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Both the Union and Confederate
armies forbade the enlistment of
women. Most women worked as
nurses, cooks, laundresses and
clerks. A woman’s main job was to
look after the house while their
husband was away fighting.
Other women also fought in battle.
They disguised themselves as men
and fought along with the other male
soldiers. Some women also worked as
spies.
Women in the Union:
Sarah Emma Edmonds disguised herself as Frank
Thompson, a male bookseller. She enlisted in the
Union Army and participated in the Battle of
Blackburn’s Ford, First Bull Run, the Peninsula
Campaign, Antietam and Fredericksburg. Sarah also
worked as a spy, disguising herself as a black man
and an Irish immigrant. After fighting in the war,
Sarah worked as a nurse.
Women in the Union:
Pauline Cushman was a struggling actress in New York at the
beginning of the Civil War. She was accused of being a southern
sympathizer and was kicked out of the theater. Pauline enlisted
in the army and worked as a spy. She used her looks to get the
Confederate army to tell her information. While visiting the
camp of Braxton Briggs, she found his secret papers and gave
them to the Union. She was caught by the South with secret
papers and was sentenced to hang. Pauline was rescued when
the Yankees captured the town her jail was in. President Lincoln
awarded her with an honorary medal for her findings as a spy.
After the war, Pauline toured around the country in uniform,
giving speeches.
Women in the Union:
Elizabeth Van Lew worked as a spy for the Union army.
She also spent most of her time caring for soldiers and
prisoners of war. She provided northern prisoners of
war with bribe money for their freedom, hid escaped
northern prisoners of war, and bringing food and books
to soldiers. She spent her entire inheritance buying and
freeing slaves from the South. Elizabeth found
information from the Confederacy and sent it back to
Union generals. She was never arrested for her spying.
After the war, Elizabeth was appointed postmistress of
Richmond. She was shunned by her neighbors for her
open support of the Union and the North.
Women in the Union:
Mary Edwards Walker worked as a nurse during the war.
She wore men’s trousers under her skirt, wore a man’s
uniform and carried two pistols. In 1863, she was
summoned as chief surgeon of a regiment in Oregon. She
was taken as a prisoner of war in 1864, but was traded for
a southern soldier. Later in 1854, she was contracted as
assisting surgeon with the Ohio 52nd infantry. Mary was
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1965, but
had her award repealed in 1917. She refused to return the
award, and the medal was finally reinstated in 1975. The
reasons for the withdrawal of the medal are still unclear.
Women in the Union:
Mary Elizabeth Bowser was born a slave in Richmond,
Virginia. She was given a position in Jefferson Davis’
household as a slave. Using her photographic memory,
Mary memorized battle plans and papers and reported
them to the North. Davis and his comrades thought Mary
was illiterate and openly talked about their battle
strategies in front of her. She also helped Elizabeth Van
Lew in her spying plans. She was never caught for her
spying.
Women in the Union:
Francis Clalin fought as a soldier in the Battle of Fort Donelson,
and the Battle of Stones River. She enlisted in the Union army to
be with her husband under the name of Jack Williams. Frances’
husband died in the Battle of Stones River, and she was wounded
as well. She was discharged from the army after her gender was
revealed by a surgeon. When her train home was attacked by
Confederate soldiers, she decided to re-enlist in the Union army.
She better disguised herself as a man and learned new skills. She
was reported to be a good horseman and swordsman.
Women in the Confederate Army:
Captain Sally Louisa Tompkins ran Robertson
hospital in Richmond for soldiers. Sally’s hospital
achieved the most patient outcomes, with only 73
soldiers dying there. Only the most severely
wounded soldiers were sent to Robertson Hospital,
and most survived. Sally ran the hospital, made all
medical decisions, purchased all medical supplies,
acted as a nurse, and kept hospital records.
Jefferson Davis commissioned her as an
unassigned captain to keep her hospital running.
She is the only woman to receive an officer’s
commission in the Confederate Army.
Women in the Confederate Army:
Loreta Janeta Velazquez was a Cuban-born soldier
in the Confederate army. She enlisted in 1861,
without the knowledge of her husband. She
fought in the battles of Bull Run, Ball’s Bluff, and
Fort Donelson. While she was in New Orleans, her
gender was revealed. She was discharged from the
army. She re-enlisted and fought in the battle of
Shiloh, under the name Colonel Harry T. Buford.
She raised a Cavalry Company and acted as a
special agent and counterspy.
Women in the Confederate Army:
Amy Clarke disguised herself as Richard Anderson
and enlisted in the Confederate army to be with
her husband. Her husband died during the Battle
of Shiloh, and Amy requested to be moved into the
Infantry. She was taken prisoner in the Battle of
Richmond, where her gender was revealed. After
promising never to dress as a man again, she was
released and discharged as part of a prisoner
exchange.
Women in the Confederate Army:
Rose O’Neal Greenhow was a fervent secessionist and a
renowned spy. She used her charms and looks to gather
information from northern generals and sent them to
Confederate officials. Jefferson Davis credited Rose with
winning the battle of Manasses for her spying. She sent a
message to General Pierre GT Beauregard, causing him to
win the Battle of Bull Run. She was imprisoned twice, once
in her own home and another time in the Old Capitol
Prison. While she was in prison, Rose still managed to send
secret messages. After being released from prison, she was
exiled to the South. She acted as an unofficial Confederate
emissary to England and France. Rose died in 1864 with
military honors.
Women in the Confederate Army:
Belle Boyd was a spy for the Confederate Army. She
operated her spying missions from her father’s hotel in
the Shenandoah Valley. She also organized parties to visit
Confederate troops. After a killing a Union soldier for
pushing her mother, Belle became a courier for
Confederate generals. She provided information for
General Turner Ashby and “Stonewall” Jackson.
“Stonewall” Jackson made her an honorary aide-de-camp
on his staff, and made her a captain. She was arrested and
imprisoned twice for betrayal. When she was released
from prison the second time, she was sent to Europe. She
married a ship captain in England and died upon her
return to the United States.
Women in the Confederate Army:
Antonia Ford worked as a spy. She passed
information from Union forces to General Stuart
and Colonel John S. Mosby. She also worked as
a courier for Rose O’Neal Greenhow. Antonia
was rewarded the honor of aide-de-camp by
General Stuart. She reported about the
conversations she heard from the Union
generals quartering in her house. She was
arrested twice, first for spying and assisting a
kidnapping. After being released a second time,
Antonia married the Union soldier who arrested
her, and swore an oath to the Union.
Army Information:
http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war.html
http://www.army.mil/women/early.html
Sarah Emma Edmonds:
http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/spiesraidersandpartisans/sarahemmaedmonds.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/civilwar/a/sarah-edmonds.htm
Pauline Cushman:
http://americancivilwar.com/women/pauline_cushman.html
http://spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USACWcushman.htm
Elizabeth Van Lew:
http://www.nps.gov/malw/vanlew.htm
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/bibio_elizabeth_van_lew.htm
Mary Edwards Walker:
http://www.nlm.hih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_325.html
http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/walker.html
Mary Elizabeth Bowser:
http://ehistory.osu.edu/USCW/features/people/peopleviewmore.cfm?PID=86&end=315&ScriptToCall=bio.cfm
http://civilwarwomen.blogspot.com/2006/07/mary-elizabeth-bowser.html
Francis Clalin:
http://civilwarwomen.blogspot.com/2008/07/francis-clalin-clayton.html
Sally Louisa Tompkins:
http://www.army.mil/women/early.html
http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=77
Loreta Janeta Velazquez:
http://www.army.mil/hispanicamericans/english/profiles/velazquez.html
http://tennesseencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=V009
Amy Clarke:
http://www.timegun.org/womens_role.html
http://civilwarwomen.blogspot.com/2007/01/amy-clarke.html
Rose O’Neal Greenhow:
http://americancivilwar.com/women/rg.html
http://www.civilwar.si.edu/leaders_greenhow.html
Belle Boyd:
http://www.civilwarhome.com/boydbio.htm
http://www.lkwpl.org/wihohio/boyd-bel.htm
Antonia Ford:
http://stuart-mosby.org/aford.htm
http://www.nlwhm.org/spies/9.htm