Women 's Roles During The Civil War

Women in the Confederacy had a great impact on the Civil War. They were thrown into totally different lifestyles--ones that did not include men taking care of the land and other businesses. Women had more control of their lives than ever before. Some took it upon themselves to get involved directly with the war while others just kept the home fires burning. Whatever roles they played, women contributed a multitude of skills to the Civil War effort.

They never were able to enjoy the luxury of womanhood. As one historian said, "being a women never saved a single female from hard labor, beatings, rape, family separation, and death" (“Women in the Civil War”). Many women had to do the work of their partners. (“Women in the Civil War.”)

How did the tension of the 1860’s show the human side of the Civil War?

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

From 1861 to 1865, “between 2,000 to 5,000 women” volunteered to serve as nurses in military hospitals during the Civil War. Nurses from all over came to lend a hand during this devastating time. Clara Barton, Annie Etheridge, Dorothea Dix, Susie King Taylor, and Helen Gilson were just a few of the many nurses who volunteer their services to the war effort. Women wanted to be involved and help out as much as they could. Most women did not want to be at home - doing their traditional domestic work. Many women thought that helping out during the Civil War as nurses was an addition to doing their home duties. Women also believed that working as a nurse helping soldiers during the war would make a difference in how people viewed them. Being a

The Civil War altered the lives of women, in both the North and South, just as it altered the nation as a whole. Although it is irrefutable that both the North and the South felt the wrath of the war, the South encountered a unique set of troubles that caused the weight of the war to fall predominantly on Southern women. Attempting to understand the experiences of all Southern women during the Civil War does not come without its challenges. It is impossible to connect the stories and experiences of all Confederate women without generalizing their history. However, by narrowing the analysis to a singular concentration of middle and upper class

The Civil War altered the lives of women, in both the North and South, just as it altered the nation as a whole. Although it is irrefutable that both the North and the South felt the wrath of the war, the South encountered a unique set of troubles that caused the weight of the war to fall predominantly on Southern women. Attempting to understand the experiences of all Southern women during the Civil War does not come without its challenges. It is impossible to connect the stories and experiences of all Confederate women without generalizing their history. However, by narrowing the analysis to a singular concentration of middle and upper class white-Southern women, there can be greater understanding of the complex relationship between the history of the Civil War and the Southern women who endured it.

Before the war, few women were nurses. Being a nurse was a man’s job, but now that most men got called out to the war they were in need of nurses. Since women had the time to help, several volunteered themselves. Many men thought the job wouldn’t be appropriate for them. They didn’t want their delicate women to be subjected to the horrors of war, but as time went on they realized how strong they were, mentally and physically. Although a large amount of them were untrained to be nurses, they did an excellent job attending the soldiers. Some women demonstrated their leadership skills, like Dorothea Dix who stepped forward and became the Union Superintendent of Nurses. She recruited volunteer nurses that were over the age of 30 and were “plain looking women”. She recruited these women because she didn’t want people to think that the women were there for the men’s sexual desires. Since there had already been a big controversy were women were being called prostitutes for being nurses (Wayne). Other women took their housekeeping skills to the soldiers’ camps, cooking and doing their laundry. A few women worked as spies for their

Since men expected women not to tell secrets, women were easily able to get lots of useful information from the enemy. Confederate and Unionist women found many ways to get information from the enemy and pass it on. To hide the messages, women put the messages in their hoop skirts, corsets and parasols. Some women got fame during the war and still are in 2016 like Harriet Tubman, Rose Greenhow, Belle Boyd and Elizabeth Van Lew. Besides being a spy, nursing is the most common role that Americans today associate with Civil War women because of Clara Barton was a nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. The North, South, military administrators and surgeons discouraged some from serving the wounded and ill. To prove they could be a nurse, women had to demonstrate that they could work with a dangerous, chaotic environment full of male strangers. Since women didn’t qualify they still served as nurses but worked under the United States Sanitary Commission. It was a civilian organization that created care for the Union wounded. The organizations main goal was to treat and prevent diseases and infections by improving the conditions of hospitals and army camps. Many people think the Civil War nurses did the basics like changing bandages, tending wounds, and dispensing medicine. They passed out supplies, cooked and served meals, did laundry, wrote letters for soldiers and read to them. Clara Barton refused to wait for the wounded soldiers to return to the rear of the battlefield so she nursed them where they had fallen. She dodged so many bullets at the Battle of Antietam and Fort Wagner that she became known as “Angel of the Battlefield” and named superintendent of nurses in the Army of James in June of

Another woman who was influential in providing the Union with medical support was nurse Clara Barton. She was one of the main volunteers to first show up at the Washington clinic to watch over injured Union officers. After her dad’s passing, Barton left the city clinics to go among the officers in the field. She was able to bring three wagons full of medical supplies to the Union soldiers at the Battle of Antietam which is known as the “bloodiest single-day battle in American History.” Through that battle she gathered men and directed them to get water, prepare food, and perform any first aid necessary for the injured soldiers. Many of the supplies and transportation need for the Union was provided by Barton herself or donations she was able to get. These are just two of the thousands of women nurses who aided the Union to succeed in critical battles of the American Civil War.

Although the exact number of nurses that served in the Civil War is not known, it is estimated that between 2,000-5,000 ladies served as nurses. The nurse’s job was not an easy one, they assisted surgeons during surgery, they cleaned and fed the troops that were in recovery, they would bandage wounds and dispense medicine to those that needed it. Some of the more notable nurses are: Dorothea Dix- part of the founders of the US Sanitation Committee, Clara Burton-founder of American Red Cross, Louis May Alcott, and Helen Gilson.

When we think of the Civil War, many think of the sacrifices and influences of the men during this time. Women of the Civil War however, were also active participants of making history. Their lives before the war were that of being proper. Their focus was working to maintain and support their families. The Civil War stole away the life as women knew it and placed them into a whole different role- one that was much more difficult both physically and emotionally. Women of both the North and the South were forced to accept a much different role in order to survive. The Civil War was the first account in history where women had an active role throughout a war. It was their first opportunity to make a difference in our country’s history.

Most people in the world today think of women and men as equals, but it was not always like that. Before females were given the right to vote, they were only thought as objects, and worthless without a man. One of the few circumstances in which women were thought as a near equal to a man was amid the age of war. One critical war in the battle for gender equality was the Civil War, in which women had important roles.

Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War provides a look into the rarely discussed topic of women in the South during the time of the Civil War. While other authors consider the implications of slavery or military tactics from the viewpoint of men, Faust offers a refreshing take on these subjects along with others to construct a narrative that examines the role of women from a gender and class standpoint. Additionally, Faust suggests that women’s roles within the framework of war created new functions in their everyday lives. While the author does talk about the subject of women, many of her points are familiar as they are comparable to other books.

After four years of seemingly endless battle between a divided nation, more than 600,000 people were killed. These lives, however, were not given in vain. Had it not been for the American Civil War, abolition may not have been carried out. The nation might have remained divided. Women might have remained confined to their roles as the "homemakers." Although the Civil War was fought in hopes of preserving the nation and ridding it of slavery, another war raged on within the depths of this war--the women's war. Serving as nurses both in the hospital and on the battlefields, women came to know a whole