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Sarah Sampson 1832-1907
Sarah Smith Sampson was born and lived in Bath, Maine. In 1855 she married Charles Sampson, an accomplished ship’s figurehead carver in the City of Ships. When the Civil War broke out, Charles joined the Union Army, and was a captain of Company D, 3rd Maine Infantry. Sarah went with him to war, advocating that women be allowed to serve as nurses. In June 1862, her husband fell ill and went missing during the Battle of Oak Grove. After the battle, he was given an honorable discharge and returned to Bath. Sarah accompanied him home but soon returned to the front and continued to serve.
When she returned to Bath, she organized and led efforts to establish the Military and Naval Orphan Asylum. After her husband died in 1882, she moved to Washington, DC and worked for the Pension Bureau. She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The letter below is a transcript of a letter Sarah wrote at the outset of the Civil War to Maine’s Hospital Surgeon, Alonzo Garcelon, shortly after arriving in Washington, DC, June 14th, 1861. Garcelon was also at the front.
Sarah Sampson
Primary Source 1
1. Click here to scroll through the pages of the letter. Read the whole letter, with special attention to slide 3 (with the pink background).
Portion of letter from Sarah Sampson to Alonzo Garcelon, Camp Morrill, Meridian Hill, Washington, DC, June 14th, 1861 Evening
Additional Primary Sources
2. Sarah Sampson (seated at right) at the battlefront. Click to zoom in on the image.
3. A description of the Bath Military and Naval Orphan’s Home (Asylum) and Sarah Sampson’s role in its establishment. The Times Record, Brunswick, ME, 2/26/1869, Click to see the whole article.
4. Photo from the 1905-06 Biennal Millitary and Naval Orphan Asylym Report to the State. It served youth in Maine until 1996. The building still stands on the NE corner of South and High Streets in Bath. Click to zoom in.