Alcott-Short Stories

Before she wrote Little Women — one of the most popular books for children ever written — Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) served during the Civil War as a volunteer nurse in Washington D.C. Drawing on that episode in her life she produced Hospital Sketches a fictionalized account of her experiences at the military hospital in Georgetown.This collection of five poignant short stories contains two pieces from Hospital Sketches published in 1863: Obtaining Supplies recounting the obstacles Alcott's fictionalized persona Tribulation Periwinkle faced in gaining her independence and getting to Washington; and A Night a moving account of her encounter with a dying soldier. Also included are My Contraband a gripping tale of vengeance involving a Civil War nurse her Confederate patient and his former slave; Happy Women a fictionalized essay about four spinsters with a positive attitude toward their marital status; and How I Went Out to Service an autobiographical sketch of a young woman's undaunted pursuit of financial independence. Rich in their simple eloquence these stories provide revealing glimpses of the concerns and literary techniques of one of America's most admired authors.