Sally Tompkins – Confederate Nurse
Born: November 9, 1833, in Poplar Grove, Virginia
Served: Robertson Hospital, Richmond, Virginia, 1861 to 1865
Died: July 25, 1916, in Richmond, Virginia
After the battle of First Manassas, Tompkins opened the Robertson Hospital in Richmond at her own expense. When all private hospitals were ordered closed, she appealed directly to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He was so impressed with the low death rate in her hospital that he appointed her a captain in the Confederate Cavalry. “Captain Sally” resolutely refused to be paid for her services.