Analysis Of The Article Altars Of Sacrifice: Confederate Women

Having thoroughly analyzed the ways in which the Civil War profoundly altered concepts of womanhood and domesticity, the same method must be undertaken in examining these changing concepts within the South as well. Within his article entitled “Altars of Sacrifice: Confederate Women and the Narratives of War,” Drew Gilpin Faust emphasizes the importance of the Civil War as it stood out among other wars for “the place of women in that conflict stimulated especially significant examination and discussion of women’s appropriate relationship to war – and thus to society in general.” Moreover, he further stresses that while both the North and South were greatly dependent on the female population, the South seems to have relied on female participation

By these means, the Confederacy placed a much more significant emphasis on the concept of sacrifice that Southern women experienced and what this entailed. This can be further observed as Faust acknowledges the snowball effect that sacrifice gradually developed into as he notes that, “First luxuries, then necessities were to be relinquished for the Cause” (Faust 1212). In this manner, the sacrifice of women for the confederacy encompassed not only their undying support for the war and their responsibility for the South’s morale, but also their very own belongings and livelihood. While instances of great sacrifice were certainly existent in the North, it seems to have been much more of a prevalent concept for Southern war efforts and highlights a profound example in how the war significantly impacted the South in similar, but also contrasting ways. There was a recognizable expectation placed on women that they should give up and sacrifice not just luxurious commodities but even basic necessities that would further the Southern cause. It is precisely this expectation, of Southern women’s responsibility for the morale, support, and sacrifice of the Confederacy, that ultimately led to the gradual disapproval of both the government and Southern

Crystal N. Feimster, author of “General Benjamin Butler & the Threat of Sexual Violence during the American Civil War,” makes this fact known. Gradually, the fear of being sexually assaulted and raped became a widespread fear for Southern women as Yankees came barreling down into Southern territory. While some Confederate soldiers remained in towns to defend citizens from Union troops, they often quickly fled, leaving Southern women to fend for themselves, not only from the dangers of warfare, but sexual violence as well, which quickly became a woman’s most powerful fear. Feimster acknowledges that much of the sexual violence that occurred may have often been the result of the behavior and negligence Southern women displayed towards federal troops, spitting on them and loudly expressing their discontentment with the North (Feimster 128). While Northern women likely experienced sexual violence from Confederate troops, Southern women seemed to have been the victim of such acts to a much higher degree. While there remained great similarities between the experiences of Northern and Southern women, the ever-looming threat of sexual violence and rape seems to have been one of the many poignant examples of the ways in which the Confederacy