Governor Nathaniel Berry once looked Harriet in the eye and told her the front lines were “no place for a woman.” Harriet, with the quiet iron of a true New Hampshirite, simply disagreed. She didn’t just stay in the sterile safety of Washington hospitals; she followed the 2nd New Hampshire into the smoke of the Peninsula Campaign, Second Bull Run, and Gettysburg.

She was known to walk miles through the mud, carrying a heavy rubber haversack filled with bandages, brandy, and beef tea. To the soldiers, she was the “Angel of Mercy,” the woman who would walk into the “Valley of Death” to ensure no New Hampshire boy died alone or thirsty.

The Cost of Courage Harriet’s dedication came with immense risk. She was captured twice by Confederate forces.

• The first time, she was caught while searching for wounded men after a retreat.
• The second time, she was held as a spy because of her intimate knowledge of troop movements.

Each time, her poise and obvious dedication to the wounded—regardless of the color of their uniform—eventually led to her release. After the war, she didn’t stop. She worked for the Treasury Department and spent her later years ensuring her “boys” from the 2nd New Hampshire received the pensions they earned.

When she passed away in 1900, she was buried with full military honors. She had proven the Governor wrong: wherever there was suffering, that was exactly the place for a woman like Harriet Dame.