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Women Of The Civil War

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Women of the Civil War

The Civil War is a very important part of American history – simply put, it determined what kind of nation the United States would be. The Civil War resolved whether the United States is what determined the survival of the Union or whether the Confederacy would gain independence. It is the battle that determined whether the largest slaveholding country in the world would continue to exist as such since it thrived on the fundamental idea that “all men are created with an equal right to liberty.” Many men were drafted and put their lives on the line during the war to fight for the freedom or the right to own slaves. The men were not the only individuals affected by the war; it significantly affected the lives of many …show more content…

Other women would serve as spies for the states or work as nurses on the battlefields. Many women, however, took on roles at home while their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers left to fight in the war. Free women were not the only women individuals affected by the war. It was the war that was fighting for the freedom of slaves and thousands of enslaved women began transitioning to being a free woman. Women played many roles during this time and refused to sit waiting for the men in their lives to come back home from battle. No matter what roles/duties they took on, it redefined the traditional role of a housewife and mother than women normally played and their importance in the war effort was very significant.
It is speculated that there were hundreds of women that served as spies for both sides during the Civil War. What these women would do was gather valuable information from the military by flirting with male soldiers. They smuggled supplies, medicine, and ammunition across enemy line by hiding everything underneath their skirts. A Confederate spy named Emeline Pigott would gather information by entertaining Union soldiers at parties she held in her own home. She would pass this information along to the Confederate army by leaving secret messages in hiding spots or by crossing enemy lines and delivering messages by hand. However, not many women spies would get away with it, and were quickly caught and arrested. It was their “unladylike” acts of

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