| Civil War Lady |
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| 1861 to 1864 |
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| Why did they want to fight ? |
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| The common question: Why did women want to fight? Well the same question could be asked of men. Just as men of both the Confederate States and the Union had their various reasons for why they went to war, so did the women who managed to enlist. With the possibility of entering the ranks barred for any females, all they had to do was cut their hair, wear male attire and go under a male alias.With the lack of properly constructed physical examinations, and the requirements being, good health, reasonable height, at least a few teeth (to be able to tear open cartridges) and a trigger finger intact, it's understandable that so many women passed off as a man. What needs to be realised, is that any women present in the ranks, disguised as a man, was there as a volunteer ! No one expected women to sign up or did they ask them to. Why did so many want to fight ? To be with a loved one A number of women joined the ranks to be with a husband, brother, father etc. This was either because they didn't want to be left behind alone, or separated from the ones they loved. An account of two individual ladies in "They fought like demons" tells that the ladies life was their husband, and they would prefer death than to be without them. Both accounts tell that when the women were sent home, they attempted suicide. |
| Some women really did love the excitement of going to war. Some simply loved the idea of becoming a soldier. The thought of being in battle was both scary, but an adventure to so many young enlisted men (and women). Sense of Duty For some women, they were already living under a male alias. With the opportunities for unmarried women being so few, often dressing and acting like a man secured them a lifestyle that would not have been available to them as a women. Money and male independence ! Of course in hand with this, then came the pressure to enlist to prove your manhood. The pressure for men of the period to fight, was exactly the same for the women dressed as a man ! Fighting for the cause Confederates: As with men of the confederacy, women too wanted to defend their homeland from the invading Union armies. Yankees: For the northern women, preserving the Union was what they fought for. The reasons women fought from either side, can be seen as exactly the same as those of a man. Further reading on this "For Cause and Comrades, Why men fought in the Civil War" by James M. McPherson Bibliography For further reading: They Fought Like Demons by Deanne Blanton & Lauren M Cook |
| Some women enlisted with brothers or fathers. Not wanting to be seperated by war, they saw the only way to stay with them was to become a soldier. Running away from home Some women joined for the exact oposite reasons as the above section. They infact wanted to get away from unpleasent situations at home. It was seen as way of escaping a situation they didn't like. Running away as a girl, wouldn't ensure that they could get work or support themselves, but taking on a male guise, they would be able to get work, or indeed join the army. Attractive Bounty and Pay Certainly an important contributing factor to signing up for poor, working class women was bounty and pay. But this wasn't solely admitted as a reason to enlist. Work for women in this period of history was indeed not along the same lines as it was for men. Few domestic roles were available , and low paid. For a women to make a good living, it wasn't easy. So with the temptation of earning a "man's" wage, some women lost their skirts and lived under a male alias. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman did just this and in letters home told her parents how she had later enlisted and received $152 in money, then $13 a month there after. Freedom and Adventure Adventure certainly came into the reasons for enlistment for some women, just as it did for so many men. |
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