A nation divided. Friend vs friend, North vs South, Union vs Confederacy. The American Civil War, starting in 1861 and ending in 1865, was the war fought over the controversy of slavery. The North wanted to abolish slavery while the South believed that slavery should be allowed Before the war had taken place, a countless number of men believed that women were too frail and weak to take part in the war effort. However, amongst the lines of men praised for their nobelity stood courageous women. The pivotal role of women in the Civil War through taking part in tasks such as caring for the hurt by being nurses, being spies on either side, and even dressing up as men to serve in the army, shows that they played just as equal of a role as men when contributing to the battles of the Civil War. An abundant amount of women contributed to the war effort by being nurses and taking care of the wounded. During the start of the war, numerous women helped at home by taking care of the families and homes, but women wanted to help more. As a result, women in the North tried to find a way in which the could …show more content…
During the time of the Civil War, “historians believed that at least 400 women served as soldiers, in disguise” (Zeinhart, 23) . Although the reasons behind some women joining in battle are varied. Some “female soldiers often joined the fight to be near loved ones. Some fought to earn money for their families, while others wanted to fight for their individual causes” (“Women in the Civil War”). Despite the individual reasons behind why a certain woman decided to fight in the Civil War, all of the women put themselves at risk for the sake of their country and in order to contribute, even though only a few were actually