Civil War Women: Their Roles and Legacies

It is a work of nonfiction written to document and illuminate the achievements and struggles of the women of the Civil War period. It is my attempt to dispel the Scarlet O'Hara myth of feminine delicacy and incapability. The story chronicles the trials, tribulations and solutions designed by women in both the North and the South. It characterizes the prewar years and the changes in the women''s world postwar. Parallels are drawn between what was happening in the invaded south and other areas of the country. The Civil War drove women from their traditional roles of protected and dependent into the world previously populated solely by men. Fifty-three women are profiled showing their accomplishments as soldiers, nurses, spies, wage earners and plantation masters. Little known achievements of Black women, some free, some slaves, some blessed with fortune, are presented. The book concludes with a discussion of the changes in society and the new roles of women after the war.