Women in the Civil War
What was the role of most women in society before the Civil War?
- Most women before the Civil War were expected to work in the home, cooking and cleaning to make the home comfortable for the family and presentable for guests.
What roles did women take on during the Civil War?
- Women worked in a variety of capacities during the Civil War, from cooking to teaching to actually fighting on the frontlines.
What were aid societies and what did they do?
- Aid societies were groups of women who planted gardens, canned food, cooked, sewed uniforms, blankets, and socks, and did laundry for the troops.
Who was Dorothea Dix and what was her role?
- Dorothea Dix served as the Union's Superintendent of Female Nurses and organized about 3,000 nurses to tend to Union troops.
Who was Clara Barton and what did she do?
- Clara Barton set up a system to provide medical supplies for troops and also served as a nurse, traveling on field ambulances.
What was the U.S. Sanitary Commission and who worked for it?
- The U.S. Sanitary Commission was an organization that provided medical supplies to Union troops, staffed by women.
Who were some of the prominent women who worked for the U.S. Sanitary Commission?
- Louisa May Alcott, Almira Fales, and Eliza Emily Chappell Porter were some of the prominent women who worked for the U.S. Sanitary Commission.
What did women disguised as men do during the Civil War?
- As many as 400 women disguised themselves as men to enlist and fight for both the Union and Confederacy.
Who was Sarah Rosetta Wakeman and what did she do?
- Sarah Rosetta Wakeman disguised herself as a man and served as a private in the 153rd New York Infantry Regiment.
Who were some of the women who spied for the Union and Confederacy?
- Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Mary Elizabeth Bowser were some of the women who spied for the Union and Confederacy.
