Hospital Sketches

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, Louisa May Alcott's account details her experiences as a volunteer nurse at the Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown. Under the pseudonym "Tribulation Periwinkle," she blends humor with the grim realities of wartime medicine, offering a unique perspective on the sacrifices of soldiers and their families. Her narrative captures both the horrors of a 19th-century war hospital and her personal struggles with illness, providing an insightful look into the human spirit amid adversity.