Civilians - The Roles of Women During the Civil War

We all pretty much know the basic stereotyped role that women played during the Civil War. They stayed at home and ran the farm, etc. while their husbands and sons went off to war. Hopefully, many of us also know that several women contributed greatly during the War as nurses. Over 3,000 women served as Union nurses.

Women actually played many more important other roles during the Civil War. One of these roles was actual service in the army. Because neither the Union nor the Confederacy allowed the enlistment of females as soldiers, females who wanted to fight had to disguise themselves. Let me give you three different examples. First, Frances Clayton disguised herself as a man and served many months in the Missouri artillery and cavalry units. A second example is Mary Owens. During treatment for the gunshot wound to her arm, it was discovered that she was a she. When she returned home, the community received her warmly. A third and last example is Jennie Hodgers. She served and fought for 3 years as Albert Cashier. Her identity wasn't revealed until 1913.

Another role for some women was being a spy. Women played important roles as spies. I will briefly comment on three different spies so that you get an idea of the important work these female spies did. To begin, one of the most famous Confederate spies was Belle Boyd who served the Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. She played so important a role early in the war that Stonewall Jackson made had a captain and honorary aide-de-camp on his staff.

The second spy is Mary Elizabeth Bowser was an African American female who spied for the Union Army while she worked as a maid servant at the Confederate White House of Jefferson Davis. Many nights she pretended to be quite dumb while she listened to the dinner conversation of the Confederate President. Then she would recite to her owner's wife word for word the military plans discussed over dinner by leaders of the Confederacy.

Hopefully, many are aware that Harriet Tubman served as a spy during the Civil War. With her bandanna on her head, she worked as a scout and spy under the command of Col. James Montgomery of the Second Carolina Volunteers. She collected information on the location of cotton warehouses, ammunition, and slaves waiting to be freed. She was paid only $200 over a 3-year period and had to support herself by selling pies, gingerbread, and root beer.

There is one other important role that many women played and this role is traced back to Molly Pitcher who became a war heroine during the American Revolution. Mary (Molly) Pitcher accompanied her husband who was a member of the First Pennsylvania Artillery. At the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, she carried water in a pitcher to her husband and others. With temperatures close to 100 degrees, when her husband collapsed, she took his place in the gun crew and continued firing his cannon. During the Civil War, many women accompanied their husband into the war and became a "vivandiere." They would serve as a nurse, if needed, to their husband, as well as being a laundress, cook's assistant, camp sutler or supplier, etc.