Tenacious Nurse Nichols by Eileen Yanoviak was a well-researched and written book on a scarcely known aspect of the Civil War, at least to me. I am not sure I even realized former slave women were attached to the Union Army, much less had such a powerful impact on the troops with which they served.

Lucy Higgs Nichols escaped slavery and ran to a Union troop encampment near the plantation from which she escaped. Lucy was taken in by the Indiana 23rd Regiment from New Albany, Indiana. The Regiment originally accepted Lucy as domestic help but soon realized her care and skills at nursing the wounded. Throughout the war Lucy traveled with the troops, even married and had a baby, all while tending the needs of the white men who came to love and respect her.

The best part of the story may be what happened after the war when Lucy was always a part of the troops with which she served, attending memorials and becoming “family” to her men. When she faced physical and financial needs the men of the Indiana 23rd stepped up and help her receive what she deserved as a “veteran” of the war.

Eileen Yanoviak is a librarian in New Albany, Indiana and did a fine job bringing this most interesting and worthy subject to a wider audience. The book is well written and researched.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book to read and enjoy.

I definitely was expecting more medicine in this book. Also more biography, when really, most of the biographical details were inferred from the experience of similar historic characters, because there is just THAT little known about Lucy Nichols.

This is more a brief review of American Civil War history, and the history of war veteran/veteran nurse pensions, under the guise of being about Nichols herself. Not to say that it is a bad thing, just not at all what I was expecting. The best part of the book for me was the foreword, to be honest. The rest was a miss for me. I would have loved to read more about Nichols, but unfortunately history cruelly denied so many the chance of being memorialised.

Tenacious is an excellent word for Lucy Nichols. All of her life, she fought for what was hers by right, whether freedom from slavery or the Civil War pension she was promised. This is the first I've heard of her story, but it should have been included in the American History lessons that featured the soldiers and the care given to them by women of color. Eileen Yanoviak could have had an excellent story just reciting the facts. Her skillful writing made Lucy more than just another name lost to history; Lucy's story is an inspiration to the women who made history despite the odds.

Born into enslavement in the service of the Higgs family in Tennessee, Lucy Higgs Nichols' early life was one of constant work & living with the threat of being torn away from her family & sold to another owner. As a young woman, Lucy managed to escape at the outset of the US Civil War & joined the Indiana 23rd Regiment of the Union Army - initially as a launderess, but she was quickly promoted to the position of nurse. Lucy cared for the men for 4 years before returning with them to Indiana to make a new life for herself.

In Indiana Lucy met & married John Nichols but as they became aged & infirm, Lucy needed the pay that she had been promised for her nursing work but never given. With the backing of the remaining soldiers from the regiment, Lucy applied for a Civil War pension but was repeatedly denied. It was only after years of petitioning carried through by Lucy's sheer determination that she finally received her due.

Lucy seems to have been a formidable yet caring person who was determined that nothing was going to stand in the way of what was right. A task made doubly difficult by her status as a woman of colour & an ex-slave. Unfortunately much of Lucy's early life was not recorded & she was unable to read & write, so it has been extrapolated from the experiences of others.

This is a fascinating look at the US Civil War from a different angle though - I have mainly seen it discussed in the context of the abolition of slavery, however, the evidence here suggests that for many it was more about keeping together the Union & attitudes varied. For example, even after their contribution during the war, after it ended, regiments of black soldiers (i.e. the USCT) were not invited to take part in the victory parade - the Grand Review of 1865.

There has obviously been a great deal of research carried out here & the inclusion of photographs, including the two only known photographs of Lucy herself. This is an interesting & informative read, particularly for anyone interested in the life of freedmen & women in America after the US Civil War.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, The Globe Pequot Publishing Group/Lyons Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Throughout her life, Lucy battled discrimination on several fronts: (1) dehumanization as an enslaved person (2) racism as a freed black person (3) sexism as a woman and (4) class bias as a lower-income earner who relied on (and certainly deserved) a pension. The author also disappointingly refers to Lucy's position in the house as "privileged," which is a MYTH, but does point out that she was not exempted from field work. Enslaved women's bodies were "routinely exploited for the purpose of perpetuating the institution of slavery." We can't even be sure that her child Mona, was not a result of an arranged, coerced "marriage." But in battle she was famed for her compassion, "fidelity and industry" and was acknowledged at every 23rd Indiana post-war reunion.

The trouble is that there is very little documentation of Lucy's life pre-Reconstruction outside of the common historical record. Most of Lucy's story is overshadowed by the 23rd Indiana, Reconstruction politics and the formation of the GAR. She appears as a witness to these major events instead of an active participant, which is unfortunate. It is only in the final chapter, through veteran testimonials and her own deposition for her pension that we really come to know her. So while "The Tenacious Nurse Nichols" does not hold up as a biography under scrutiny, I am grateful to have learned about such an extraordinary woman.

This is an inspirational and amazing story of a former slave and how she came to be a nurse during the Civil War and her fight to receive a pension and all whilst having to deal with prejudice and the hardships of life for a Black person in 1800's America.

This is a very informative book that has clearly been well researched. It's easy to read and flows well and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the American Civil War, Black history or those who enjoy opening their minds and learning about history.

Thanks to the author, The Globe Pequot Publishing Group, Inc. and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this informative book.

This is an interesting book about the life of an unsung hero of black America. I chose it to broaden my knowledge and outlook.

The book is an easy read, lovely and linear with a good prose structure. It’s also engaging - story-telling while still being factual.

Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this ARC in return for an honest review.

Before I read this book, I had never heard of nurse Lucy Nichols. Her story of how she worked during the American Civil War and then fought to get a pension is inspirational. The book is well-researched and an excellent addition to nursing history.

The Tenacious Nurse Nichols is an enlightening, astounding story about a Black Civil war nurse.

The writing style was clear, without being basic, and informative without being overly wordy. I loved reading this book and was a little disappointed when I got to the end because I wished it could've been even longer. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the Civil War, Black history, or general nonfiction. This was great!