Women in the Civil War
I haven't updated in ages. I promise I'll try to do better for the few people who give a crap about my life. In recent news, I've disappointed myself in many ways. So let me find an assignment or something to post... Ah! Here's a nine page paper I wrote last year. I'm quite proud of it. Pretend there are paragraphs. The formatting got fucked up when I pasted it here. And the footnotes didn't go along for the ride so if you have a question about where I got something, ask me.
In almost every war, there have been Joan of Arcs-women who disguised themselves as men and fought alongside their male comrades on the front lines of the battlefield. During the American Civil War, more than several brave women chose to fight, both for the Union and for the Confederacy; it is thought that over 400 women served on both sides of this gruesome war. These women, who were officially forbidden from participating, were swept up by the passions of the war just as men were, and often for the same reasons. In the autumn of 1861, Frances Louisa Clayton enlisted with her husband to fight for the Union. She was injured during the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee. Then later during the Battle at Stones River, Clayton saw her husband, who she was fighting with, killed right before her. “Nevertheless, she did not falter in battle. When the call came to fix bayonets, Clayton stepped over his body and charged.”(Blanton, 17) Later during this same battle, she was shot in the hip and was taken to a medical facility where her gender was realized. She was discharged from the Union army on January 2 1863. Loreta Janeta Velazquez took on the name Harry T. Buford and was a lieutenant for the Confederacy, though she was not officially bound to any unit or platoon. She usually sported a false moustache and beard to mask her soft facial features. Velazquez was an adventurer, and shortly after her taking command of a company that was lacking officers during the Battle of Ball’s Bluff she moved to the Western Theatre where she participated in a skirmish at Woodsonville, Kentucky on December 17, 1861. What motivated these women to enlist into the American Civil War? Why did they want to dress up as men and fight the bloody battles that women were not supposed to partake in? In Velazquez’s case, she was looking for adventure. Many women served for the same reasons that men did-to fight in order to defend, in the Confederacy’s case, their right to secede and in the Union’s case, to defend the entire nation. Many women felt just as strongly about the issues surrounding the American Civil War as men did, and for every woman who did serve, there were many more women who sincerely wished they could.
“In Richland, Ohio, there was a shortage of young mensigned up
for armyservice… Seven young ladies stepped
forward and requested to have their names enrolled as
volunteers in defense of their country and their rights
and said, as soon as they could be furnished with uniforms,
they would leave their clothing to the young men, who
lacked the manliness to defend the flag of their country
when it was assailed.” (Blanton, 26)
Some women could not stand the thought of being separated from a loved one. Many enlisted with a sweetheart, brother, father, or friend. Frances Louisa Clayton was one example of this. Some women even left their children and families behind despite the fact that their husbands had begged them not to go with them. Martha Parks Lindley followed her husband, William, to war when he returned to the army. She refused to lose him once more. Many women who felt this way did not actually go off to war, but helped out in other, yet not necessarily less important ways. Women served as nurses, cooks, and laundresses. Some women even became spies! Some of them donated clothing and supplies. These women who helped in less violent ways should not be ignored as they were important too. How were so many women able to shroud themselves in male identities and how were many of them not even caught for so long? It was actually easier than one would think to do this. All they had to do was cut their hair short, wear male clothes, and think of an alias. People were not expected to carry around forms of identification and there were no such things as birth certificates. Physical examinations were required of all recruits, but this was often overlooked anyway. There exists a belief that the women who donned male uniforms and fought during the American Civil War looked masculine and were unattractive. This is not true. Loreta Janeta Velazquez was reputed to be quite beautiful. It was not that uncommon for young boys of fifteen or sixteen to fight in the American Civil War, so nobody did more than raise an eyebrow at smaller soldiers who had effeminate faces and high voices. It was also normal for these younger boys to be discreet about bodily functions and change or go to the bathroom in private. Even buxom women were able to conceal their true genders by flattening their chests and wearing ill-fitting jackets.
“Other women made their deceptions more perfect
by engaging in activities that were considered distinctly
unfeminine and reserved mainly to the masculine realm
in the nineteenth century. These women took up drinking,
tobacco, cursing, gambling, fighting, and other bad but
primarily male habits. Because many women who entered
the army hailed from working-class or farming backgrounds,
they may have been acquainted with some of these activities
prior to the war. Even so, any woman who could hold her
liquor or hold her own at the card table enhanced her chances
of being taken for a man.” (Blanton, 52)
Although barracks did exist, most of time, soldiers lived in tent cities. Conditions were not sanitary at all. Latrines were ditches that were dug into the ground. When nature called, the women who did serve on both sides during the American Civil War probably had to go elsewhere to do their business. Many probably question how these women dealt with their menstrual cycles. They probably used rags to conceal their periods and passed them off as bandages to stop the bleeding from wounds. It is also entirely possible that amenorrhea, or the menstrual cycle suddenly ceasing to exist, struck many of the female soldiers as it is caused by a lot of physically strenuous activity, malnutrition, stressful situations, and rapid weight loss. These applied to all soldiers during the American Civil War, male and female. Some of the women were aided in their masquerade by other men in their regiments, especially when they enlisted with a loved one or just someone they knew. Some chose to beef up their disguises by flirting with other women and even, in some cases, taking them out on dates. Loreta Velazquez was known to court several women. Albert Cashier was known to have had a two-year relationship with one woman. “Sarah Edmonds, who enjoyed a successful career as a door-to-door bible salesman, owned a horse and buggy and took women out on dates.” (Blanton, 54) Were these women lesbians or bisexual or were they simply deeply entrenched in their disguises? The world may never find out. Many of these courageous soldiers were discovered as being female for various reasons. A major reason was pregnancy and birth. One anonymous woman from New Jersey was a corporal and during her last three months of pregnancy, gallantly performed her duty at Fredericksburg. She was promoted to sergeant due to her valiant conduct during this battle and then gave birth shortly after so then everyone in her regiment knew their courageous sergeant was a woman! Drunkenness was another cause of their masquerades being discovered. Quite often, female soldiers would betray their disguises while inebriated, amusingly enough. Loreta Janeta Velazquez stayed away from the bottle for this very reason. She was afraid that she would admit to being a woman if she became drunk enough. She apparently knew that drunk people tend to do strange things. Unfortunately, there have been no diaries or journals found that were written by any of these female soldiers. Only three letters have turned up. Maybe this is not so odd because many of the women who served grew up in immigrant, agrarian, or working-class families were perhaps almost or completely illiterate. Only two memoirs have been written by females who fought during the American Civil War. The women who were literate while they were serving in the armies had probably cut off communication with their families and loved ones so of course they would not write letters home. These courageous women were the authors of their own destiny and did not let the gender roles of their era confine them to dresses. They chose not to sit at home, bound in their traditionally female roles. That doesn’t mean that they went to war only to buck tradition - or even to affect the future station of women in America, and saying so would be a distortion. On both sides, they were motivated to risk their lives because of what was at stake in the war - and maybe due to a bit of wanderlust as well. The Civil War was not just a man’s war - it was a people’s war destined to decide the future of America and the lives of all its inhabitants, men and women alike. It is often said that the early feminist movement was slowed down, or even halted in its tracks by the conclusion of the war and the abolition of slavery, but this is not fair to the women who asserted their power by joining this common struggle. American women in many instances were not just passive observers and mourners of the dead - but were actively engaged in the mortal physical and ideological battle that stained the continent with blood. The legacy of their effort endures today, and it should not be forgotten.
In almost every war, there have been Joan of Arcs-women who disguised themselves as men and fought alongside their male comrades on the front lines of the battlefield. During the American Civil War, more than several brave women chose to fight, both for the Union and for the Confederacy; it is thought that over 400 women served on both sides of this gruesome war. These women, who were officially forbidden from participating, were swept up by the passions of the war just as men were, and often for the same reasons. In the autumn of 1861, Frances Louisa Clayton enlisted with her husband to fight for the Union. She was injured during the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee. Then later during the Battle at Stones River, Clayton saw her husband, who she was fighting with, killed right before her. “Nevertheless, she did not falter in battle. When the call came to fix bayonets, Clayton stepped over his body and charged.”(Blanton, 17) Later during this same battle, she was shot in the hip and was taken to a medical facility where her gender was realized. She was discharged from the Union army on January 2 1863. Loreta Janeta Velazquez took on the name Harry T. Buford and was a lieutenant for the Confederacy, though she was not officially bound to any unit or platoon. She usually sported a false moustache and beard to mask her soft facial features. Velazquez was an adventurer, and shortly after her taking command of a company that was lacking officers during the Battle of Ball’s Bluff she moved to the Western Theatre where she participated in a skirmish at Woodsonville, Kentucky on December 17, 1861. What motivated these women to enlist into the American Civil War? Why did they want to dress up as men and fight the bloody battles that women were not supposed to partake in? In Velazquez’s case, she was looking for adventure. Many women served for the same reasons that men did-to fight in order to defend, in the Confederacy’s case, their right to secede and in the Union’s case, to defend the entire nation. Many women felt just as strongly about the issues surrounding the American Civil War as men did, and for every woman who did serve, there were many more women who sincerely wished they could.
“In Richland, Ohio, there was a shortage of young mensigned up
for armyservice… Seven young ladies stepped
forward and requested to have their names enrolled as
volunteers in defense of their country and their rights
and said, as soon as they could be furnished with uniforms,
they would leave their clothing to the young men, who
lacked the manliness to defend the flag of their country
when it was assailed.” (Blanton, 26)
Some women could not stand the thought of being separated from a loved one. Many enlisted with a sweetheart, brother, father, or friend. Frances Louisa Clayton was one example of this. Some women even left their children and families behind despite the fact that their husbands had begged them not to go with them. Martha Parks Lindley followed her husband, William, to war when he returned to the army. She refused to lose him once more. Many women who felt this way did not actually go off to war, but helped out in other, yet not necessarily less important ways. Women served as nurses, cooks, and laundresses. Some women even became spies! Some of them donated clothing and supplies. These women who helped in less violent ways should not be ignored as they were important too. How were so many women able to shroud themselves in male identities and how were many of them not even caught for so long? It was actually easier than one would think to do this. All they had to do was cut their hair short, wear male clothes, and think of an alias. People were not expected to carry around forms of identification and there were no such things as birth certificates. Physical examinations were required of all recruits, but this was often overlooked anyway. There exists a belief that the women who donned male uniforms and fought during the American Civil War looked masculine and were unattractive. This is not true. Loreta Janeta Velazquez was reputed to be quite beautiful. It was not that uncommon for young boys of fifteen or sixteen to fight in the American Civil War, so nobody did more than raise an eyebrow at smaller soldiers who had effeminate faces and high voices. It was also normal for these younger boys to be discreet about bodily functions and change or go to the bathroom in private. Even buxom women were able to conceal their true genders by flattening their chests and wearing ill-fitting jackets.
“Other women made their deceptions more perfect
by engaging in activities that were considered distinctly
unfeminine and reserved mainly to the masculine realm
in the nineteenth century. These women took up drinking,
tobacco, cursing, gambling, fighting, and other bad but
primarily male habits. Because many women who entered
the army hailed from working-class or farming backgrounds,
they may have been acquainted with some of these activities
prior to the war. Even so, any woman who could hold her
liquor or hold her own at the card table enhanced her chances
of being taken for a man.” (Blanton, 52)
Although barracks did exist, most of time, soldiers lived in tent cities. Conditions were not sanitary at all. Latrines were ditches that were dug into the ground. When nature called, the women who did serve on both sides during the American Civil War probably had to go elsewhere to do their business. Many probably question how these women dealt with their menstrual cycles. They probably used rags to conceal their periods and passed them off as bandages to stop the bleeding from wounds. It is also entirely possible that amenorrhea, or the menstrual cycle suddenly ceasing to exist, struck many of the female soldiers as it is caused by a lot of physically strenuous activity, malnutrition, stressful situations, and rapid weight loss. These applied to all soldiers during the American Civil War, male and female. Some of the women were aided in their masquerade by other men in their regiments, especially when they enlisted with a loved one or just someone they knew. Some chose to beef up their disguises by flirting with other women and even, in some cases, taking them out on dates. Loreta Velazquez was known to court several women. Albert Cashier was known to have had a two-year relationship with one woman. “Sarah Edmonds, who enjoyed a successful career as a door-to-door bible salesman, owned a horse and buggy and took women out on dates.” (Blanton, 54) Were these women lesbians or bisexual or were they simply deeply entrenched in their disguises? The world may never find out. Many of these courageous soldiers were discovered as being female for various reasons. A major reason was pregnancy and birth. One anonymous woman from New Jersey was a corporal and during her last three months of pregnancy, gallantly performed her duty at Fredericksburg. She was promoted to sergeant due to her valiant conduct during this battle and then gave birth shortly after so then everyone in her regiment knew their courageous sergeant was a woman! Drunkenness was another cause of their masquerades being discovered. Quite often, female soldiers would betray their disguises while inebriated, amusingly enough. Loreta Janeta Velazquez stayed away from the bottle for this very reason. She was afraid that she would admit to being a woman if she became drunk enough. She apparently knew that drunk people tend to do strange things. Unfortunately, there have been no diaries or journals found that were written by any of these female soldiers. Only three letters have turned up. Maybe this is not so odd because many of the women who served grew up in immigrant, agrarian, or working-class families were perhaps almost or completely illiterate. Only two memoirs have been written by females who fought during the American Civil War. The women who were literate while they were serving in the armies had probably cut off communication with their families and loved ones so of course they would not write letters home. These courageous women were the authors of their own destiny and did not let the gender roles of their era confine them to dresses. They chose not to sit at home, bound in their traditionally female roles. That doesn’t mean that they went to war only to buck tradition - or even to affect the future station of women in America, and saying so would be a distortion. On both sides, they were motivated to risk their lives because of what was at stake in the war - and maybe due to a bit of wanderlust as well. The Civil War was not just a man’s war - it was a people’s war destined to decide the future of America and the lives of all its inhabitants, men and women alike. It is often said that the early feminist movement was slowed down, or even halted in its tracks by the conclusion of the war and the abolition of slavery, but this is not fair to the women who asserted their power by joining this common struggle. American women in many instances were not just passive observers and mourners of the dead - but were actively engaged in the mortal physical and ideological battle that stained the continent with blood. The legacy of their effort endures today, and it should not be forgotten.