Harriet Bacon Eaton

Civil War Quilts Blog

Harriet Bacon Eaton was born in 1818 in Newton, Massachusetts. In 1840, she married Jeremiah Eaton. Together, they had three children. The Eaton family lived in Portland, Maine. In 1856, Jeremiah died, leaving Harriet a widow and a single mother. When the Civil War broke out, Harriet’s son, Frank, enlisted in the 25th Maine.

After the Battle of Antietam in October 1862, Harriet, accompanied by other women such as Isabella Fogg, was sent by the Free Street Baptist Society’s Ladies Committee to determine what kind of medical care was being provided to soldiers from Maine. Based on Harriet’s description of the lack of care being afforded to these soldiers, the Maine Camp Hospital Association was founded on November 17th, 1862. Harriet and Isabella were appointed as agents.

During the Battle of Fredericksburg in December of 1862, Harriet and Isabella arrived to provide aid for Maine soldiers and report on camp conditions. On December 13th, they traveled from the camp of the 20th Maine Regiment to Chatham to receive wounded soldiers being brought from the battlefield. According to Harriet, it was her first experience with wounded and dying soldiers—“an awful one it was.” At Chatham, she wrote letters home for soldiers recovering in the house. While the doctors and nurses worked, two cannon shells hit the house. Harriet also noted the presence of Clara Barton.

The following day, Harriet and Isabella worked in a hospital tent with nurses Helen Gilson and Delia Fay. Harriet wrote in her journal, “I spent the day washing wounds, oh! How many frightful scenes I have been witness to. The sight of the dead becomes a familiar one.” Harriet Eaton continued to work at hospitals and in the camps of various Maine regiments for the remainder of the war. Her wartime journal was published in 2014.

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• Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park

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