On April 10, 1861 the Civil War began, separating boys from men and north from south. Many were affected during this devastating war soldiers, citizens and especially women. Women were the backbone of families, and were emotionally destroyed by the war while their husbands were gone fighting for the country. It brought most of the north and south women down by the way it was going and how long the Civil War was. Most women took advantage of the war and became spies for the opponent of their side. They made money for their families, which was in much need.
The Union side was the north and fought against the Confederate, which was the south. The Union fought against certain rights that were kept from the slaves, they wanted fair treatment for everyone and did not believe in keeping the slaves bond in which the south believed in. There were many triumphs that were put forth against these sides. They were not paid enough to feed their family and they were separated for a long period of time. The women suffered from loneliness and wished their husbands came back from the war, home to their families.
There are many things that crossed the minds of their spouses while at war. I f they were going to live. If they were going to be disabled. Even if their wives were at home safe and not cheating on them while they went through hell trying to survive. The soldiers living conditions were extremely horrible and they normally got sick during their stay at camp. The tools and technology for helping cure them were very weak and they would get infections or would die. Some would be lucky and have good immune systems to fight off the bacteria they would get from fighting all day; some were not so lucky.
"The Official Records of the War." Battles of the Civil War. 03/13/09. Records. 13 Mar 2009
There were not any changes until later in the Civil War when the nurses started learning how to take care of the wounds and actually cleaning them the right way. In the beginning nurses used to just dirty tools with blood still on them from the previous patient. They were very unsanitary because the nurses did not know that it would harm the patient in any way. In fact they thought they were helping them in a big way by hurrying up and cleaning the soldiers up without realizing they still had another patients’ DNA inside others patients body. Later science taught them that bacteria traveled and it was very dangerous to do that.
Women were affected from age birth- death. Young women that fathers were sent away to the war remember the terrible thoughts and dreams they had when they slept. Mothers tried to comforted their children but were sometimes unsuccessful because of the pain and heartache they indoor from the thoughts of someday their father would not come home. Female spies were brutally beaten when caught, and were sometimes killed. Women still tried to make money the best way they could by becoming spies and working in other areas in the war like becoming nurses and working in stores.
"Women of the American Civil War." Civil War Women. 03/12/09. American Civil War. 12 Mar 2009
There were also other women who became famous during the Civil War time period who were recognized as a great difference in American History. There was Harriet Tubman, she was a female slave who ran away and helped others run away too. There was Harriet Beecher Stowe, she was a female who opened a school and helped fugitive slaves from their slave owners. There was also Clara Barton; she was a female who established an agency to obtain supplies to wounded soldiers. There were many other women contributing to the Civil War in that time period. Of course many men fought in the Civil War but women were the backbone of this long, and agonizing war.
Although many suffered from the Civil War, many also benefited. Women spies would often find information on their opponent; they would tell their side the information and would gain control during that period in time. The women spies would risk their lives to make money but the money was worth it at that time. Spies would get paid enough money to feed themselves and their families if needed. There was no chance of survival if the women spies were caught. When caught they were often tortured until they told who sent them there. Most spies would tell, but the brave ones would die before the opponent found out where they came from. Female spies were lead to becoming spies because some while their husbands were at war; the husbands would not send home enough money to feed the family. Others would join just to find out what exactly was going on during the Civil War. So they became spies to get paid and to be part of the action.
"U.S. Civil War." The History Place. 03/13/09. Civil War. 13 Mar 2009
There was no telling what would happen during the Civil War. Some said the Union would win the war and some said the Confederate would win the war nobody really knew what to expect from this unpredictable dispute; only hopes and dreams came to the citizens of the United States during this period in time. They could only wait and see what would come out of it in the end. Children were always wondering what would be their future, and parents were disappointment on what had became of the United States had become and some hopes and dreams were put on the back burner until further notice of the Civil War.
Blanton, DeAnne. "Prologue: Selected Articles." Women in the Civil War. 03/13/09. 13 Mar 2009
Females would sometimes appose as a man to become a soldier to join the Civil War. There were many disguises back then and it was possible to get away with it at and cost; which was many. Basically if women were caught in the war, they would be punished by getting kicked out of the Civil War and sometimes is personally punished by the captain. Women also joined the Civil War to get away from personal things that happened in their household or in their family life. They would go and not think about what the consequences were and would only think about the great benefits the Civil War offer. The women that were in the war had to be very careful at all times, not to be caught and thrown out. It was very hard at times because men surrounded them and there was no privacy at all in the camp where they stayed.
"Heart's at Home." Spies. 03/16/09. 16 Mar 2009
Belle Boyd was a southern women spy that worked for the Confederate side of the Civil War. She carried letters across the enemy lines, and during one of her travels she was caught and arrested; in which she was put in the Union prison. She sacrificed her life for her side of the Civil War line that was the Confederacy. There were many problems in the war that the spies were very helpful to their sides and were dedicated to what they were doing. There were not that many options for women and they had no other choice but to become an under cover spy. There are many other women who did what they had to do to keep their families feed; and there were other reasons why women became spies butt the most common is keeping their families feed.
Women whose husbands were in the Civil War I personally believe suffered the most because their relationships with their husbands were in debt for a long period of time. Wives did not know if they were still alive or dead day in and day out. Most of the soldiers’ wives would cheat on them while they were away at war and their husbands would never know. It was a constant battle when it came to agreeing because husbands would often not know their wives well enough to know her boundaries and wives and husbands would stay together for the family. Never thinking about what they really wanted to do with their lives. Many relationships were on the boarder line and struggled to work, in many cases couples only stayed together for the children or not to put their business out there.
In conclusion the Civil War affected all citizens of the United States in its own way. The south was battling against the north over the rights of our country, and if it was right. But it really affected women; the war took a toll on them the hardest. It al began in the springtime in the year 1861. This is how I feel about the Civil War and what happened during that time period.
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