Woman In Civil War

When you hear women in the civil war, what do you think? Some people think can that really be, women are not meant for war, all they are needed for is cooking and cleaning and taking care of their children. Well everyone who stereotypes women of that is wrong, because just like men women did have some part of the civil war. Although they may have not fought in the war, they did help with the recovery of the injured men so that they can go back and fight in the war. Being a union nurse is not the only way they were apart of the war, some women did things that went down in history. Just like Harriet Tubman, who made history because she was the creator of the Underground Railroad. She was not the only women who was part of the army and made a legacy in life. Also two important sisters known as the moon sisters, were spies who had to spy on the confederates. Then we have the women who disguise themselves to be like men just so they can be with there husbands or loved ones, or they simply go alone because they have the desire for the adventure and excitement. These women were so good at what they did that some became sergeants, or even officers. That of course only lasted until they were hurt, killed, or even if they were discovered. The women in the army had three branches ; infantry, cavalry, or artillery. Which advanced them to higher levels, in the war. When they had to disguise them selves they had to,

“ Cut their hair short, wear very lose fitting clothes, and they had to practice all of the men’s mannerisms….”

So all the people that say men are better, smarter, and stronger then women are most likely wrong.

Just like Harriet Tubman, who in some form served in the military, Mary Edward Walker was one of the nations 1.8 million veterans. Mary Edward Walker, was the first US women surgeon in the US army. She was also suspected for spying on the confederates and helped other people. She later got caught and was later put into prison in 1864 by confederate troops and taken into prison. Along with Mary Edward walker, Clara Barton, was an Army nurse. Clara was to serve help in curing injured men. She had a bad experience when she went to go cure a man, a bullet that killed the man she was helping was peireced threw her sleeve. She had been assisting him and tried to save him, but it was too late and he had died. Also these women made a legacy in life, Underground Railroad, being the first US army women surgeon, and the foundation of the American Red Cross. Mary Todd Lincoln, who was married to Abraham Lincoln. Although she was a lot different then the other important women in the civil war, she was just as important. She was the wife of the president during the war. Although she did not exactly fight or become a nurse of the war, she still had to take care of her family and all of Abraham’s stressful days. She had to mend to her children’s needs while Abraham was out making sure the troops in the war were in the right standings. When 1865 came around it was a terrible year for her, her family and her heart were crushed. Her loved one was assassinated, and her family and herself had no idea how to handle it. Being that she was the presidents wife, she was still important to make a legacy. Showed that women are strong enough to handle stress, children, and deaths in their family to be strong for others. These women made legacies during the civil war, that the list can go on for a long time. And showing that they weren’t only fighters, shows the women of today’s age, that we can do anything.

Now another way that women excelled in the war was because of their bravery, and because they had reason for doing things that were against some peoples will. Also if gotten caught it could have cost them their lives. The Moon sisters, Ginnie and Lottie spied for the confederates in the Civil war. As they cleverly and brazenly spied, they had gotten away with it. How they had gotten themselves into this was because Lottie married Jim Clark, and Ginnie rebelled about going to school in Oxford. That she had been sent to go live with her sister and the Clark family. Judge Jim Clark was intwinned with the confederated and would sometimes get letters sent to him, that had to be delivered to Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith. Lottie being the older sister, had volunteered to carry the message, and that was how she started her career as a spy. What she did was disguised herself as an old women and took a boat to Kentucky. She then delivered her message to General Edmund Kirby Smith and returned back to Oxford. Since Lottie previously had an occupation of being an actress, the experience of disguising herself was easy for her to bluff her way back to the union general. With great success of her messages she had carried, she started to deliver more and more messages, and had been invited to Toronto for more spying. She had went after she had received her forged papers that proved she belonged in Britain.

While Lottie was doing this, her younger sister had been spending more time with her widowed mother. Helping her wrap bandages and nursed the wounded soliders. She was also sneaky, and had pretended she was taken trips to meet her loved on while she was actually taking information and important medicines and sneak away to the Union. She had been asked to go to Ohio, and just like they wanted she went and her mother has gone along with her. They had gone gathered all the things they had needed and attempted to get home safely. Until the union agents became suspicious and sent a yankee captain to search them. Ginne yelled that she was a friend of General Burnside and the officers backed off.

After her little episode the officer waited a little so that she was able to calm down and he them finally got a hold of Ginnie and had taken her and her mother into an office. Where the officers had ordered a housekeeper to search their clothing, since Ginne had carried those belongings