Women in Civil War

Finally, in the summer of 1862, with the realization that the war would not be won without the end of slavery, Lincoln drew up the Emancipation Proclamation (Fincher). This document freed slaves in all areas who rebelled against the Union. This began a rippling effect to many other aspects of the war and led to the enlistment of African Americans in the Union Army and Navy.

There are many Primary documents on women who fought in the war as a soldier one of those women were Loreta Velazquez . Loreta joined the Civil War after her husband died as a soldier fighting for the confederacy.Loreta then joined the ranks to avenge her husband's death, even though she married three more times being widowed every time.Loreta while in the ranks of confederacy was not found out about her gender, until one day in New Orleans when she was discharged because of her gender. Even though before she was found out she fought in the battles of Bull Run, Ball's Bluff, and Fort Donelson. This was only her first attempt though She tried again and fought at the Battle of Shiloh, Still she was discovered afterwards. Then again she tried

President Lincoln permitted blacks in 1862 after the passage of the second Confiscation and Militia Act which freed slaves whose masters served in the Confederate Army. Freed blacks volunteered to enlist and join the Union army. Moreover, the emancipation proclamation act, freed slaves in rebel states, encompassed abolition as one of the aims of civil war and it was

If the women’s secret had been discovered, the soldiers did not do much except send the women back home. Some women treated soldiers who were wounded or sick coming from the battlefield, and they supplied the men with the equipment and other necessities they would need on the field. During the Civil War, Columbus, Mississippi became a well-known hospital town, taking in hundreds of the wounded. Women offered to become spies for the Confederacy to help the military gain useful information about the opposing side, and men did not commonly consider women, such as Rose O’Neal Greenhow capable of doing acts such as spying. Some Southern Democratically-involved women turned their noses from the Northern women in disgust, thinking it unbecoming to be around Republicans, and they continued this attitude for quite some time. But not all Southern women wanted the war, and they did not want to be rude to the “enemy”. One woman, Sarah Morgan, who had been treated well by the enemy said, “Fine, noble-looking men they were. One cannot help but admire such foes! . . .” In these cases where the enemy showed such acts of kindness, many Southern women felt respect and sympathy towards the Union soldiers. Though many of these opportunities for new roles for women opened up during the war, most women stayed at home and took care of their house and children.

What contributions did African-American soldiers make towards the Union cause? What risks and hardships did African-American soldiers experience? What were the circumstances experienced by southern slaves during the Civil War?

In Conclusion, the women in the Civil War were really important because of what they did and why they did it. I hope I gave enough information to tell you why they were so important when the war had happened. Even some of them risked their lives for their side and country. Maybe not a lot of women died but they tried their hardest. It must have been hard for them to go and fight like that and it was sad because what if some of them had a loved one back home then they would’ve been really

The foundation for black participation in the Civil War began more than a hundred years before the outbreak of the war. Blacks in America had been in bondage since early colonial times. In 1776, when Jefferson proclaimed mankind 's inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the institution of slavery had become firmly established in America. Blacks worked in the tobacco fields of Virginia, in the rice fields of South Carolina, and toiled in small farms and shops in the North. Foner and Mahoney report in A House Divided, America in the Age of Lincoln that, "In 1776, slaves composed forty percent of the population of the colonies from Maryland south to Georgia, but well below ten percent in the colonies to the

The Providence Journal declared on August 28, 1863, “the appearance of three hundred muskets in our streets in the hands of as many sturdy stalwart Black men was a novel sight in Providence … There are many excellent soldiers in these companies and they are trusty and faithful men.” At the beginning of the Civil War, African Americans were prohibited from enlisting in the United States military. In 1792, Congress ratified a federal law, which banned all African Americans from military duty. However, on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln passed issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This decree freed all slaves from states that were engaged in the Civil War. It officially allowed African Americans to enroll in the Union Army and the

The Civil War forever changed America. It took place between 1861 to 1865, and was influenced by women in multiple ways. It was influenced by women of the time period in multiple ways. Throughout the Civil War, the standard of medicine advanced through women’s determination, African American nurses, organizations that formed, and influential women. Women such as Clara Barton and Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke went onto the battlefield and cared for the wounded and sick soldiers. The Women’s Central Association of Relief for the Sick and Wounded of the Army was formed and aided many soldiers by supplying them with necessary supplies to survive. The WCAR put pressure on the government to create the US Sanitary Commission in 1861, which was the primary

As most of us know the women of the Civil War were a lot different I believe than the

When the Civil war began, President Abraham Lincoln’s primary objective was to preserve the Union and any policies that helped or hindered black people were subordinate to that goal. Lincoln was also concerned about the Border States. He feared that the four remaining slave states (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri) would go into confederacy. So out of fear, he decided not to say anything that could be interpreted that he wanted to interfere with slavery and because of this was ultimately determined to do nothing. Lincoln then decided to issue a call for Call for 75,000 volunteers to enlist in the military for ninety days of national government service. (Chapter

The number of women serving as men in the war was hard to determine, because they were disguised as males. The predicted number ranges from 250-500 women (civilwar.org). Women were not allowed to fight in the war because they were needed to take care of the family home while the husband fighting. Women who were really passionate about the war would use pseudonyms, so no one would be able to figure out their true identities when they enlisted as soldiers. To disguise themselves, women had to also cut their hair very short and wear very baggy uniforms. The reason these women could slip into the military so easily is because in the 1800s, the soldiers were not given any physical body exams. “The Union and Confederate army were willing to take any person that could fight... Some women even teamed up with their husbands to fight in the war with them” (library.mtsu.edu). Most women served because they had strong motivations for wanted to help out America. “75% of soldiers that were women fought in major battles including the Battle of Gettysburg and Antietam” (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Factors that motivated women were, “the thirst they had for adventure since they couldn’t do much, to accompany their sons or husbands, their dedication to their country, and to gain some money for their families” (library.mtsu.edu). Women went out of their way to serve for their country even if they were not allowed

When the American Civil War began on April 12th, 1861, over 3 million Union and Confederate soldiers prepared for battle. Men from all over America were called upon to support their side in the confrontation. While their battles are well documented and historically analyzed for over a hundred years, there is one aspect, one dark spot missing in the picture: the role of women in the American Civil War. From staying at home to take care of the children to disguising themselves as men to fight on the battlefield, women contributed in many ways to the war effort on both sides. Though very few women are recognized for their vital contributions, even fewer are

The day is July 21, 1861. Two armies are clashing in a battle that marks the beginning of a long war that split their country. Throughout the battle, a Union soldier is brought into the the army hospital tent on a stretcher with four bullet holes in his chest. He is escorted to the nearest bed for treatment and is shocked to find a woman performing the operation. On the same day, in the battle, another man is astonished to find a soldier that looks like and may be a woman fighting the enemy beside him. Like these women, many others took part in the war. Contrary to what many believe, women had played a role in the civil war as spies, nurses, soldiers and on the home front.

Before the Civil War, laws and traditions restricted women’s choices this quote from “breaking tradition” by Kathleen Ernst shows how before the civil war women did not have as much of a role as they do today in the modern world versus the 1800s.