Before the onset of the US Civil War, women were expected to take care of individuals in their households who were sick or injured. The Civil War marked the first time the concept of women working as nurses outside of the household was established in the United States. This article, which is the first in a two-part series on nursing during the Civil War, outlines the medical conditions in the United States at the start of the War Between the States. The second article in this series will detail the role of the first female Civil War nurses.