Mary McCoy (1820s – 7 October 1899) was an Irish nurse. McCoy was born in County Limerick in the 1820s. At some point, she emigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with members of her family. Upon the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

in 1861, James McCoy (1826–93) and her three brothers all enlisted in the 71st New York Infantry (later part of the New York Excelsior Brigade). Mary joined the regiment, being appointed an army nurse by Secretary

Edwin M. Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...

. All surviving accounts testify to McCoy's excellence at her post, but her work during the Battle of Fair Oaks was especially distinguished. Her work among the wounded on the firing line moved General George B. McClellan to compliment her bravery. Shortly after the battle,

President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

arrived at

Harrison's Landing Berkeley Plantation, one of the first plantations in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred, named after the Berkele ...

, and asked Nurse McCoy for a drink. McCoy hesitated to serve the Commander-in-Chief with an ordinary tin cup, and went in search of a glass, but Lincoln called her back, saying "If a tin dipper is good enough for the soldiers, it is good enough for me." Both McCoy and her husband survived the war. Following his death, she joined the staff of St. Mary's Hospital, Brooklyn. She died there on 7 October 1899, survived by a niece. Her death was marked by obituaries in state papers.

References

* Irish World 14 October 1899 - ''Mrs. Mary McCoy, who died''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Mary 1820s births 1899 deaths 19th-century Irish people 19th-century Irish women People from County Limerick in health professions Irish expatriates in the United States People of the American Civil War