Women in the War?
by: Christina Berna
Despite what many may think, women have played a huge role in the entirety of this terrible Civil War. The definition of 'true womanhood' changed during the war. Men and women alike were eager to join the war effort. Women formed the ladies aid association in the North to provide Union soldiers with everything that they needed. They supplied things from food: baked and canned goods, clothes: uniforms, knitted socks and gloves, blankets, quilts, and pillowcases, and money raised from county fairs and performances. The women used the money to buy medical supplies and other needed items.
Many women played a more upfront role in the civil war. More than 400 Rebel and Union women disguised themselves as men and fought with them side by side in battle during the Civil War. Since many young boys with young voices and smooth faces were in the army women could disguise themselves relatively easily. Some women found their breasts and rubbed dirt on their faces, most women tried to keep to themselves to avoid being revealed. Many women were spies for the Union army as well. Elizabeth van Lew lived in Richmond and was an informant to President Abraham Lincoln. Harriet Tubman served as a spy for the Union army. She would pretend to be a slave and would gain information while in the south then relay the information to the Union. Women also served as nurses during the war for the first time, and Mary Edwards Walker became the first female army surgeon and received the Congressional Medal of Honor after the war.