Download African Americans and Women in the Civil War

African Americans and
Women in the Civil War
 10% of the Union army were African Americans
 18% of Union sailors were African Americans
 They were organized into regiments and their
commanding officers were white
 Some African Americans were
offered freedom if they would serve
for a certain number of years
 At first, they received lower pay than white soldiers at
first ($10 but they made them pay for their own clothes
and supplies so really it was $7). White soldiers got
$13 and they were given free equipment
 They refused pay for 18 months to protest their lower
wages
 Then gained equal pay in 1864
 Nearly 40,000 black soldiers
died over the course of the war
 Even though slavery was
banned in the North, many
African Americans were treated
poorly in the Union Army
 One of the most famous regiments was the 54th
Massachusetts led by white abolitionists. Black regiments
were not used for combat until this regiment. No one
believed they would be good combat soldiers
 After a large battle in South Carolina in which nearly half
were wounded, captured or killed, they gained respect and
honor for their bravery
 16 Medal of Honor awards were given to this group
 We
The movie “Glory” which we will watch in next week is about this regiment.
There is a memorial dedicated to them now standing in Boston, Massachusetts.
The commander seen is Colonel Robert Shaw, a white man who led them. It
took 14 years for the artist to make it
 Many white Southerners were outraged by seeing
African American soldiers fighting for the North. They
threatened to execute any that were captured
Women help in the Civil War
 Many women worked in the
factories and managed farms
while the men were away
 They suffered loss of husbands,
fathers, brothers and sons
 They made ammunition,
blankets,
 They collected food, clothing
and medicine
 They also raised money for
supplies
Clara Barton
 One example of a woman
helping in the war was Clara
Barton
 She began collecting
supplies and delivering them
to the front lines while caring
for the wounded and dying
 She was able to give the
surgeons bandages at the
Battle of Antietam when they
were out of supplies
 She organized the American
Red Cross in 1881
 Estimated about 400 women disguised themselves as men so they could
fight
 Some fought because of patriotism, some fought for money and some fought
so they could stay with heir husband or relative
 They worse loose or layered clothing and cut their hair short.
 Some women who were caught were usually sent home, on rare cases they
went to prison
 But most soldiers respected them for doing so. It’s hard not to respect a
fellow soldier
 Female spies and nurses also worked near the front lines. Some
women soldiers did service as spies, including Tennessee’s Mary
Ann Pitman. Because few men expected women to be politicized
to the point that they would pass secrets, women were able to
glean useful information from the enemy. Both Confederate and
Unionist women found various ways to further their respective
causes by obtaining information about the enemy and passing it
along. Women hid messages within their hoop skirts, corsets, and
parasols. Some achieved fame during the war and continue to be
well-known today, including Harriet Tubman, Belle Boyd, Rose
Greenhow, and Elizabeth Van Lew. Some, such as Nashville’s
Mary Frances “Fanny” Battle, who spied and smuggled for the
Confederacy, shied away from discussing their clandestine work
after the war.