In the shadows of more famous names like Clara Barton, Susie King Taylor stands as one of the most remarkable – yet often overlooked – figures of the American Civil War. Born into slavery in 1848 in Liberty County, Georgia, Susie Baker (later Taylor) defied impossible odds to become the first Black U.S. Army nurse, a pioneering educator, and the only African American woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences.
From Secret Lessons to Freedom
Susie’s journey began under the harsh realities of slavery. Despite laws forbidding enslaved people from learning to read and write, her grandmother arranged for her to attend secret schools taught by Black women. By age 14, after escaping to Union lines on St. Simons Island in 1862, Susie became the first Black teacher to openly educate African Americans in Georgia – teaching both children by day and adults by night.
That same year, she married Edward King, a sergeant in the 1st South Carolina Volunteers (later the 33rd United States Colored Infantry). Instead of staying behind, Susie joined the regiment as an official laundress – but she quickly became far more.
A Nurse on the Frontlines
During outbreaks of smallpox and other diseases ravaging the troops, Susie stepped up as a nurse. She tended to wounded and sick soldiers, never contracting the diseases herself despite close contact. She worked alongside Clara Barton at a hospital in Beaufort, South Carolina, and even learned to clean and fire muskets to support the troops.
For four years and three months, she served without pay, cooking, caring for the ill, teaching literacy to soldiers in her off hours, and witnessing the brutal realities of war. In her own words from her memoir:
“I gave my service willingly for four years and three months without receiving a dollar… glad to be allowed to go with the regiment, to care for the sick and afflicted comrades.”
Life After the War and Lasting Legacy
After the war and the death of her first husband, Susie continued teaching in Georgia, opening schools for freed Black children. She later moved to Boston, remarried, and in 1902 published Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops – a vivid, firsthand account that remains one of the most important narratives of Black service in the Civil War.
Susie King Taylor passed away in 1912, but her courage, compassion, and determination continue to inspire. She helped lay early foundations for what would become the American Red Cross and proved that one determined woman could break barriers in education, medicine, and military service.
Why Susie’s Story Matters Today
In an era when Black women faced unimaginable restrictions, Susie refused to be defined by her circumstances. Her life reminds us that true freedom is fought for – not just on battlefields, but in classrooms, hospital tents, and the written word.
Watch the video below.
Until next time, Knowledge is Power
