Little-Known Facts about Civil War Women
Civil War Women served in varying roles during the American Civil War. They served as nurses, cooks, laundresses, abolitionists, spies, and sometimes fought alongside their male counterparts as soldiers in the Union and Confederate Armies. The most important role women performed during the Civil War was in holding down the home front. Some women followed their husbands and sweethearts serving a variety of camp life duties just to be close to their loved ones.
Did you know?
Although there is no official count as to the number of women that disguised themselves a men to serve as soldiers, it is estimated at upwards of 750 women engaged in combat on both sides of the American Civil War.
Many scholars attribute the rise of the women’s suffrage movement during the post war years as a direct result of the contributions women made during the conflict between the Northern and Southern States.
It is estimated that over 20,000 women served the Union Army as cooks and laundresses, while another 3,000 women served as nurses.
There were many aid societies formed throughout the Northern states by women to donate food, clothing, and other necessities to Union soldiers on the front lines.
In 1861 the Lincoln Administration formed the U.S. Sanitary Commission that created the role for women to serve as nurses.