The author recounts five years of volunteer nursing during the Civil War, describing work in city hospitals, depot and field hospitals, and military camps. The narrative traces daily routines of patient care, hospital administration, medical transport, and relief efforts organized through Sanitary Commission and state agencies, with scenes from fairs, prison wards, and moments under fire. Interlaced personal recollections include meetings with reformers and national figures, reflections on losses and comforts, domestic life in camp, and the emotional labor of tending wounded soldiers, concluding with the return home and reflections on the meaning of that service.