Anna Morris Holstein (, Ellis;

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Mrs. H.; April 9, 1824 – December 31, 1900) was an American organizational leader,

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

nurse, and author. From 1862 until the close of the war, Holstein was engaged in the hospital service, and after the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, she was matron-in-chief of a hospital in which 3,000 seriously wounded men were looked after. She was the founder and first regent of the Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge, and a regent of the Valley Forge Chapter,

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

(D.A.R.). Largely through Holstein's influence,

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

was able to purchase his headquarters at

Valley Forge Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...

, which have been restored and are now accessible to the people as a historic location. Her publications included ''Three years in field hospitals of the Army of the Potomac'' (1867), ''Swedish Holsteins in America from 1644 to 1892'' (1892), and ''Valley Forge : Winter of 177–78 The Darkest Period of the Revolution'' (published posthumously, 1903).

Early life

Ellis was born in Muncy, Pennsylvania, on April 9, 1824. She was the daughter of William C. and Rebecca (Morris) Ellis. Captain Samuel Morris, her great-grandfather, was captain of the first city troop of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, when it served as body guard to

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, and was with

at the Battles of Trenton and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. He was known as the leader of the "fighting Quakers". Her grandfather, Richard Wells, though an Englishman of noble descent, was commissioned to provision the U.S. fleet on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Career

Holstein was with the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

the winter of 1862–63, in General

Winfield Scott Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

's corps. On June 14, 1863, she started with the hospital train, which was 20 miles in length at Fairfax Court House, when the army began moving north toward

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. When near the Old Bull Run battleground, she was advised by Hancock to proceed to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and await the conclusion of the battle that Hancock knew was imminent. As soon as

Camp Letterman :''Not the Letterman Army Hospital of the Presidio of San Francisco'' Camp Letterman was an American Civil War military hospital, which was erected near the Gettysburg Battlefield to treat more than 14,000 Union and 6,800 Confederate wounded of ...

, the general hospital at Gettysburg, was established, Holstein was made it matron-in-chief by Dr. Cyrus Nathaniel Chamberlain. The hospital had 3,000 wounded men. Her served at Sharpsburg, Falmouth, Hancock's Division Hospital, Belle Plain, Port Royal, White House, and City Point in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, she was assigned to care for the men who came from the prison pens. During any lull in army movements, Holstein worked with and for the Sanitary Commission throughout eastern

, where she met thousands of women, explaining the amount of work they could accomplish in helping aid wounded Union Army soldiers. She and her husband sat near President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

when he delivered his iconic

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a Public speaking, speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, U.S. president, following the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The speech has come to be viewed as one ...

, dedicating

Gettysburg National Cemetery Gettysburg National Cemetery, originally called Soldiers' National Cemetery, is a United States national cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, created for Union army casualties sustained in the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civi ...

after the

, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Her experiences during the Civil War were narrated in a small volume she wrote, ''Three years in field hospitals of the Army of the Potomac''. Her literary output also included, ''The Holstein Family History'', her letters written in field hospitals. There were also shorter articles written for magazines and papers, including "Women of Montgomery County in War Time", an article published by the Historical Society of Montgomery County, of which she was a member. The preservation of Washington's home at

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

was accomplished largely through her efforts, Holstein and her husband being among the first promoters of this project. It was also due largely to the efforts of Holstein that Valley Forge Centennial and Memorial Association was formed. She was the regent of this organization from its formation until her death. She was also one of the founders of the Valley Forge Chapter of the D.A.R. She was the first regent and filled that office until ill health compelled her to resign. Valley Forge being the scene of one of the most pathetic and important epochs of the Revolution, was ever a source of interest and reverence to her. She labored to preserve the headquarters used by Washington and to keep the name of Valley Forge prominent. The Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge, of which Anna was Founder and First Regent, was incorporated in Montgomery County Pennsylvania in 1878. Anna led them on their mission to save, acquire, restore and preserve General Washington's Valley Forge Headquarters and surrounding acreage as parcels became available. To help create awareness and raise needed funds, they organized a large event that was held on June 19, 1878, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Army of The Revolution departing Valley Forge. Funds were used to purchase General Washington's Headquarters from Hannah Ogden. Subsequently additional acreage was purchased, original artifacts acquired, a tree from President Washington's Mt Vernon home was planted and renovations to restore the home back to 1777–1778 encampment completed. Those efforts led to the State of Pennsylvania making Valley Forge the first State Park in Pennsylvania in 1893. Holstein again came into public service as a matron of the Pennsylvania Building at the

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

Personal life

On September 26, 1848, she married William Hayman Holstein (1816–1894), whose ancestors also were prominent in the

. Much of her work was accomplished in cooperation with her husband. During the

, her husband enlisted in the 17th Pennsylvania militia and served until it was mustered out. Shortly after, on May 19, 1861, Holstein and her husband commenced a tour of hospital duty, which was continued until the end of the Civil War.

Death and legacy

Holstein died at her home near

Bridgeport, Pennsylvania Bridgeport is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River. Former industries included paper, flour, cotton, woolen mills, steel works, and brickyards. Bridgeport is east of Valley ...

, December 31, 1900. In Holstein's memory, the Prayer Desk was given to the

Washington Memorial Chapel Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Historical Park is a national memorial dedicated to General George Washington and an active Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, Episcopal parish in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The church was in ...

by the Valley Forge chapter of

. It was dedicated June 19, 1916. The inscription was cut in brass and inlaid with pewter, and bears the arms of Washington, the Washington Memorial Chapel, the Diocese of Pennsylvania, and the insignia of Daughters of the American Revolution.

Selected works

* ''Three years in field hospitals of the Army of the Potomac'' (1867) * ''Swedish Holsteins in America from 1644 to 1892 : comprising many letters and biographical matter relating to John Hughes, the "stamp officer," and friend of enjaminFranklin; with papers not before published relating to his brother of Revolutionary fame, Colonel Hugh Hughes of New York; the families of DeHaven, Rittenhouse, Clay, Potts, Blakiston, Atlee, Coates, and other descendants of Matthias Holstein of Wicaco, Philadelphia are included; thirty-five family pictures and facsimile of letters of Benjamin Franklin and Reverend Nicholas Collin, D.D., are given'' (1892) * '' Valley Forge : Winter of 177–78 The Darkest Period of the Revolution. Washington Headquarters Centennial and Memorial Association Patriotic Order Sons of America.'' (published posthumously by W. H. Richardson; Anna Morris Ellis Holstein; Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge. 1903)

Notes

References

Attribution

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Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holstein, Anna Morris 1824 births 1900 deaths 19th-century American women writers American Civil War nurses Daughters of the American Revolution people American organization founders American women founders