Susie King Taylor was the first Black American nurse in the Civil War and a pioneering educator. Born into slavery in Georgia in 1848, she defied the law by secretly learning to read and write. When Union troops occupied St. Simons Island in 1862, she escaped to freedom and joined the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, an all-Black regiment.
Taylor served as a nurse, laundress, and educator, teaching soldiers to read and write while also tending to the wounded. Despite her invaluable contributions, she never received official compensation for her wartime service. After the war, she opened schools for formerly enslaved people and later wrote Reminiscences of My Life in Camp, one of the few firsthand accounts by a Black woman about the Civil War.
Her legacy as a nurse, teacher, and advocate for Black education and veterans’ rights remains an inspiration in American history.
The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.
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