Women on The Frontline
Civil War Enthusiasts. By Victoria English
For some women, working as nurses was not enough!
Over 400 women disguised themselves as men to enlist and fight for both the Union and Confederacy, risking imprisonment if they were caught.
Women fought for many of the same reasons as men did:
§ out of a sense of patriotism,
§ to help eradicate slavery,
§ to earn money,
§ to escape a difficult or unsatisfying home life.
Spymasters
Harriet Tubman, best known as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, worked as a cook and nurse for the Union before she was asked to organize former slaves in South Carolina into a spy network.
§ freed more than 700 slaves in South Carolina
§ Destroyed a Confederate weapons bunker.
society began to see the role of women change drastically!
U.S. Sanitary Commission
In 1861, at the urging of women activists, the government created the U.S Sanitary Commission to supply Union troops with food, medicine and supplies, such as blankets and socks.
- The women volunteers taught military leaders how to keep the soldiers clean and healthy on the front lines, and they also took care of the wounded when they returned home from battle.
Post- Civil War America
The Civil War ended & society saw women in another light. Life during the war proved that women could be more than just the average mother, they could take on the roles and responsibilities of any average man and exemplify courage and honor. More opportunities to work in the same job fields as men became available and women were treated as EQUALS.