Women in the American Civil War

The American Civil War began in 1861 after some of the southern states seceded from the union. The driving force between this secession was on the basis of the states’ rights to own slaves as well as whether the new western territories would be free or slave states. The northern states, the Union, were moving toward the decision to abolish slavery. The southern states, the Confederacy, were pro-slavery. The fighting began when Confederate soldiers seized forts and other assets. Fort Sumter was attacked, and the fighting began. After a strong start, the Confederacy resources began to dwindle and eventually lost the war in 1865. The end of the war marked the end of slavery as well as a period of Reconstruction in the south.

Women during the Civil War participated in several key aspects. Women functioned as nurses, either on the battlefield, at military camps, or in towns. Women also dressed themselves as men and joined in on the fighting themselves. Some of these women were discovered, while others kept their identity hidden for the duration of the war. Women also functioned as spies for both the Union and the Confederacy, helping to gather intelligence on whoever was considered the enemy.