Alice Frush (also known as Mary Alice Frush or Mary Alice Smith) was a Union nurse during the American Civil War.
Frush's hometown, Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was a hotbed of wartime activity. Frush's own father was involved with the Union Army and volunteered their home to be a headquarters for Union officers. In addition, many injured soldiers from nearby battles were carried into the town for medical treatment.[1] Frush herself volunteered when there was a public call for nurses, at eighteen years of age.[1] [2] She began her service at Hagerstown, Maryland and then returned to serve in Greencastle, though her most notable service took place at the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg.[2] During the three years of Frush's service, she worked in hospitals as well as on ambulances, gathering supplies.[2] [1]
Frush's service ended in December 1864, when she left the army to marry Sergeant Frush of the 6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment.[1] [2] She was never officially discharged, so she never received any official discharge papers to prove her service.[1]