In June 1861, Mary Ann Bickerdyke pastor, Edward beecher, told her the need of volunteer help in the military camps nearby Cairo. When she saw the poor condition of the hospital in Cairo, she took a room in town and immediately began a cleanup effort that quickly spread to the other five military hospitals in the area. Throughout the war, Mary moved from one hospital to another, caring for the wounded. She later became good friends with some high ranking officers and was respected among the soldiers she cared for. Formerly active in the Underground Railroad, Bickerdyke respected blacks and often sought their help. Many African American women escaping the South, cheerfully worked hard for her, and, in turn, she fought for their fair treatment and taught them skills they could use later in postwar America.When the last Illinois soldier was discharged from the hospital, Bickerdyke resigned from the Sanitary Commission to devote the rest of her life to her family.