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Moving Mountains
Jennifer Foulk The Civil War resulted in the emancipation of slaves, but it also gave women more freedom. The original goal of the Civil War was not to free women, any more than it was to stop slavery. Women's freedom evolved when restrictions on women's activities during the Civil War were lifted because of the need for women's help. Women found that when their men marched off to war, they had the opportunity to work for a cause outside their homes. Women were free to create their own standards and determine their work range simply because no nation before that had ever had the chance to do what they were doing. With no rules, no regulations, no patterns, or preconceived ideas, women pursued their dreams. To a certain extent, women were free to do what they truly wanted. Women succeeded not only because of their determination and perseverance, but because they organized themselves. They formed societies that had a double purpose: supporting the soldiers when the government failed to, and pressuring the government into fixing its shortcomings and failures. Societies aided the sick and wounded soldiers. The Illinois Soldier's Relief Association was just such a union. Ladies' union leagues were started all over Illinois in 1863. Members of such leagues ventured into new realms of work, often replacing clerks or becoming farmers and nurses. The Ladies' War Committee was established as a home for soldiers in Chicago. The Illinois Soldiers Orphans' Home near Bloomington raised funds for the maintenance and education of orphaned children. Illinois men and women also contributed to two nationwide organizations, the U.S. Sanitary Commission and the U.S. Christian Commission. The Christian Commission gave every soldier a testament, while the Sanitary Commission provided supplies for the welfare of the soldiers. The headquarters of the Western branch of the Sanitary Commission in Chicago was supervised by two remarkable women, Mary Livermore and Mrs. A. H. Hoge. It fell to them to regularly inspect the general hospitals in the Mississippi valley area. They were always looking for ways of improvement. Mary Livermore traveled from hospital to hospital sharing her energies and relating how much northern women were working and sacrificing for their beloved soldiers. Mary Livermore was very important to every hospital she visited, not only because of the supplies she brought with her, but also because of the organization and efficiency she helped create. For some women, it was not enough to serve on committees that helped their men on the front. They had to be there with them, risking their own lives to preserve the Union. These women disguised themselves as men, sometimes serving for years before being unmasked and sent back behind the lines. Often these women caused embarrassment when they were revealed. One woman who was wounded and captured by the Confederates was returned to the Union lines bearing a message that stated something to this effect: "As the Confederates do not use women in war, this woman, wounded in battle, is returned to you." From the beginning, women infused their work with a loving warmth toward the soldiers. They became substitute mothers and sisters to the wounded and comrades to those still on the front. Many women gave close to five years in war service; some gave their lives. Even if their loving kindness did not move mountains, it did move public opinion, politicians, generals, and the hearts of men.— [From Agatha Young, The Women and the Crisis; Arthur Charles Cole, The Era of the Civil War, 1848-1870.]
The Illinois Soldiers Orphans' Home near Bloomington was established during
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