There is no doubt that the Civil War was a dark period in American history. However, like most dark periods in history, heroes are often born during these difficult times. There were larger-than-life heroes, men like Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee, and women like Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman. But there were also lesser known heroes who, while not popular or published, were also incredible. One of these heroines was Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War nurse and later surgeon, who may very well have been born before her time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mary was born in November 1832 in Oswego, New York (Biography 1). Her own father was a doctor and always believed that his daughters, all five of them, deserved to receive the same education as the men of their time (Biography). He even believed that his daughters did not need to dress like the majority of women, but that women's fashion was too restrictive and left them dressing in more manly clothes. This went completely against the customs of the time, but neither father nor daughter seemed to mind. Mary decided to attend Syracuse Medical College in 1853. It was one of the first medical schools in America and one of the few in the country that allowed women to attend. Mary qualified as a doctor in 1855 when she was only twenty-one! She and her husband tried to open a practice in Rome, New York, but because people didn't seem to want to see a female doctor, the practice eventually closed. In 1861, civil war broke out, tearing the country in two. Mary immediately wanted to contribute to the cause (Infoplease 1). She enlisted on the Union side, but they would not allow her to become a military surgeon even though she was more than qualified (Biography 1). This did not deter her, instead she volunteered as an assistant surgeon at the US Paton Office Hospital in Washington (Biography). She didn't stay there long, so she was transferred to the front line and worked as a field surgeon alongside male doctors. It did not take long for her to be recognized for her excellent work, and in 1863 she became assistant surgeon to the Army of the Cumberland (Biography). She was the first female military surgeon, quite an honor at that time in history. In 1864, Confederate troops captured her and sent her to prison, claiming she was a spy (Wikipedia 1). To this day, no one knows whether she was actually a spy or not, but after four months she was released when both sides agreed to exchange twenty-four Union doctors for seventeen Confederate doctors (Biography 1). She was known to be very happy to have been exchanged "man for man" during this exchange (Biography). She was very proud to be compared to her male contemporaries. In November 1865, Mary received a great privilege, the Congressional Medal of Honor for Meritorious Service. This was the one and only time before or since that this medal was awarded to a woman, and one of the few medals awarded to civilians (Wikipedia 1). She was extremely proud of it and wore it every day until the day she died (Biography). She did this even though it was taken away in 1917 when Congress changed its standards so that only those who actually fought in combat could receive the award. In 1977 this decision was reversed and its medal status was restored. However, she had died long before she knew that she.