The bronze sculpture depicts a nurse offering water to a soldier and rests on a granite base. The memorial is approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) tall. An inscription on the front of the base reads: TO THE ARMY NURSES / FROM 1861 TO 1865 / ANGELS OF MERCY AND LIFE / AMID SCENES OF CONFLICT AND DEATH / A TRIBUTE OF HONOR AND GRATITUDE / FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT / DAUGHTERS OF VETERANS / 1914.[1]