– Clara Barton – A pioneering nurse who founded the American Red Cross, she was known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" for caring for wounded soldiers. – –
– Robert Smalls – An enslaved man who commandeered a Confederate ship to freedom and later became a U.S. Congressman. –
– Susie King Taylor – The first Black nurse in the Civil War, she also taught freed slaves to read and write. –
– Elizabeth Van Lew – A Union spy in Richmond, Virginia, who ran an extensive espionage network. –
– William Harvey Carney – The first African American Medal of Honor recipient for his bravery during the assault on Fort Wagner. –
– Albert Cashier – A transgender soldier who served as a man in the Union Army, his identity remained hidden until long after the war. –
– Mary Edwards Walker – The only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor for her service as a battlefield surgeon. –
– George Washington Williams – A Black soldier, later a historian, who wrote about African American contributions to the war. – –
– John Burns – A 70-year-old civilian who grabbed his rifle and fought alongside Union soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg. –
Henry “Box” Brown – An escaped slave who mailed himself to freedom, Brown became a vocal abolitionist and inspired others during the war.