During the Civil War she worked at the contraband refugee settlement of Camp Todd in Arlington, Virginia, establishing a school where she taught freed slaves to read and write as well as administering to the sick during a smallpox outbreak, coordinating relief efforts, and ultimately serving as director of the camp during 1864-1866.

[8][5] She continued to maintain an active interest in African-American education, donating money and materials as well as visiting and corresponding with administrators at many schools.

[9] In 1858, she began organizing women's rights lectures and meetings with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

In 1878, she spoke at the 30th anniversary of the Seneca Falls woman's rights convention and in 1894 the New York State legislature.

[14] A photo album containing family, friends, and colleagues, as well as souvenir images of notable abolitionists and famous figures during the 1860s and 1870s is jointly owned by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Library of Congress.