The effects of the war on the home front were severe.  Ladies from the North and South were impacted by the war.  I hope that this article reflects the women and the hardships they endured.

With the passing of every re-enacting season, I have more respect for the ladies who actually lived through the war.  I am constantly amazed at the strength and will of these ladies.  They endured hardships that the majority of us can not even imagine.  I realize every time I need to wash out something by hand how truly hard they had it.  We tend to take for granted the easiness we have in life.

Life for the 1860's lady was not the glamorous portrayal that Vivian Leigh lived on the big screen.  It was challenging, especially for the ladies in the South.  Cut off from virtually the whole world, they had to create new resources for survival.  The ladies in the North were inconvenienced, but instead of ripping apart everything in their house for pieces of textiles, they signed agreements not to buy foreign materials unless necessary.  Even in the midst of the great Civil War, the North and South were still worlds apart.

The onset of war brought new hardships to an already difficult life.  When the men went off to the war, the women had to assume the man's role as well as their own.  Suddenly women were thrown into roles they never had to deal with and kept this country going.  Women like Mrs. Rose O'Neal Greenhow who ran one of the most famous spy rings out of Washington, D.C.  Even after being captured and thrown into Capital Prison, she continued her work for the southern cause.

Pauline Cushman, a Union spy, was captured and sentenced to death for her work.  Escaping death only by the Confederates retreat to Shelbyville.

For the first time, women were allowed to be Nurses.  Dorthea Dix, a Social Reformer, was appointed by Abraham Lincoln superintendent of women nurses.  She held this position till the end of the war.  Overseeing 2,000+ volunteers who cared for Union soldiers.

Clara Barton, a great Humanitarian, organized supplies for field hospitals.  In 1862, she received permission from the Surgeon General to work in the front lines.  Dubbed 'the angel of the battlefield' ;  her efforts continued after the war helping families find where their loved ones were.  Whether they were in hospitals or their final resting place.  Later she founded the American chapter of the Red Cross in 1873.

Loreta Janeta Velazquez , Confederate spy and Officer, Cuban born she accompanied her husband into the Confederate Army.  Disguised as Confederate Officer 'Lieutenant Harry Buford' continued to fight after her husband's death, until her true identity was revealed in 1863.  She continued her spy work and in 1876 wrote the book 'The Woman in Battle'.

Kady Brownwell, the most famous soldier of the Civil War.  She too accompanied her husband into war.  Carrying the regimental colors, in her skirts with trousers underneath.  She received an army pension for her time served in the Rhode Island regiments being discharged by General Ambrose Burnside from the Union Army.

Belle Boyd, the most famous spy to come out of the Civil War.  She served P.G.T. Beauregard and T.J. Jackson as a courier.  In May 1862, she became a Confederate Heroine by signaling Jackson's troops to accelerate their advance, saving the bridges at Front Royal ,Virginia.  So charming and handsome in features, upon being captured three times, she escaped three times.

Dr. Mary Edward Walker, Union Surgeon, spent three years as an Army nurse and a sometime spy.  Finally in 1864 was commissioned the first woman assistant surgeon in the U.S. Army.

There are countless others who rose above the war.  Quilting circles were turned into groups of ladies rolling bandages for our soldiers.  Ladies teas became forums for ladies to discuss their frustrations.  Roles of taking care of the businesses, farms, plantations, and keeping what was left of the family together.  Ladies had to go out and find work, many times taking in sewing.  Through it all, their strength and determination got them through what was one of the most horrific times in our nation's history.  These ladies persevered by sheer faith, hope, and the ability to keep a level of normal in their lives.

I hope that we can all emerge from the situation we now find ourselves in as well as the ladies from the Civil War.  By Hope, Strength, Will, and most of all, Faith in God, we shall endure as the victorious ladies of old.  It is my prayer that we all stand strong together and come through with the Red, White, and Blue colors flying high.

God Bless America and God Bless You.

Fredricka

If you are serving our country or if you have a loved one serving, may God bless you all and keep you all safely in his hands.  My prayers will be with you.

Fly those Yellow Ribbons until our boys are home!

Thank you
Fredricka