The Wound Dresser

by Mark Herder

Genre: Drama
Runtime: 90 - 95 mins
Cast:

Synopsis:

 CHARLOTTE ASHLAND, sheltered wife of a wealthy Union general, volunteers at a military hospital. The stench of gangrene and the anguished cries of the patients nearly send her fleeing. Somehow, she stays, gaining the respect of another volunteer, the poet-turned-nurse WALT WHITMAN.

 Among Charlotte’s patients is ETHAN CARTER, a teenage soldier battling more than his injuries. Unbeknownst to Charlotte, Ethan has been condemned for desertion and awaits execution. As she helps him regain his strength, she becomes a source of hope for the young man. Meanwhile, Whitman pens fervent letters to President Lincoln, pleading for a pardon.

 As Ethan's body heals, he falls in love with “Miss Charlotte.” Inspired by Whitman’s provocative poetry, Charlotte awakens to new passions within herself. Ethan’s youthful confession of love forces Charlotte to confront their impossible reality—her marriage and their age divide. Her tender rejection shatters Ethan, pushing him to a desperate act of despair. Charlotte and Walt are devastated.

 Shortly thereafter, Charlotte’s husband returns home, severely traumatized by the horrors of the war, forcing Charlotte to leave the hospital to care for him. In their final meeting, Walt reveals that Lincoln issued a pardon for their beloved soldier.