Dr. Dyer of the 19th Massachusetts was probably typical of many male surgeons in regarding what they saw as ignorance, meddling, and self-righteousness of amateur nurses as more trouble than they were worth. His last straw came after Gettysburg. Most of the women quarreled with each other, each whispering very quietly that they didn’t want to associate with some others, on account of their reputation not being good. It is singular that each one was the only truly pious and virtuous one in the whole lot. A man wounded in the head wanted [a nurse] to wash and fix him up a little, as blood was
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