Remembering the Ladies
What were the role of women during the civil war?
Back bone of the war
Before the Civil War women were portrayed to only as caregivers to their families and required to complete house duties, But the civil war clearly redefined the meaning of these women and what they had to offer. They became the back bone of the war because of their many great roles
women who fought
Because women were not allowed to fight in the war they took matters into their own hands and disguised themselves as men to fight. Over 400 women disguised as men fought in the civil war, examples of these women are: Frances Clayton, Sarah edmonds Seelye, and Mary Edwards Walker. Many of these women were not found out to be men until after their death.
Mary Edwards
After being denied to earn a medical degree, become a surgeon for the civil war, and to be a debate club member: It encouraged her to decide to disguise herself as a man and prove them wrong.
Sarah Edmonds Seelye
After being abused by her father she decided to escape to the united states disguised as a man in hopes that her father would not find her and faught.
Frances clayton
She faught side by side with her husband and was very impressive with her way of hiding her womanhood. She learned how to drink, swear, and gamble, to keep her secret and was very popular with the other men soldiers.
Nurses
clara Barton
Most famous civil war nurse; she founded the American red cross, offered many supplies to the wounded, and she moved to Morris Island to tend to the rapidly growing amount of sick and wounded soldiers.
Secret weapons
Many women were secret weapons of the war. They would be spies for the army, some would be performing for the opposing side and while soldiers were relaxed they would speak of potential moves and the "performer" would return the message of the plans. Many men during that time did not believe that women would ever be spies because they were seen as meat so the men let their guards down.
Example: Rose Greenhow was a spy and arrested for passing messages throughout the war and influenced the winning of the Battle of Bull Run
cites
"Women In The Civil War." History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
"The Roles of Women in the Civil War." Civil War Saga. N.p., 06 July 2011. Web. 17 Dec. 2014
"Prologue: Selected Articles." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.