For the Cause: Women and
War
During both the American Revolution and the Civil War, women
held a
variety of jobs, all in support of the cause. The term "war
hero"
usually refers to a man who unselfishly risks his life to fight.
Though
very few women actually went into battle, they were as heroic as
the
men who did. This is the frontispeice image from L. P.
Brockett's 1867
book entitled Women's Work in the Civil War. It is an
engraving
by H. L. Stephens with a quote by Barbara Frietchie below it
that reads:
'Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, but spare your
country's flag,'
she said.
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During
the American Revolution, it was common knowledge that in order for
the new
nation to survive as a republic, citizens had to practice virtue,
and a
willingness to give up personal interests for the common good.
Citizens
had to be patriotic, moralistic, and of course, virtuous. The
ideology of
virtue gave women's domestic role much more recognized importance
than it
previously had had. Women took on an important supportive role by
boycotting
goods and increasing home production. They also became "Deputy
Husbands,"
taking over their husbands' responsibilities while he was away at
war. The
image to the left, a widely circulated 1780 broadside, describes how
women
felt about their role in the war effort and the years following
independence.
Click on the image to enlarge. |
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This Civil War broadside, written by a
Boston
woman, pledged to support the United States and refrain from extra
expenditures
and luxuries in order to help strengthen the armies and bring an end
to
the war. Not unlike women of the Revolutionary generation, these
women were
willing to do whatever was needed for the greater good, even if
it
meant
self-sacrifice. Though not shown, this broadside includes space
below the
pledge for women to sign their names and places of residences. Click
on
the image to enlarge. |
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Many women took on a more active role by becoming nurses in the
army.
A few women became well known for their efforts, but many others
remained
anonymous. They all served selflessly, even if it meant leaving
their
families for an extended period of time.
The image at top right is entitled, "Leaving the Hospital
Tents
for the Battle Field," from Frank Moore's 1866 book Women
of the
War.
The bottom right image shows a woman writing a letter for an
injured
soldier, fromWinslow Homer's series of lithographs called
Campaign
Sketches, published by Louis Prang & Co. in 1863. It is
entitled
"The Letter for Home."
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| Though it was unusual, some
women
were brave enough to enlist in the army by disguising themselves as
men.
Of the women who did enlist, a few openly enlisted as women, gaining
recognition
for their heroism. The woman in uniform is Kady Brownell, who became
known
for saving lives on the battlefield. This image comes from Frank
Moore's
1866 book Women of the War. The image on the left is an
advertisement
announcing the lecture of Mrs. F. L. Clatin, a former female cavalry
soldier
disguised as a man during Civil War. Click on this image to
enlarge. |
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