Louisa Hawkins Canby

Louisa Hawkins Canby (December 25, 1818 – June 27, 1889), also known as the "Angel of Santa Fe", was a nurse during the American Civil War, and wife of Union soldier Brigadier General Edward Richard Sprigg Canby. Canby was a nurse for Confederate soldiers in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Before General Edward Canby ordered his troops to retreat from Santa Fe, he instructed them to destroy or hide all essential supplies such as food, equipment, and blankets to hinder the Confederate soldiers. She subsequently assisted Confederate Col. William Read Scurry in locating the hidden supplies left behind by the retreating Union forces. ^{[citation needed]}