When Assistant Professor of History Megan VanGorder ’10 began researching women’s contributions to improving Civil War sanitary conditions, one name kept appearing: Mary Bickerdyke.
“She was kind of like Forrest Gump, how he shows up in all these important moments of the 20th century,” Dr. VanGorder said. “Mary Bickerdyke was always showing up in interesting ways.”
A nurse and field hospital administrator in the American Civil War, Bickerdyke is commonly referenced in historic documents for her assertiveness—charging into a hospital ward to confront a surgeon or arguing with high-ranking officers to advocate for better sanitary conditions and medical care for soldiers.
Despite the frequent mentions of “Mother Bickerdyke,” as she was affectionately known by soldiers, no academic historian had written a biography on the Union army nurse.
“I wanted her story to go beyond these anecdotes and feel less like a caricature of this assertive woman in the war, and instead do justice to the fact that she was a real person who was motivated to make a difference,” VanGorder said.
In February, VanGorder published her first book, A Mother’s Work: Mary Bickerdyke, Civil War-Era Nurse.
“Mary Bickerdyke’s life reminds me, and I hope reminds readers, that caregiving and advocacy and professional ambition have long existed side-by-side for women,” VanGorder said. “Even when society struggles to acknowledge that, Bickerdyke shows us that women have been doing this for a long time.”
‘She ranks me’
While living in Galesburg as a widowed mother in 1861, Bickerdyke joined the United States Sanitary Commission, using her maternal instincts to bring order and improve health conditions at Union army camps—implementing a laundry system to prevent disease and campaigning for more nutritious meals for soldiers.
“She’s stepping into these gaps, where the men in the military who are developing systems aren’t really thinking that way,” VanGorder said. “Mothers in the 19th century are medical caretakers of their household. They develop strategies and tools to keep their family healthy. She is inserting that expertise into her army expertise.”
Mary “Mother” Bickerdyke, of Galesburg, followed Union forces in the Western Theater of the Civil War, caring for the wounded on 19 battlefields.
Bickerdyke also wrote letters to the families of soldiers after they died in battle or in the hospital. “She’s saying, ‘You, as a mother, weren’t able to be here with your son, but I, as a mother, was. And I did the best I could to comfort him,’” VanGorder said.
Bickerdyke transformed her maternal identity into a form of professional authority so commanding that it earned the respect of generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman.
One of her most infamous moments features a punchline from Gen. Sherman, quoted in the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War. While Bickerdyke was working in a field hospital, the surgeon on duty showed up late and drunk. She reported the man and he was fired. When the surgeon went to Sherman to complain, the general reportedly threw his hands up and said, “I can’t do a thing in the world. She ranks me.”
VanGorder hopes the biography prompts readers to recognize the overlooked contributions of courageous women in American history, while considering the value that caregiving serves in a community.
“Her story invites us to reconsider who holds power in moments of crisis. Compassion and persistence, and in her case, moral conviction, become powerful forms of leadership.”
A lifelong Redbird and history buff
As a child, VanGorder could often be found among the nonfiction stacks of the library, reading about people from the past—a love of history nurtured with regular stops at historic landmarks during vacations with her parents Bill Cummins ’79, M.S. ’87, and Sally Cummins ’01.
VanGorder had an early introduction to Illinois State University, finding spots on campus to read and do homework after elementary school while her father, who worked in institutional research, wrapped up work in Julian Hall.
“I grew up swimming in the waters of the ISU fandom, going to games, and being part of Redbird life,” VanGorder said.
An appreciation for stories about “ordinary people who make decisions that shape history in extraordinary ways” led VanGorder to pursue a career as a historian and educator. She began studying at the University of Missouri but soon felt the urge “to be home.” VanGorder transferred to her Illinois State stomping grounds to earn a bachelor’s degree in history education.
“I found scholars and peers and a cohort of people in the History Department who really loved the discipline and pushed me to grow intellectually,” she said. “That experience really shaped my professional path.”
VanGorder earned a Ph.D. in history from Northern Illinois and served at Governors State University before returning to her Redbird roots, joining Illinois State’s History Department faculty in fall 2025.
“I feel really grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to a program that has such a strong reputation statewide for preparing thoughtful educators and strong educators, especially in history ed,” she said.
The book project led VanGorder to reflect on the ways historians form personal connections with their subject matter. As a mother of three, VanGorder was drawn to Bickerdyke’s identity as a working mother, and the social expectations that have followed mothers across centuries.
“Inherent to this profession is inquiry and curiosity about the world, and that’s sparked from your own experience,” VanGorder said.