Women's Roles During The Civil War

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Although previously deemed unworthy to complete tasks outside of proper domesticity in the antebellum era, women's lives and statuses during the Civil War were tremendously refined. The conflict of the Civil War gave both Northern and Southern women a significant role in fundamental fields. Nursing and feeding the soldiers, along with keeping them clothed were exceptionally valuable endeavors. By becoming a necessity to the men at war, the female population in American managed to finally exceed the preceding stereotypical description.
With most of the men fighting in the war, women were left feeling helpless. They wanted to provide active support to the war effort, regardless of which side they were on. Providing hands-on help as a nurse to wounded soldiers was viewed as a favorable aid. Women began working as untrained nurses in makeshift hospitals. Homes and churches were opened to provide soldiers who were sick or injured with medicines and procedures (Anonymous 1). Nursing, being the serious profession that it is, was never a woman's job in the preceding antebellum era. However, with the shortage of men, over 3,000 nurses served both the Union and Confederacy by 1865 (Troolin 1). Nurses were highly regarded during the war …show more content…
Both northern and southern women cared deeply for their men fighting in the war. The women made sure to keep them healthy and fed no matter what. Thousands of women on either side were cooking, baking, canning, planting and picking food for their boys on the battlefield (Anonymous 1). Nurses generally assumed the role of all around caretaker; nursing the men back to health in the medical centers while serving them the food they needed in order to recover (Tendrich). By assuming such an important role as caretaker of the men, the women were viewed as powerful forces that helped kept the war

Women's Role In The Civil War

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Women's Role In The Civil War

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