WOMEN STEP UP As men marched off to war women looked for ways they could contribute to the cause Many women on both sides of the conflict began gathering food clothing bandages and other supplies They stockpiled such items in their homes planning to send the goods to the troops as needed Women also began organizing aid societies These volunteer groups were dedicated to making much needed items for soldiers Southern groups included the Ladies Relief Society of Lynchburg Virginia and the Ladies Association in Aid of the Volunteers of the Confederate Army of Greenville South Carolina Northern organizations included the Ladies Aid Society of Columbus Ohio Sarah Emma Edmonds was one of al a least a few hundred women who fought in the Civil War
Thousands of women also volunteered as nurses They were inspired by stories of Florence Nightingale a British nurse famous for improving sanitary conditions and patient recovery rates in Europe and Asia during the Crimean War 1853 1856 These women left home to serve their militaries Northern women traveled to Washington DC and to Southern battlefields to care for the ill and wounded Southern women treated soldiers SEPARATE SOCIAL SPHERES on the battlefield or in makeshift hospitals The American Civil War erupted during the Victorian era 1837 1901 During this era in churches or private homes middle and upper class women and men A few women such as Edmonds went functioned in different areas of society an idea known as the doctrine of separate spheres Men as far as disguising themselves as men led public lives leaving home each day to make and fighting on battlefields Many fought money for the family Women stayed home to care for the children cook and dean These bravely alongside male soldiers who valued separate spheres made women subservient to their female comrades contributions men Still women discovered power in their These women soldiers often went socially defined sphere They used it to gain independence as they formed aid societies undetected until they were injured or killed which performed charitable work thatwas in battle considered part of their sphere Women had little time for socializing When they did socialize women were expected to follow a strict code ON THE HOME FRONT of conduct including ke eping their opinions to With battles sometimes waged in their themselves Also women were not allowed to vote and could not own property backyards Southern women endured
hardships most Northern women did not Soldiers from both sides stole food from gardens killed livestock and plundered firewood and other items Southern women also lived through food shortages that sometimes led to rioting On Southern plantations wives took over managing all household duties including overseeing the slaves who worked in the cotton fields a task usually done by men For female slaves and working class white women in the South the war meant they had to double their workload to cover the jobs of men who had gone to work or fight in the war While the lives of wealthy Northerners were relatively unaffected by the war well to do women often participated in the war effort by organizing benefits and fund raisers Meanwhile working class Northern women filled in for men who were away at war Pay varied by job Women earned more money working at mills and artillery manufacturing plants than at textile factories All the jobs provided much needed income Many women also filled teaching positions that opened during and after the war Women's aid societies including some all black groups arranged for these new teachers to tutor former slaves in reading writing and life skills STEPPING OUT OF THE SHADOWS The Civil War provided Northern and Southern women alike with countless opportunities to support their troops and manage their home fronts Along the
THE AFTERMATH OF THE CIVIL WAR Both the North and the South suffered tremendous losses during the war but the South emerged with many more battle scars Because the majority of the war was fought in Confederate states much of the South had to be rebuilt induding Atlanta Georgia and Charleston South Carolina A particularly devastating loss was the South's transportation network Union forces had targeted the railroad system destroying bridges tracks and rail yards in an effort to stop the movement of Confederate troops In the postwar era the damaged transportation system kept the South from moving the food and goods it produced to market way they gained skills in organizing relief efforts managing households and recruiting volunteers Many also found their activist voices These skills became the foundation upon which women continued to build the case for equal rights for all Americans regardless of sex or color The American Civil War was instrumental in bringing many women out of the shadows of men inspiring those women to consider their personal thoughts on slavery Numerous women in the North and some in the South rallied behind the Emancipation Proclamation They appreciated it in the context of their own lack of freedom as a group within American society The war was costly in its destruction of lives and property It also proved invaluable as a testing ground for women Whether they were white or black Northern or Southern women showed themselves brave proud strong smart and far more capable than their society credited them
