About The Film

Courage and Conviction: Dr. Mary Walker’s War is a feature-length historical documentary examining the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker - an outspoken reformer, physician, and the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor.

Born outside Oswego, New York, in the early nineteenth century, Walker challenged nearly every social boundary placed on women of her time. She trained as a physician when few women were permitted to practice medicine. During the Civil War, Dr. Walker served on the front lines caring for wounded soldiers and frequently crossed enemy lines to treat civilians.

Walker’s defiance extended well beyond the battlefield. She was an outspoken advocate for abolition, women’s rights, and dress reform, living publicly according to her own principles—even when doing so made her a target of ridicule and arrest. Facing immense societal resistance, she pressed on, embodying the broader struggles of women seeking professional and social recognition.

Despite her extraordinary life, Walker’s story has largely been relegated to the margins of American history. This documentary seeks not only to restore Dr. Walker’s rightful place in our shared past and illuminate her groundbreaking achievements, but also to remind viewers that the quest for equality and recognition she championed remains very much alive today.

Through archival materials, expert interviews, and on-location filming in New York and beyond, Courage and Conviction: Dr. Mary Walker’s War reframes Walker’s story not as a historical anomaly, but as a vital chapter in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice.

Currently in pre-production, the documentary is being developed in collaboration with the Oswego County Historical Society, with plans for film festival exhibition, public television broadcast, and educational distribution.