In this series we’ll highlight some signs from Civil War Trails- “the world’s largest open-air museum”. Civil War Trails’ signs are located at more than 1500 sites in 6 states (Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania). This sign is located at the Church of the Epiphany Cemetery and Columbarium in Eden, North Carolina. Eden is on the Dan River 26 miles southwest of Danville, Virginia, in Rockingham County. It had a population of 15,405 in the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1967 by consolidating the towns of Leaksville, Spray and Draper. Today’s sign highlights the life of Anne “Annie” Eliza Johns- Civil War nurse, teacher, and author of “Cooleemee, a Tale of Southern life.”

Excerpted from the marker- Anne “Annie” Eliza Johns, volunteer nurse, poet, teacher, and author of Cooleemee, A Tale of Southern Life, is buried here with her family in the Church of the Epiphany Cemetery. She was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, on July 16, 1831. Her father, Dr. Anthony Benning Johns, moved the family here to Leaksville (now Eden) in 1835. In 1846, Annie attended the Edgeworth Female Seminary in Greensboro, North Carolina. Johns served as a nurse during the Civil War. In April 1862, Dr. James Cabell, surgeon in charge of the newly established Confederate hospital complex in Danville, Virginia, offered her the position of chief matron. She instead became assistant matron, superintending the hospital’s clothing and bedding. Besides her assigned duties, she ministered to the sick and wounded patients, read to them, wrote letters for them, and did her best to make them comfortable. She and her fellow nurses urged authorities to provide better transportation for the wounded and furloughs for recuperating soldiers. When a hospital was constructed in the winter of 1863-64 for Union prisoners, Johns volunteered her services there as well and remained to care for them after Confederate patients were moved to Richmond. She left Danville on March 1, 1865, after the Union prisoners were transported to the Confederate capital. She died on October 22, 1889.