to sixty patients. Only one surgeon was assigned to each division. A total of 76,000 patients had been treated at Chiborazo by the end of the Civil War.

The pain, suffering and death at Chimborazo from battlefield casualties was greatly compounded by severe shortages of personnel, medicine, food, and equipment. Primitive facilities, unsanitary conditions, and undeveloped scientific knowledge of medical treatments added to the tragedy and pathos.

Operating in this atmosphere of misery and despair, Phoebe Yates Pember dedicated herself to doing everything possible to relieve the suffering of the soldiers, administering medication, assisting surgeons in operations (frequently without anesthetic), patching wounds and caring for patients. Often, Phoebe simply served as a final companion to the dying - writing letters, reading stories, playing cards, holding hands, praying, talking.

At the conclusion of the war, Phobe Yates Pember wrote her memoirs of the hardships of life in Confederate Richmond, including her experiences as matron of Chimborazo Hospital. First published in 1879, A Southern Woman's Story is rated by Civil War historian Douglas Southall Freeman as "the most realistic treatment of the war" ever published. A Southern Woman's Story also became a landmark work in women's history through Phoebe Pember's vivid descriptions of the difficulties encountered by one of the first women to enter the previously all male domain of nursing.

Reviews

[Sarah Tackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern Grace

The strength that it took for Yates to do what she did for hundreds of men during the years of the Civil War is astounding. Faced with the insurmountable task of caring for so many, often with so little, she did so with the grace and kindheartedness of a saint. Her story takes you into the heart of the sick and wounded men of the war that pitted brother against brother, telling her story of the many men who could not as their voice was silenced much to early.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoebe Yates Pember was a South Carolina native who came to Richmond, VA in 1862 to become a matron of one of the Civil War hospitals. This book is a brief memoir of her experiences in it. She share antidotes of the men, the strife of running the hospital and other stories of the Confederacy, including the fall of the Southern Capitol.

While the memoir is short and moves around a lot, it does give the reader snippets of what life was like at this time - and what it would be reduced to by the war's end.

Recommend to Civil War fans. This is a must read for every student of the Civil War.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be highly entertaining and enlightening. Anyone who works in a hospital will be able to relate to her experiences and marvel at how some things never change (the annoying family members who refuse to leave, the patient complaints about the food, the tiresome bureaucracy, etc.). The author's personality and articulate prose make for a poignant and often times humorous account of the trials and tribulations of healthcare during the civil war.

[Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Phoebe Yates Pember when she worked at the giant Confederate hospital on Chimborazo hill in Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War.

A bit tiresome at times because she is not a professional writer - this is day-by-day memoir. But as a look back in time it is fascinating. Also, she let's her personal preferences show completely in her work without an attempt at impartiality. For example, she has a particular affection for the Maryland soldiers, as she sees them as "poor orphans" without a home to go home to (Maryland had been under Union occupation since the beginning of the American Civil War). Pure, sincere, sentimentality - not a put on! Fascinating all around.

[Susann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!

What a story of bravery, selflessness and honor. An incredible read. Well written, even contemporary at times, with honest expression and humor. I loved the battles concerning the liquor and was surprised at its generous use as a stimulant in soothing and healing the wounded and dying. I had no idea the special care and feeding that went into sick and hopeless Confederate soldiers. The author seemed fair, principled and ruthless in her passionate care of her charges and was not afraid to take on anyone in her way. Good on her!!!!!!! A fine memoir of a little known subject..hospital care in Richmond during the Civil War. Some typos but otherwise excellent.

[Michelle]

diary of life as a Confederate hospital matron during the Civial War. Rec. in Honey

[Russell G Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The civil war from a very different perspective.

This review encompasses the war from beginning to end and is very interesting. The fact that the author is a woman adds much.

[Lewis D, Corvene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Moving Account of a Subject Not Often Treated

The author is an educated and articulated woman who relates an experience which is meaningful 150 plus years later. That is quite an accomplishment.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truly a fascinating look into a Civil War hospital! Surprisingly but thankfully, there isn’t a lot of The Lost Cause mythos running around, which can admittedly color my 2019 views of a book. Some of the stories are a bit long winded and aren’t of much interest to the average non-medical historian, but the most interesting stories come from Phoebe’s interactions with her patients. Some absolutely heart wrenching stuff there. Overall, a nice quick read that gives an insightful peek into the past!

[Sharon Carver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hospital Nurse View of War

The book was difficult to read and the use of language strange but the information provided was very beneficial in understanding the circumstance of the times. It was appreciated.

[Carrie L. Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoebe's Story

This was quite an eye opening narrative on life in a confederate hospital during the Civil war. She was a very resourceful, considerate and brave woman. I enjoyed reading this story very much.

[Frederick Widdowson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent first-hand account of working in a Confederate military hospital during the Civil War. The best part of the author's account is her description of the evacuation of Richmond and its occupation by Federal troops. She says they were told to be polite and well-mannered and were excessively so that it annoyed her. The descriptions are really good. I recommend any student of the American Civil War to read this book to help their understanding.

[Lana Sterling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard times back then.

Very interesting and some times hard to understand what she was saying because they spoke differently back in the 1860’s. I was certainly moved by her love and determination to help these men of war that was most often very rude and hurtful to her. But knowing she chose to go and stay was pretty amazing!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting Story

Pember did a beautiful job vividly describing the wounded soldiers with whom she worked. The courage and strength of women who attended to the wounded men was remarkably portrayed and I loved that she wasn't intimidated by those who thought she, as a female, could be pushed around!

[Wilma S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs. Pember carried out her responsibilities to the wounded soldiers with care and conviction. I had to chuckle over her unending request (in a letter) to please find black/white gingham ‘of equal parts.’ The price per yard increased from $4.50 per yard to an inflated $12.50. (Being a seamstress myself, I was curious about her request. She did not write that the fabric had been found.)

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting accustomed to the writing style and English of the 1860's was a challenge. But it was interesting to see the prolific presence of white, female privilege even in a war-time hospital. Aside the exposure to exposed male bodies in the wards, Mrs. Pember retained her sense of class and exhibited intense determination and will.

[Jennifer Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for historical significance. I picked up this book when I happened upon a National Park Service park in Richmond for a civil war hospital. I was intrigued by the role women played in the war. This is the first hand account of the hospital matron. She was quite the spitfire.

[Karen Mosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir of a Confederate hospital matron during the Civil War. Her anecdotes are touching and her wit is sharp.

[Debra Lochtrog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This woman was a cut above. She took the role of administrator of a hospital and Ran with it!... get an education and then USE it! This woman did.

[Erion Prometheus · Rating 5 out of 5]

rtc

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Southern Woman's Story, Life in Confederate Richmond by Phoebe Yates Pember was an excellent narrative of her role as a Matron in the largest hospital ever built in the Western Hemisphere - the Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond VA. Caring for the wounded of the Civil War as a woman in an all male environment, the author writes of the trials she faced trying to get food, treatment, & other supplies for the soldiers. She also writes of the more humorous events, for example, when the families of the soldiers literally moved into the hospital with them, taking the food and even the beds meant for the wounded. One day she was called to a particularly stubborn wife who had stayed on after her husband had gone back to his unit, the wife had given birth in the bed her husband had vacated!

The book is powerful as it brings a different look at the study of the Civil War era.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is about and was written by Phoebe Yates Pember who was Matron of Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond VA during the Civil War. Mrs Pember came to Richmond from South Carolina in 1862 and was Matron of the hospital from November 1862 to the fall of Richmond in April of 1865.

I found the book at times difficult to follow as it jumps around a lot, but Mrs. Pember was not a professional writer so that would explain it.

Mrs. Pember's accounts of the soldiers injuries are sometimes quite graphic. Her accounts of the everyday goings on in the hospital, such as men's complaints about the food and families that want to just move in to be with their loved one are sometimes funny, many times sad.

I quite enjoyed her account of the fall of Richmond.

[Isidore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phoebe Pember's witty and acerbic account of her wartime hospital work is widely regarded as one of the classic Confederate memoirs. Reading it in alongside other books by Confederate ladies, I am struck by how little she reveals about herself. Kate Cumming, Phoebe's counterpart in the Western Theatre, is much more forthright and unguarded; Phoebe has no intention of opening up her private life to her readers, and never removes her mask of aristocratic detachment and hauteur. Wiley's edition of her book adds a few letters with hint of emotional turmoil, but, if anything, these are even sharper and more pungent than the main text. She must have been an entertaining but difficult person to be around!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book conveys the Civil War experience from the viewpoint of an ordinary citizen turned hospital matron. The expansive Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond treated around 76,000 soldiers during the war. Mrs. Pember was responsible for 15,000 of them. She recorded in her memoirs stories of bureaucracy, shortage, grief, stoicism and her thoughts about the night Richmond burned. This was a great and quick read. I am glad Mrs. Pember took thr time to write down what she endured and saw between 1862-1865.

[Susan Stans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful account of a southern woman's experience nursing in a Richmond confederate hospital during the Civil War.

Brings to life the very horrid conditions of care and shortages. Short and very interesting. She gives life to her feelings at the time and how chaotic everything was.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this woman’s pluck. The style is so approachable, it’s hard to believe that it was written during the Civil War era. I learned a lot that I hadn’t known about before.