For each question, answer the question completely using proper English and make sure to proofread! You must also respond to at least one other student post to receive full credit.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Chapter Seven-Accounting: "Our Obligations to the Dead"
What were some of the roles that women played after the Civil War? What are your thoughts and/or impressions about these roles?
"Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not."(238) After the Civil War, women would band together to bury and honor the Confederate soldiers. "In 'dying,' she proclaimed, Confederated 'left us the guardianship of their graves.'"(239)Mrs. McFarland directed this appeal to the women in the south. "Women founded memorial associations almost everywhere there were concentrations of Confederate bodies."(243) The women in the south organized themselves and took care of their dead soldiers. I think these women really took charge when they realized their soldiers were being neglected. If they did not do the work they did, their confederate soldiers would be lying in the open without the honor they deserve. I think these roles were important to society back then. The men that were still alive had a lot of work to do. The women did what the men did not have time for. Their soldiers ended up with the burial they deserved.
Women after the war were a crucial part in the reburying effort, especially in the South. Southern women created many associations to help bury the dead. Some of these included the “Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood” and the “Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association.” These women “mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not.” (p. 238) The government did not provide the South with any resources to bury their dead. Thus, this was left to the civilians of the South, mainly the women, because the men still had plenty of work to do (farming, usual business-running, etc.). The associations of women reburied Confederate remains from battlefields to nearby cemeteries for Confederate soldiers only. The women did what they could through inspirational words from Mrs. McFarland and private contributions. These women tried to accomplish a task that was neglected by others. Without out the women undertaking the task of honoring and burying/reburying the dead, the slain Confederates would still probably be lying on a field somewhere, uncared for, left to be eaten by animals. It was a noble undertaking to honor and respect the soldiers.
After the South had surrendered, there was a lot of work to be done. The dead had to be buried. The government provided a burial service, however, this service only buried northerners. “Now the legislative branch joined the military in the disposition of the Union dead. ‘so far as practicable, every Union soldier in the Milt Div of the Tennessee, shall finally rest in a well enclosed and decent ground, with a neat index to his grave, and with an accessible record of his final resting place”. [223] This left the many unmarked shallow graves of Confederate soldiers uncared for. The few men that were left were busy and that left the southern women to do the solemn work of burying the fallen soldiers. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not. Their efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead…” [138] I believe that this was noble work and that the women that did it wanted the soldiers that had died fighting what they believed in to be honored and respected. The women even did their best to get the dead Confederates something equivalent to what the dead Union soldiers received. “The ladies worried too about the bodies scattered through the countryside, which they believed should be gathered, like the Union dead, into hallowed and protected ground”. [239]
In Blake’s response, he stated: “Thus this was left to the civilians of the South, mainly the women, because the men still had plenty of work to do”. I have to disagree with this statement. One of the North’s main platforms in the war was how horrific slavery was. “The goal of overturning the wrong of slavery made the conflict a righteous one and its carnage justifiable”. [34] Because the North won the war, the southerners lost all of their slaves. The women had to take on the jobs of keeping house and raising children. Their whole lifestyles were overturned. These women were busy and they had a lot to do other than bury men that they did not even know, however, their cause was made so noble because they gave up their time that they could have been using to piece together their broken lives to honor the men that had died trying to defend their lifestyles.
Once the war ended, there was still work necessary to be done to help the North and the South move forward. The women’s role in the South mostly consisted of finding bodies, and burying them. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not…to claim and honor the Confederate dead…” (238) The government would only provide resources to Northern people burying Union soldiers, therefore it was up to Southern people, mostly women, to honor their own dead. Some organizations in the South for the reburying process were, “Ladies Memorial Association of Appomattox,” “Confederate Memorial Association of Chattanooga,” and many more. The women of the South did what the government neglected to do, and I respect them for that. I believe it would be tough to constantly go looking for dead Confederate soldiers that have already start deteriorating and rebury them without government support yet, the women did that. These roles were very important to the South and the women did a wonderful job honoring the soldiers who died fighting for their country. Without these women, the soldiers may never have been recognized, and honored.
After the Civil War had ended, both Confederate and Union women played an important role in burying the soldiers still left on the battlefields. "The Confederate volunteers worked to claim and honor the Confederate dead."(238) These small groups of women such as the Ladies of Richmond challenged the government to put effort to bury soldiers but to no avail. Confederate women such as "Mrs. McFarland believed that these soldiers belonged not just to Richmond but to the South." (239)
These women saw the task at hand when their government did not. They unselfishly worked to honor and bury the fallen and forgotten soldiers. I respect these women because they went out of their ways to make sure the thousands of soldiers left at the battlefield were not forgotten
Women played different roles after the civil compared to the roles they played during. The women of the south, "mobilized private means to accomplish what the federal resources would not". (238) The women realized, it wasn't fair for the confederate soldiers to be left in "neglected graves" (239) while "more than $4 million of the public funds would be expended on dead northerners"(238). It was realized by the southern women that even though they were citizens of the same country they were not being treated equal. Knowing that things wouldn't change, the women took initiative to "honor the confederate dead in the months after Appotamox"(240).
I admire the women for taking care of their dead when no one else was helping. It wasn't right that money was being spent to take care of the north and not the south, and it took a lot of courage for the women to band together and stand up for the equality of their fallen soldiers. I admire how the women took care of the soldiers themselves and didn't wait for the government to help. The women of that time were very strong after what they had been through and I think we could all learn something from them.
“The differential treatment of the dead had powerful, and seemingly unanticipated, effects. Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not. The efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead-and the organizations they spawned-became a means of keeping sectionalist identity and energy not just alive but strong.” As Faust says here, women played a large and crucial role in honoring and respecting the fallen soldiers. The group of women stated above rose “more than four million of public funds that would be expended exclusively on dead northerners.” [pg. 238] these women weren’t the only women to make a difference burying the dead. When a group of Richmond women found out how many Confederate soldiers’ bodies were being neglected outside of the city, they knew that they had to do something. The women gathered nearly every single body, and either buried them, or reburied them in the Hollywood Cemetery. There is no doubt that these women played a crucial role in people moving on emotionally from the horrors of the Civil War. By burying all of the unburied Confederates, it made it so the public did not have to relive the memories of all of the dead and wounded lying in the battlefields.
In response to Orion: I strongly agree with Orion and his further statements. “They unselfishly worked to honor and bury the fallen and forgotten soldiers. I respect these women because they went out of their ways to make sure the thousands of soldiers left at the battlefield were not forgotten.” I agree with him here. It is really amazing that these women, on their own time did very hard work, in digging thousands of graves by hand, and gathering thousands of rotting corpses. These women were a large part in the effort to clean and rid Richmond from disease. By burying all of these bodies, the risk of the town getting killed by a deadly disease was greatly diminished. Most women would not have been able to complete such a physically intensive and grueling project. It is remarkable that almost the whole Hollywood Cemetery was revamped by women. These women need to be remembered well into the future for this incredible act of remembering, and honoring the dead that they committed in Richmond Virginia.
After the Civil War women mainly helped out by honoring the dead and burried those who had died. Women , like Mrs. William McFarland," accomplish what federal resources would not."(238). These women couldn't do this alone so they set up assosiantions. Two assosiations that played a big part in the reburial system are Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood and the Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association. These women did all this by themselves without help from the government and they gathered as many bodies as they could to rebury them. The women involved proved that they were able to acomplish things others could not and what they did honored the dead and helped out a lot after the war.
in repnce to Austin Parr I too also agree with you and Orion. I too respect these women for what theyh did. I think it's amazing and inspirational that the women involed decided to do something and acomplished what the wanted to do eventhough they were st risk of catching desiese and they did all by themselves.
Some roles that women played after the Civil War were, that they would help mark graves. "Across town the Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood, led by an executive council representing seven different Christian donominations, determined to mark and turf the sixteen thousand graves in its care." [pg. 239] They took control of the fallen. "Calling upon Richmond's churchwomen to assume responsibility for Virginia's fallen... If the Confederate soldier 'does not fall into the category of the 'Nation's Dead' he is ours-and shame be to us if we do not care for his ashes." [pg. 238] I agree with Brenna. I admire the women for doing this all by theirselves. They took matters into their own hands, not waiting for the government to help them.
After the war many women many southern women took responsibility for the dead the national government’s efforts had left behind. Because of the varying treatment towards the dead on both sides by the national government many southern women created organizations geared towards reburying the forgotten Confederate soldiers. These organizations of women did everything from repairing gravesites to researching and locating bodies and building national graveyards. All the women who joined these organizations shared the similar thought that they had to bury and honor their dead out of respect. Also according to Faust “honoring the slain offered women to claim both prominence and power in the new postwar south.” (243) So not only were southern women restoring honor to their fallen soldiers, but at the same time gaining power and respect in the south, according to Faust. I think these women deserve a lot of respect for what they did. Picking up what the government left behind, even though they had little money and support, is truly honorable, especially when they weren’t even required to do it.
Response to Ben, I agree with the point you made about varying goverment treatment. The southern government did not really help the dead at all. However, I disagree with your point that the volunteering women gained power. The volunteers worked out of morals and respect, not to gain power. I really don't see how the volunteers gained power.
Response to Rachel Anderson I agree with Rachel's post. The women in the South had great courage and they were happy to do what they did. The government in the north should not have neglected the southern soldiers like they did. However, the women pulled through and the southern soldiers got the respect they deserved. Without the important burial organizations the women had, southern soldiers may never have had the honor and burial they received.
In response to Amber: I agree with Amber's post. The women of the South "took matters into their own hands, not waiting for the government to help them." I believe in doing that the Southern soldiers were properly buried and got the respect they deserved. Despite the government's lack of funds, the women were still able to provide a final burial place for the soldiers.
After the Civil War women held a critical role in burial efforts and in indentifying and gathering information on missing soldiers. The federal burial units often disregarded bodies and graves of Confederate soldiers and only focused their efforts on their own dead. “In the early 1870’s the attention of a number southern memorial associations turned to the thousands of Confederate soldiers who still lay neglected on northern soil (246).” These women founded numerous organizations all across the South dedicated to the proper treatment and burial of Confederate soldiers. They raised funds to purchase head boards and coffins as well as land to establish and maintain cemeteries. However, southern women were not the only ones who dedicated their time to help the dead. Clara Barton, a northern woman, established the Missing Soldiers Office aiding in locating and identifying missing soldiers. She traveled over the battlefields helping federal quartermasters in the reburial process. By the time she closed her office she had gathered information on over 22,000 men. The work done by these women was honorable and respectful to the fallen soldiers and their beliefs. Without them many would never been identified or even properly buried. Their bodies would have been forever lost and neglected destroyed by animals, vandalism and weather. It is noble that these women accepted a task that the government had left uncompleted.
In response to Ben G: Ben G. makes a good point that when women buried the dead in respect and to honor them they also indirectly established women’s power in the South. “Like so many women’s actions during the war itself-was in fact highly political; honoring the slain offered women a claim to both prominence and power in the new postwar South (243).” In burying the dead and fallen soldiers of the south the women established their respect and aided the reconstruction of the southern society.
Women were left to clean up after the Civil War; they took on the tremendously laborous task of picking up the pieces of a broken nation and trying to put them back together again. They repaired the damaged graves of fallen soldiers, they collected the scattered bodies of the dead, and they moved the remains of hundreds of soldiers to new cemeteries for reburial. Women after the Civil War shouldered the heavy burden of cleaning up the damage left behind and of repairing a devastated nation. In the South, the women's efforts were more private than those of the North. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not. Their efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead - and the organizations they spawned - became a means of keeping sectionalist identity and energy not just alive but strong" (238). Their work was, for the most part, privately funded, and was run by private volunteer organizations such as the Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood and the Hollywood Memorial Association of the Ladies of Richmond. The North, on the other hand, relied on the work of the U.S. Army, the Quartermaster Corps, and the government. "The northern reburial movement was an official, even a professional effort, removed by both geography and bureaucracy from the lives of most northern citizens" (241). The work of the women in the South was far more personal and involved than that of the North, although both were very effective. I think the roles women played in the aftermath of the Civil War were very admirable and crucial to the rebuilding of our country. They picked up after their fallen and pieced back together a nearly irrepairable nation; they did the work that no one else wanted to do, and they did it efficiently, effectively, and with a personal touch. They were able to leave behind their conflicts and put aside all that had happened in order to do what needed to be done. They performed terrible, depressing jobs; they were exposed to countless dead bodies, and perhaps even the bodies of loved ones, but were still able to make sure they were well taken care of. Constantly being around so much devastation and loss could not have been easy, and certainly could not have helped the grieving process through which these women were undoubtedly going. They were very brave, and without them our nation would have suffered.
Response to Brenna: I liked your statement that you "admire how the women took care of the soldiers themselves and didn't wait for the government to help." I agree, and I think that if people were more like that today, with that kind of initiative and spirit, our country would be much less dependent on the government. People often rely so much on our government to help them out of bad situations that they end up suffering because of it. If we all just decided to get things done ourselves, like the women of the south did, we would be in far less need of the help that the government cannot provide.
After the war was over, the women in the South were left with the task of burying the dead in the South. The most powerful quote that I found (and Rachel found) was, "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not." They made strong efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead. There were many volunteer women organizations that helped with the burying. A couple were Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood and the Hollywood Memorial Association of the Ladies of Richmond. Without these fine women's help there could have been the potential of never being able to bury very many of the Confederates bodies. The North I believe made a selfish and wrongfull decision to not help the South becaue this could have turned into a very awful situation. I was very suprised when I read this because I had never heard of this before. These women should be more well known then they are today.
I agree with you statement that the women were very strong. Although they didn't take much time to wait for the government to do anything, they were pretty much forced to do what they did. They had to make volunteer organizations to bury the dead because to be honest I don't believe the government would have every helped the South. These woment were heroic in what they did, but were pretty much forced to do what they did.
Response to Evan: You brought up a good point at the end of your post- these women aren’t really well known today even though they probably should be. I also had never heard of these women before reading this chapter, but now that I have I’m pretty impressed. It’s impressive to me that these women banded together to bury their dead, who were forgotten by the national government and just left in the battlefields. You’re right these women should be more well known today then they actually are, because, of the two reburial efforts after the war, theirs seemed more impressive.
Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources could not. ( pg. 238) As many soldiers bodies laid openly in vast destroyed land, it was the women who took on burying the deceased soldiers. As these women wanted to honor the lives of the soldiers, and bury them properly. Many organizations were established to help cover the costs to bury neglected soldiers and give them the proper burial. I commend these women for taking on such a task and do what was right and looked out for these soldiers as no one else would.Without these women and the organizations created many soldiers bodies would have been eaten by animals, but instead they were buried properly.
After the Civil War, women helped to lead organizations that aided in the disinterment effort. While the men were often the ones that did the rough job of actually reburying the dead, the women organized and led the efforts and also played a main part in finding missing soldiers. They could not directly disinter soldiers without breaking strict ettiquette, as in the case of Captain Moore and Clara Barton; however they did what they could to help the war's victims. Most women of the day performed more secretarial duties such as publishing lists of disinterred soldiers and gathering funds to "claim and honor the...dead." These roles seem to fit the roles of nineteenth century women in general. In this era, men generally worked with their hands while women did the work that was not labor-intensive. This worked well because the jobs of men in the Civil War era were more physically-inclined, whereas the jobs of women tended to be more tranquil.
Response to Evan: I had never thought about how unknown these women were. Most people today never have thought of the women in the war. So much attention is focused on the men of the war - the soldiers, the officers, and the men dedicated to reburial - that the women are overlooked and looked upon as those who stayed home. This is not true at all. Many of the women were helping to organize battle efforts behind the scenes. One woman, Clara Barton, even founded the Red Cross, and still most people have never heard of her. I think that it is sad that so much of the reburial efforts were performed by women and yet they are rarely recognized.
The roles of some of the women in the post-war efforts had many different obligations and volenteer work. Some of the informed the loved ones of thier loss, finding the missing, and leading the organized parties of disinterment. While the men such as Whitman and others did the physical work in burying, the lead the way with strong advisements and the ability to overcome the war in order to make peace for the dead. These women sometimes held political positions in oorder to get the piont across to officials that this disinterment program needed to be completed. This program was started in the immidiate post-war, and kept growing till the early 1890's. These women played a major role in the war and post-war, and we will never forget how they created a better country after it was torn apart.
I agree with Abby that the women of the south and north had a heavy burden to bear on their shoulders. To rebuild a nation after it was torn down is almost as hard as becoming one of the many fallen. You also said that the southern women were more secretive about the funding and the organization, as were the north got funding and assistance from the rest of the nation. This is why, in my opinion, the north was more efficient and productive in these post-war efforts.
After the Civil War, women played very important roles in the cemetery system. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not,” (238). The southern women worked hard to “claim and honor the Confederate dead,” (238). They would go out to bury, rebury, and mark graves of the dead that were left neglected on the battlefields. They created many associations that helped to complete these difficult tasks. They “supported their efforts through private donations, through contributions from the legislatures of other former Confederate states whose soldiers lay on Virginia soil, and through fund-raising activities,” (240). The women were all very strong to do this. Many of them were still grieving over deaths of loved ones, but still helped with these very hard tasks to honor the dead Confederates. I respect these women who still worked so hard when they had no help from the government. When four million dollars of public funds were exclusively spent on dead northerners, the southern women worked hard to make their own money and do the burying, reburying, and marking the graves on their own. I really do admire these strong women.
The women actually did do physical work. They would go out and bury, rebury, and mark graves of dead soldiers. Southern women, especially, did this since they didn’t have complete support from the government. The women seemed to have been very strong after the Civil War considering they had lost loved ones, but were still going out and helping to honor the soldiers. Not only did they do these difficult tasks, but they created their own associations that helped the cemetery system such as the Ladies of Richmond. They raised their own money too through private donations and fund-raising. I do not disagree with some of the things you said, but I am just adding on and saying that the women did do a lot of other things besides secretarial duties.
After the war there was a lot of work to be done and since the men were already back to their normal lives of working on farms or running a buisness, the women of the South took control. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources could not." (pg. 238) Mrs. McFarland, the president of the Hollywood Memorial Association of the Ladies of Richmond, said, "Confederates left us the guardianship of their graves." (pg. 239) Mrs. McFarland and her association, and many associations throughout the South, "arranged for the transfer of hundreds of bodies to new graves in the Richmond cemetery during the summer and fall of 1866." (pg. 239) Women in the South played a huge roll after the war in cleaning up battlefields and giving soldiers the respect and dignity they deserve. I believe their role was very important because if they had not done this, there would be bodies rotting on battlefields and unburied soldiers everywhere. Also many dignified soldiers would be insulted by not having a proper burial. Overall, the women worked very hard and for a good cause after the Civil War.
Southern women especially in the South played important roles in the recovery of the Civil War. “It did not pass unnoticed in the impoverished postwar South that during the five years that followed Appomattox more than $4 million of public funds would be expended exclusively on dead northerners.” (238) we learned in chapter five in was mainly put on the women to do the mourning. So while in the north the women were mourning the loss of many soldiers. In the South the women, “mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not.” (238) It was their job to try to identify and honor the soldiers of the war. After the war the south still thought of themselves as their own country and it was the women’s job to keep the energy, “not only alive but strong.” I think the women in the south were important. It was their job to tell people everything would be fine even if they didn’t believe it. But I think it was good for people to hear that. I think it was also important that they tried to identify the dead. The confederates fought a hard battle and those soldiers deserved to be honored. But on the other hand women today fight in the war themselves. At the time they were looked down upon when in reality they could have done a lot more than people let them in those days.
Just as anybody may have expected, the role of a woman was to fill in where “federal resources,” (pg. 238), (aka men and money) could not. Fortunately, women had more to fill in for because men were busy at war. This was an opportunity for them to be granted more of a voice relative to peaceful times because their voice could be recognized easier because the only men that were around to control and limit them were those who weren’t at war, and therefore couldn’t fully understand or get involved in the same things that women did. Women mourned for men that couldn’t mourn for themselves. They buried those who were not funded by government. Women spoke out for the men who could not speak for themselves because they were at war. They respected the life of a soldier to the necessary degree that only a woman could at the time. At the end of the war, men were dead, both physically and mentally, and the money went with them. Women were the only ones that survived with the experience and stability necessary to advance society, economically and emotionally. I think that it takes a lot of strength and determination to have the will to do these things for your country that you don’t even have as many rights or even equal opportunity in life as men.
After the Civil War, women mostly mourned. But in some cases, such as Clara Barton, they were a huge help in finding missing soldiers, identifying them, and sending them back to their families. “Barton determined to develop a way to relieve what she described as the ‘intense anxiety… amounting in many instances almost to insanity (212).’” She founded the Office of Correspondence with the Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army. This was basically where she worked to find the names and homes of the missing soldiers (213). “By mid-June she had published the names of 20,000 men; by the time she finally closed the office in 1868, she reported that it had received and answered 68, 182 letters and had secured information about 22,000 missing soldiers (213).” She was a very important woman because she found so many names of missing soldiers and where they were and she was willing to do more. Clara Barton also served as a medium between lost soldiers and their kin. In one instance, Clara Barton was contacted by a man named Dorence Atwater who was willing to help identify men from her lists (215). Clara Barton represented what the women after the Civil War did, they did everything they could to help. Since the men of the country stepped up and fought for the best cause they knew, after it was done, the women did the same thing, and I’m glad they did because in Clara Barton’s case, it gave so many unknown soldiers a name.
Women's roles after the civil war consisted mainly of dealing with dead soldiers' bodies. Women (mostly in the South) "mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not" pg. 238. They formed memorial associations using their money and time in reburial efforts because the government spent $4 million on just the Union soldiers' reburial. The Southern ladies from these associations maintained and repaired existing graves. They also honored Confederate dead by reburying soldiers in better graves with markers so that they could be identified. These women were very determined and driven in their efforts. I think they were amazing for picking up the slack in something the government should have done. A lot of work went into caring for these deceased soldiers, but the women proudly did it.
After the Civil War, the women were left to mourn. But not only were they left to mourn, they were left to clean up the country, particularly in the South. Clara Barton, a nurse for the Union army, helped with the search for information about missing soldiers and worked to distribute it to the families of the soldiers. She also helped to locate and rebury the soldiers whose graves were far removed from civilization, and needed to be more accessible to family and friends. The women of the South had the most work to do after the war ended. Because the United States government worked to recover, move, and take care of Union soldiers' graves, and not Confederate graves, the Southern women had to scrape together their own means of recovering and reburying the Confederate dead. The women "mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not" by running fundraisers and asking for private donations that they then used to fund searches for unburied, unmarked, unattended, and undiscovered graves. Once the graves were found, the women helped to maintain, relocate, repair as many graves as they could with the budget they had. While I admire the way the Southern women took charge and worked hard to make up for where the government left off, I don't think they should have had to do that. Even though the Confederacy was the enemy of the US, I don't think it was right of them to just leave the former Confederates on their own; they were once again part of the country, and should have received the funds to help them take care of their dead, even if that was all the help they received. But because they were not given any funds or help of any kind, the women took charge and did what needed to be done. They took care of the dead, honored them respectfully, and took care of what the government should have done.
I have to agree with you. Those women were strong. I'm sure it took a lot of courage to be able to go dig up a grave of some unknown soldier, just to move it to a place where it was more accessible, and then rebury it, all after probably having just lost a son or a husband to the war. They did what they needed to do to make them feel as though they were doing some good for their communities, and for their beloved soldiers who were left behind. They shouldn't have had to do it, but they did, and they did it with dignity. how could we not respect someone like that?
Response to Hank Hammond: I’m not sure what you mean when you say “women sometimes held political positions in order to get the point across to officials.” I understand that women were trying to take authority, but I don’t think that they were very successful, nor do I think that individual women actually held down political positions. After all, many women in the eastern half of the United States had very limited suffrage until 1920 upon the passage of the 19th Amendment. Women did not have the same right s and their power was much more limited than your post implies. I do agree that they had many other obligations that they had to and in turn did fulfill. I also agree that “[women] created a better country after it was torn apart.”
After the civil war many women took it upon them selves to bury the fallen soldiers. One class of women were "The Ladies of Richmond", these women thought that the way some of the soldiers were being treated was wrong, and they worked as hard as they could to get every fallen soldier in Virginia buried. One quot from Mrs. William Mcfarland the Confederate capital was, " begirt with an army of Confederate dead" pg.239, she believed that every southerner had an obligation to the dead they needed to give them proper burials. I believe the women were trying harder to get the neglected bodies buried. There were some men that tryed after they saw what happened been happening with the bodies but for the most part it was the women. The women played the biggest part after the war they helped bury so many dead. They put on so many petitions and tryed as hard as they could to get the fallen a little more care for their bodies. One women Clara Barton spent a good part of her time caring for the families of the dead by writing home letters and by also trying to care more for the dead. my impressions on the women during and after the civil war are they were strong and great people. They were the only ones that gave thought to the dead and I admire that.
In response to Jenna H. I completely agree with you. Many of these women had just lost loved ones and still went out and helped. How they created so many associations in order to rebury the dead is a very remarkable thing. All those women in mourning and probably hurting really bad being able to bury more men and lake care of people they didn't even know was amazing. I found that these women were so incredible and deserve an award for all the hard work they did, and for doing all this work while they were still mourning from their own lost.
Women after the Civil War made it their job to honor all that had died. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not." (pg 238) Women were realizing how many soldiers graves were being negleced and took matters into their own hands to honor those dead soldiers. "The association began repair of the elven thousand soldiers' graves dug at Hollywood during the war. Nearly all needed repairing and returfing, and few had adequate markers." (pg 239) These women astound me. They didn't have to go out and repair thousands of strangers graves but they thought it their civic duty to do so, to honor those who had fought for them, fought for their homes, and fought for the lives of many americans. They truly were very whole-hearted women and they should be looked up to with honor.
I agree that since the North won, the southerners lost their slaves. Since the south lost their slaves, men and women would have to work harder for their sudden drop in labor. Women were already “keeping house and raising children.” The men were out working to earn a living for the family. I am sure there were not many stay-at-home dads at the time. In my post, I was saying that since the men would have to work harder to make money after losing their slaves, the women (the ones who wanted to honor their dead) were left to accomplish that task. In the book, there was hardly any mentioning of the men (banding together and) burying the dead in the South: instead it mentions how the women (locally) grouped together to honor fallen Confederates. Not that I do not think that men didn’t help with the burying process, there just wasn’t a mention of any major movement of that in the South.
I also agree that the North was foolish to not help the South. These women made up for the lack of governmental help and that was extremely impressive to me as well. My judgment on the Civil War was very biased before I read this book. Faust was very consistent about revealing the South’s side of the story. I found that the North wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, in fact I was somewhat disappointed in how they treated the southerners after ruining their lives as they knew it.
Women of he South made it their job to bury the fallen soldiers. Clara Barton, a nurse, helped search for missing records of fallen soldiers and get information to the families of the deceased. The women of the South had the most work because they had no help from the government in burying the dead. They took it upon their on and honored these strangers to the best that they could with very little resource because they felt it was their duty.I admire these women because they took on a very hard duty that in my opinion they should of never had to of taken on because the government should of done this type of job. Burying of the deceased properly is the governments responsibility but these women of the South are my heros cause they took on the task.
In response to Kristina These women astound me too as you stated they didn't have to go out repair the graves of strangers, but they did and that makes them heroes. For someone especially women to take on such a great task to repair and dig graves jobs normally done by men is an honor to me when it is done by such a great group of women.
Response to Jessi- I love the way you put the women's roles into a short but to the point sentence- "...they were left to clean up the country." That is exactly what the women did when they took care of the deceased soldiers and their graves. And I agree with you when you say that was something the government should have done even though the South had fought against them. The North won to keep the country together, and that is what the government should have done better- kept the country together by helping out the South in the rebuilding.
Women played the role of the caretakers of the dead. In the North, soldiers were buried by the government, but in the South, women "mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not." (238 pg)These Southern women took on the duty of burying Confederate soldiers. Organizations, started by women, appeared to bury the dead. To take this task was nobel of the women. They also tried to identify bodies before burial. They honored the dead.
You did bring up a good point to Blake about women not have time. I do agree that the lifestyle of the Southern woman changed. You said, "the women had to take on the jobs of keeping house and raising children." but most women who had slaves to do that work were usually wealthy didn't have to take on these responsibilities. Many African Americans stayed south so they needed jobs, and whats better than doing the same job you have had to do your whole life and now get paid. Many off the freed slaves mast likely took these jobs. So the women most likely didn't have to worry about house keeping and raising children. So really they did still have time.
I completely agree with you that the women of the South honored their dead but they did much more than that. These women were the cause of families being comforted that their loved one was safe and buried properly. They cleaned up the mess of the war so that people would not have to look at dead bodies day in and day out. And most importantly, these women did all of this in their own time with their own money just out of the love for their family members and the country that they lived in.
In response to Nicole M Women were not given many rights during the time period of the Civil War. So I completely agree with you that they were unbelievable for doing what they did. The tried their best to identify all the bodies that had just been left on the battlefields. Especially in the South women worked very hard to see that most soldiers got a proper burial. The government did not see it as a top priority immediately after the Civil War. But women saw the importance of it.
Women of the South did many things after the Civil War. They took it upon themselves to be sure that all fallen soldiers were honored and respected. "In dying," she proclaimed, Confederates "left us the guardianship of their graves." (pg.239) Mrs. McFarland believed all of this. She also believed that all the southerners had an obligation to the fallen soldiers tha had fought and died for what they all believed. These women managed to keep the South United even after so many deaths, if no one had gone in and been willing to get their hands dirty, who knows how long the bodies of those soldiers would've been left unburried? My main thought on this is just how great it was for the women of society to step up to the plate and take charge of their community. I have a lot of respect for these women. During a hard time they put their emotions aside and did what they thought they should do.
In response to Celina Roy: I completly agree with your post. I really do think that without these women the Southerners wouldn't have made it through this hard time. The men and women were definetly both depressed about all the darkness and death around them, but as the men had to go back to work the women took it all upon themselves to clean up all the mess. I am proud of these women and what they did for their country.
When the war finally came to an end, the women of both the North and the South had the duty of burying the dead. For the most part, the government took care of burials in the North, however, the women in the South had to deal with it more because there were far more deaths. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not,” (page 238). Still, women of both sides took it upon themselves to honor the thousands of soldiers they didn't know and give them a proper burial. In fact, I personally feel that the women played a very important role in the process of rebuilding the United States. Without their effort to support all soldiers not just their own, they made it clear that it was crucial to bring both sides together again. It goes to show that mourning was not the only duty the women of the Civil War had. I admire these women for their determination and strength.
I loved how you mentioned that, "Many of them were still grieving over deaths of loved ones, but still helped with these very hard tasks to honor the dead Confederates." You explained that even though the Southern women were in the process of mourning, they still had the heart and respect to honor their dead by giving them a proper burial. I think this is an important credit to give all of the women of the South because it shows that they fought through the pain to make their country a better place to live and to respect the people who fought hard for their rights.
Women played many roles after the Civil War ended. The women would take care of the dead bodies and bury them. They would also identify certain soldiers and keep records of the dead soldiers. These things that the women did after the Civil War, were all kind of honoring the soldiers. The things that the women did were each vital things that needed to be done after the war. I think that it was mportant that the women did these things and were actively involved.
I agree with you. I think that it was a huge deal for women to be committing themselves to serving after the war even when they did not have the same rights as men. I agree that it would take a lot of determinaion to be willing on doing those things regardless of the circumstances.
Women after the Civil War, specifically the Southern women, played a role that the government had left behind. While northern reburial movements were professionally done with the help of the federal government, women decided to take the role of removing Confederate soldiers still lying on the battlefields. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not," (pg. 238). As a role, these women created and organized many associations in order to properly locate and bury the forgotten soldiers. I am impressed by these women because they put effort in work that was not required for them. It was instead voluntary, yet extremely effective to society. They had proved that women can actually make a change to the nation during the 19th and early 20th century. I admire them for their hard work and dedication.
After the Civil War, women would band together to bury and honor the Confederate soldiers. Mrs. McFarland directed an appeal to the women in the south to bring the soldier’s bodies home. The women in the south organized themselves and took care of their dead soldiers. Women were found wherever a battle had taken place, setting up memorial associations. I think these women were showing true power and civilness when they took charge when they realized their soldiers were being neglected. If they did not do the work they did, their confederate soldiers would be laying in the open without honor or respect. They would lose all humanity and be no more than dead animals. I think these roles were important to society back then. The men that were still alive had a lot of work to do. The union soldiers didn’t have the respect to properly rebury the confederate dead. The women did what the men of the south did not have time for. Their fallen soldiers were given proper respect and burials.
Jonah- in response to Samantha Cook: I agree with everything you said. I really liked how you feel that the women kept the south united. I do see how their work to honor the dead made their communities stronger.
After the Civil War, the women became caretakers of the dead in a way. They joined together and went to battlefields to bury the dead, as well as identify the bodies. I think that it is kind of strange that the women were left to do this job, because the government or surviving soldiers could have taken care of it. However, I think it is a very honorable thing to do, because they took it upon themselves to take care of the dead. They weren't assigned the job or anything. They just did it.
I really agree with you when you said, "I am impressed by these women because they put effort in work that was not required for them." People generally don't do something unless they are asked or required to, especially when it is something that isn't particularly appealing. I think it was a very honorable act of these women.
During the aftermath of the Civil War, women largely improved the types of roles they were allowed to play in American society. By forming organized efforts to rebury the fallen soldiers, women proved that they could be a valuable asset to post war life. They formed organizations such as the “Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association.” Women proved that they could help with the important role of reconstruction after the war. The huge undertaking of reburial and memorial taken by these women was an important task, and crucial to honoring all the soldiers dead or alive.
In the aftermath of the civil war the women of the south did a lot of very honorable deeds. The women went to the battle fields filled with the dead and they dug graves and buried and identified the fallen soldiers. It wasn't their duty you think they would have had either soldiers or slaves to the work. But for the women to step up and do the job is very noble. Because every time the could end up burring a love one. I think the women in the civil war played a significant role.
Steven i agree with you when you say "The huge undertaking of reburial and memorial taken by these women was an important task" women took the opportunity and showed that they could help rebuild the country. As you said they did show that they could take on more important roles in society.
I think that it was the women who felt obligated to do this job. They were almost completely left out of the war effort and they were the ones who dealt with the uncertainty of sorrow. So yes I do agree that it was an honorable thing for them to do.
Women after the war had would band together to bury and honor the Confederate soldiers. They were a crucial part in reburying the fallen soldiers. They then created associations such as “Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood” and the “Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association.” They had to bury them without resources from the government. “Without out the women undertaking the task of honoring and burying/reburying the dead, the slain Confederates would still probably be lying on a field somewhere, uncared for, left to be eaten by animals.” The women had done what no one else would do.
Blake had stated “Thus this was left to the civilians of the South, mainly the women, because the men still had plenty of work to do”. I would have to disagree, the men could have helped somewhat. After the war the southerners then lost their slaves, so the women had to also take over some of their jobs.
Southern women after the war undertook the enormous task of burying the dead. This was a valiant effort to honor their dead. I was their way of showing that even though they had lost the war, their soldiers lives were not lost in vain. And it was the South’s effort to honor their soldiers because they knew that the North wouldn’t make that effort.
Women took it upon themselves to honor Confederate and Union soldiers that had not been given such an honor. Page 238 speaks of Southern women holding services and raising funds for fallen Confederate soldiers. The Union had not given the same rights to dead Southerners as Northerners because "it seemed unimaginable to that those who had tried to destroy the Union should be accorded the same respect as those who had saved it." Southerner women, however, disagreed, and thus chose to act on their own and with the help of communities and churches to claim and respect rebel soldiers. Though the Confederacy's beliefs are not shared by me, I believe honoring brave soldiers fighting for their beliefs is noble, no matter who they are.
I agree with your thoughts on women in the Civil War. They were not given power, or rights, or even respect. Yet they acted selflessly and with respect to those who did not return it. I believe they were very strong and because of such displays, women are given rights in present day America. The women of the past helped to change the standings of women in the present.
In response to Nicole: I agree with you on how the Women preoccupied themselves with the reburrial of soldiers because the federal resources would not. They had to preoccupy themselves with something in order to not let themselves think about their loved ones that they lost. And they had nothing to do otherwise since they had no husbands,sons, or fathers left.
"Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not."(238) After the Civil War, women would band together to bury and honor the Confederate soldiers. "In 'dying,' she proclaimed, Confederated 'left us the guardianship of their graves.'"(239)Mrs. McFarland directed this appeal to the women in the south. "Women founded memorial associations almost everywhere there were concentrations of Confederate bodies."(243) The women in the south organized themselves and took care of their dead soldiers.
ReplyDeleteI think these women really took charge when they realized their soldiers were being neglected. If they did not do the work they did, their confederate soldiers would be lying in the open without the honor they deserve. I think these roles were important to society back then. The men that were still alive had a lot of work to do. The women did what the men did not have time for. Their soldiers ended up with the burial they deserved.
Women after the war were a crucial part in the reburying effort, especially in the South. Southern women created many associations to help bury the dead. Some of these included the “Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood” and the “Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association.” These women “mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not.” (p. 238) The government did not provide the South with any resources to bury their dead. Thus, this was left to the civilians of the South, mainly the women, because the men still had plenty of work to do (farming, usual business-running, etc.). The associations of women reburied Confederate remains from battlefields to nearby cemeteries for Confederate soldiers only. The women did what they could through inspirational words from Mrs. McFarland and private contributions. These women tried to accomplish a task that was neglected by others. Without out the women undertaking the task of honoring and burying/reburying the dead, the slain Confederates would still probably be lying on a field somewhere, uncared for, left to be eaten by animals. It was a noble undertaking to honor and respect the soldiers.
ReplyDeleteAfter the South had surrendered, there was a lot of work to be done. The dead had to be buried. The government provided a burial service, however, this service only buried northerners. “Now the legislative branch joined the military in the disposition of the Union dead. ‘so far as practicable, every Union soldier in the Milt Div of the Tennessee, shall finally rest in a well enclosed and decent ground, with a neat index to his grave, and with an accessible record of his final resting place”. [223] This left the many unmarked shallow graves of Confederate soldiers uncared for. The few men that were left were busy and that left the southern women to do the solemn work of burying the fallen soldiers. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not. Their efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead…” [138] I believe that this was noble work and that the women that did it wanted the soldiers that had died fighting what they believed in to be honored and respected. The women even did their best to get the dead Confederates something equivalent to what the dead Union soldiers received. “The ladies worried too about the bodies scattered through the countryside, which they believed should be gathered, like the Union dead, into hallowed and protected ground”. [239]
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ReplyDeleteIn response to Blake Naito
ReplyDeleteIn Blake’s response, he stated: “Thus this was left to the civilians of the South, mainly the women, because the men still had plenty of work to do”. I have to disagree with this statement. One of the North’s main platforms in the war was how horrific slavery was. “The goal of overturning the wrong of slavery made the conflict a righteous one and its carnage justifiable”. [34] Because the North won the war, the southerners lost all of their slaves. The women had to take on the jobs of keeping house and raising children. Their whole lifestyles were overturned. These women were busy and they had a lot to do other than bury men that they did not even know, however, their cause was made so noble because they gave up their time that they could have been using to piece together their broken lives to honor the men that had died trying to defend their lifestyles.
Once the war ended, there was still work necessary to be done to help the North and the South move forward. The women’s role in the South mostly consisted of finding bodies, and burying them. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not…to claim and honor the Confederate dead…” (238) The government would only provide resources to Northern people burying Union soldiers, therefore it was up to Southern people, mostly women, to honor their own dead. Some organizations in the South for the reburying process were, “Ladies Memorial Association of Appomattox,” “Confederate Memorial Association of Chattanooga,” and many more.
ReplyDeleteThe women of the South did what the government neglected to do, and I respect them for that. I believe it would be tough to constantly go looking for dead Confederate soldiers that have already start deteriorating and rebury them without government support yet, the women did that. These roles were very important to the South and the women did a wonderful job honoring the soldiers who died fighting for their country. Without these women, the soldiers may never have been recognized, and honored.
After the Civil War had ended, both Confederate and Union women played an important role in burying the soldiers still left on the battlefields. "The Confederate volunteers worked to claim and honor the Confederate dead."(238) These small groups of women such as the Ladies of Richmond challenged the government to put effort to bury soldiers but to no avail. Confederate women such as "Mrs. McFarland believed that these soldiers belonged not just to Richmond but to the South." (239)
ReplyDeleteThese women saw the task at hand when their government did not. They unselfishly worked to honor and bury the fallen and forgotten soldiers. I respect these women because they went out of their ways to make sure the thousands of soldiers left at the battlefield were not forgotten
Women played different roles after the civil compared to the roles they played during. The women of the south, "mobilized private means to accomplish what the federal resources would not". (238) The women realized, it wasn't fair for the confederate soldiers to be left in "neglected graves" (239) while "more than $4 million of the public funds would be expended on dead northerners"(238). It was realized by the southern women that even though they were citizens of the same country they were not being treated equal. Knowing that things wouldn't change, the women took initiative to "honor the confederate dead in the months after Appotamox"(240).
ReplyDeleteI admire the women for taking care of their dead when no one else was helping. It wasn't right that money was being spent to take care of the north and not the south, and it took a lot of courage for the women to band together and stand up for the equality of their fallen soldiers. I admire how the women took care of the soldiers themselves and didn't wait for the government to help. The women of that time were very strong after what they had been through and I think we could all learn something from them.
“The differential treatment of the dead had powerful, and seemingly unanticipated, effects. Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not. The efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead-and the organizations they spawned-became a means of keeping sectionalist identity and energy not just alive but strong.” As Faust says here, women played a large and crucial role in honoring and respecting the fallen soldiers. The group of women stated above rose “more than four million of public funds that would be expended exclusively on dead northerners.” [pg. 238] these women weren’t the only women to make a difference burying the dead. When a group of Richmond women found out how many Confederate soldiers’ bodies were being neglected outside of the city, they knew that they had to do something. The women gathered nearly every single body, and either buried them, or reburied them in the Hollywood Cemetery. There is no doubt that these women played a crucial role in people moving on emotionally from the horrors of the Civil War. By burying all of the unburied Confederates, it made it so the public did not have to relive the memories of all of the dead and wounded lying in the battlefields.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Orion:
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with Orion and his further statements. “They unselfishly worked to honor and bury the fallen and forgotten soldiers. I respect these women because they went out of their ways to make sure the thousands of soldiers left at the battlefield were not forgotten.” I agree with him here. It is really amazing that these women, on their own time did very hard work, in digging thousands of graves by hand, and gathering thousands of rotting corpses. These women were a large part in the effort to clean and rid Richmond from disease. By burying all of these bodies, the risk of the town getting killed by a deadly disease was greatly diminished. Most women would not have been able to complete such a physically intensive and grueling project. It is remarkable that almost the whole Hollywood Cemetery was revamped by women. These women need to be remembered well into the future for this incredible act of remembering, and honoring the dead that they committed in Richmond Virginia.
After the Civil War women mainly helped out by honoring the dead and burried those who had died. Women , like Mrs. William McFarland," accomplish what federal resources would not."(238). These women couldn't do this alone so they set up assosiantions. Two assosiations that played a big part in the reburial system are Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood and the Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association. These women did all this by themselves without help from the government and they gathered as many bodies as they could to rebury them. The women involved proved that they were able to acomplish things others could not and what they did honored the dead and helped out a lot after the war.
ReplyDeletein repnce to Austin Parr
ReplyDeleteI too also agree with you and Orion. I too respect these women for what theyh did. I think it's amazing and inspirational that the women involed decided to do something and acomplished what the wanted to do eventhough they were st risk of catching desiese and they did all by themselves.
Some roles that women played after the Civil War were, that they would help mark graves. "Across town the Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood, led by an executive council representing seven different Christian donominations, determined to mark and turf the sixteen thousand graves in its care." [pg. 239] They took control of the fallen. "Calling upon Richmond's churchwomen to assume responsibility for Virginia's fallen... If the Confederate soldier 'does not fall into the category of the 'Nation's Dead' he is ours-and shame be to us if we do not care for his ashes." [pg. 238] I agree with Brenna. I admire the women for doing this all by theirselves. They took matters into their own hands, not waiting for the government to help them.
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ReplyDeleteAfter the war many women many southern women took responsibility for the dead the national government’s efforts had left behind. Because of the varying treatment towards the dead on both sides by the national government many southern women created organizations geared towards reburying the forgotten Confederate soldiers. These organizations of women did everything from repairing gravesites to researching and locating bodies and building national graveyards. All the women who joined these organizations shared the similar thought that they had to bury and honor their dead out of respect. Also according to Faust “honoring the slain offered women to claim both prominence and power in the new postwar south.” (243) So not only were southern women restoring honor to their fallen soldiers, but at the same time gaining power and respect in the south, according to Faust. I think these women deserve a lot of respect for what they did. Picking up what the government left behind, even though they had little money and support, is truly honorable, especially when they weren’t even required to do it.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Ben,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point you made about varying goverment treatment. The southern government did not really help the dead at all. However, I disagree with your point that the volunteering women gained power. The volunteers worked out of morals and respect, not to gain power. I really don't see how the volunteers gained power.
Response to Rachel Anderson
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rachel's post. The women in the South had great courage and they were happy to do what they did. The government in the north should not have neglected the southern soldiers like they did. However, the women pulled through and the southern soldiers got the respect they deserved. Without the important burial organizations the women had, southern soldiers may never have had the honor and burial they received.
In response to Amber:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amber's post. The women of the South "took matters into their own hands, not waiting for the government to help them." I believe in doing that the Southern soldiers were properly buried and got the respect they deserved. Despite the government's lack of funds, the women were still able to provide a final burial place for the soldiers.
After the Civil War women held a critical role in burial efforts and in indentifying and gathering information on missing soldiers. The federal burial units often disregarded bodies and graves of Confederate soldiers and only focused their efforts on their own dead. “In the early 1870’s the attention of a number southern memorial associations turned to the thousands of Confederate soldiers who still lay neglected on northern soil (246).” These women founded numerous organizations all across the South dedicated to the proper treatment and burial of Confederate soldiers. They raised funds to purchase head boards and coffins as well as land to establish and maintain cemeteries. However, southern women were not the only ones who dedicated their time to help the dead. Clara Barton, a northern woman, established the Missing Soldiers Office aiding in locating and identifying missing soldiers. She traveled over the battlefields helping federal quartermasters in the reburial process. By the time she closed her office she had gathered information on over 22,000 men. The work done by these women was honorable and respectful to the fallen soldiers and their beliefs. Without them many would never been identified or even properly buried. Their bodies would have been forever lost and neglected destroyed by animals, vandalism and weather. It is noble that these women accepted a task that the government had left uncompleted.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ben G:
ReplyDeleteBen G. makes a good point that when women buried the dead in respect and to honor them they also indirectly established women’s power in the South. “Like so many women’s actions during the war itself-was in fact highly political; honoring the slain offered women a claim to both prominence and power in the new postwar South (243).” In burying the dead and fallen soldiers of the south the women established their respect and aided the reconstruction of the southern society.
Women were left to clean up after the Civil War; they took on the tremendously laborous task of picking up the pieces of a broken nation and trying to put them back together again. They repaired the damaged graves of fallen soldiers, they collected the scattered bodies of the dead, and they moved the remains of hundreds of soldiers to new cemeteries for reburial. Women after the Civil War shouldered the heavy burden of cleaning up the damage left behind and of repairing a devastated nation. In the South, the women's efforts were more private than those of the North. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not. Their efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead - and the organizations they spawned - became a means of keeping sectionalist identity and energy not just alive but strong" (238). Their work was, for the most part, privately funded, and was run by private volunteer organizations such as the Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood and the Hollywood Memorial Association of the Ladies of Richmond. The North, on the other hand, relied on the work of the U.S. Army, the Quartermaster Corps, and the government. "The northern reburial movement was an official, even a professional effort, removed by both geography and bureaucracy from the lives of most northern citizens" (241). The work of the women in the South was far more personal and involved than that of the North, although both were very effective. I think the roles women played in the aftermath of the Civil War were very admirable and crucial to the rebuilding of our country. They picked up after their fallen and pieced back together a nearly irrepairable nation; they did the work that no one else wanted to do, and they did it efficiently, effectively, and with a personal touch. They were able to leave behind their conflicts and put aside all that had happened in order to do what needed to be done. They performed terrible, depressing jobs; they were exposed to countless dead bodies, and perhaps even the bodies of loved ones, but were still able to make sure they were well taken care of. Constantly being around so much devastation and loss could not have been easy, and certainly could not have helped the grieving process through which these women were undoubtedly going. They were very brave, and without them our nation would have suffered.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Brenna:
ReplyDeleteI liked your statement that you "admire how the women took care of the soldiers themselves and didn't wait for the government to help." I agree, and I think that if people were more like that today, with that kind of initiative and spirit, our country would be much less dependent on the government. People often rely so much on our government to help them out of bad situations that they end up suffering because of it. If we all just decided to get things done ourselves, like the women of the south did, we would be in far less need of the help that the government cannot provide.
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ReplyDeleteAfter the war was over, the women in the South were left with the task of burying the dead in the South. The most powerful quote that I found (and Rachel found) was, "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not." They made strong efforts to claim and honor the Confederate dead. There were many volunteer women organizations that helped with the burying. A couple were Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood and the Hollywood Memorial Association of the Ladies of Richmond. Without these fine women's help there could have been the potential of never being able to bury very many of the Confederates bodies. The North I believe made a selfish and wrongfull decision to not help the South becaue this could have turned into a very awful situation. I was very suprised when I read this because I had never heard of this before. These women should be more well known then they are today.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brenna:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you statement that the women were very strong. Although they didn't take much time to wait for the government to do anything, they were pretty much forced to do what they did. They had to make volunteer organizations to bury the dead because to be honest I don't believe the government would have every helped the South. These woment were heroic in what they did, but were pretty much forced to do what they did.
Response to Evan:
ReplyDeleteYou brought up a good point at the end of your post- these women aren’t really well known today even though they probably should be. I also had never heard of these women before reading this chapter, but now that I have I’m pretty impressed. It’s impressive to me that these women banded together to bury their dead, who were forgotten by the national government and just left in the battlefields. You’re right these women should be more well known today then they actually are, because, of the two reburial efforts after the war, theirs seemed more impressive.
Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources could not. ( pg. 238) As many soldiers bodies laid openly in vast destroyed land, it was the women who took on burying the deceased soldiers. As these women wanted to honor the lives of the soldiers, and bury them properly. Many organizations were established to help cover the costs to bury neglected soldiers and give them the proper burial.
ReplyDeleteI commend these women for taking on such a task and do what was right and looked out for these soldiers as no one else would.Without these women and the organizations created many soldiers bodies would have been eaten by animals, but instead they were buried properly.
After the Civil War, women helped to lead organizations that aided in the disinterment effort. While the men were often the ones that did the rough job of actually reburying the dead, the women organized and led the efforts and also played a main part in finding missing soldiers. They could not directly disinter soldiers without breaking strict ettiquette, as in the case of Captain Moore and Clara Barton; however they did what they could to help the war's victims. Most women of the day performed more secretarial duties such as publishing lists of disinterred soldiers and gathering funds to "claim and honor the...dead." These roles seem to fit the roles of nineteenth century women in general. In this era, men generally worked with their hands while women did the work that was not labor-intensive. This worked well because the jobs of men in the Civil War era were more physically-inclined, whereas the jobs of women tended to be more tranquil.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Evan:
ReplyDeleteI had never thought about how unknown these women were. Most people today never have thought of the women in the war. So much attention is focused on the men of the war - the soldiers, the officers, and the men dedicated to reburial - that the women are overlooked and looked upon as those who stayed home. This is not true at all. Many of the women were helping to organize battle efforts behind the scenes. One woman, Clara Barton, even founded the Red Cross, and still most people have never heard of her. I think that it is sad that so much of the reburial efforts were performed by women and yet they are rarely recognized.
hank hammond
ReplyDeleteThe roles of some of the women in the post-war efforts had many different obligations and volenteer work. Some of the informed the loved ones of thier loss, finding the missing, and leading the organized parties of disinterment. While the men such as Whitman and others did the physical work in burying, the lead the way with strong advisements and the ability to overcome the war in order to make peace for the dead. These women sometimes held political positions in oorder to get the piont across to officials that this disinterment program needed to be completed. This program was started in the immidiate post-war, and kept growing till the early 1890's. These women played a major role in the war and post-war, and we will never forget how they created a better country after it was torn apart.
hank hammond
ReplyDeleteIn response to Abby Borchers
I agree with Abby that the women of the south and north had a heavy burden to bear on their shoulders. To rebuild a nation after it was torn down is almost as hard as becoming one of the many fallen. You also said that the southern women were more secretive about the funding and the organization, as were the north got funding and assistance from the rest of the nation. This is why, in my opinion, the north was more efficient and productive in these post-war efforts.
After the Civil War, women played very important roles in the cemetery system. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not,” (238). The southern women worked hard to “claim and honor the Confederate dead,” (238). They would go out to bury, rebury, and mark graves of the dead that were left neglected on the battlefields. They created many associations that helped to complete these difficult tasks. They “supported their efforts through private donations, through contributions from the legislatures of other former Confederate states whose soldiers lay on Virginia soil, and through fund-raising activities,” (240).
ReplyDeleteThe women were all very strong to do this. Many of them were still grieving over deaths of loved ones, but still helped with these very hard tasks to honor the dead Confederates. I respect these women who still worked so hard when they had no help from the government. When four million dollars of public funds were exclusively spent on dead northerners, the southern women worked hard to make their own money and do the burying, reburying, and marking the graves on their own. I really do admire these strong women.
In response to Kaylie,
ReplyDeleteThe women actually did do physical work. They would go out and bury, rebury, and mark graves of dead soldiers. Southern women, especially, did this since they didn’t have complete support from the government. The women seemed to have been very strong after the Civil War considering they had lost loved ones, but were still going out and helping to honor the soldiers. Not only did they do these difficult tasks, but they created their own associations that helped the cemetery system such as the Ladies of Richmond. They raised their own money too through private donations and fund-raising. I do not disagree with some of the things you said, but I am just adding on and saying that the women did do a lot of other things besides secretarial duties.
After the war there was a lot of work to be done and since the men were already back to their normal lives of working on farms or running a buisness, the women of the South took control. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources could not." (pg. 238) Mrs. McFarland, the president of the Hollywood Memorial Association of the Ladies of Richmond, said, "Confederates left us the guardianship of their graves." (pg. 239) Mrs. McFarland and her association, and many associations throughout the South, "arranged for the transfer of hundreds of bodies to new graves in the Richmond cemetery during the summer and fall of 1866." (pg. 239)
ReplyDeleteWomen in the South played a huge roll after the war in cleaning up battlefields and giving soldiers the respect and dignity they deserve. I believe their role was very important because if they had not done this, there would be bodies rotting on battlefields and unburied soldiers everywhere. Also many dignified soldiers would be insulted by not having a proper burial. Overall, the women worked very hard and for a good cause after the Civil War.
Southern women especially in the South played important roles in the recovery of the Civil War. “It did not pass unnoticed in the impoverished postwar South that during the five years that followed Appomattox more than $4 million of public funds would be expended exclusively on dead northerners.” (238) we learned in chapter five in was mainly put on the women to do the mourning. So while in the north the women were mourning the loss of many soldiers. In the South the women, “mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not.” (238) It was their job to try to identify and honor the soldiers of the war. After the war the south still thought of themselves as their own country and it was the women’s job to keep the energy, “not only alive but strong.” I think the women in the south were important. It was their job to tell people everything would be fine even if they didn’t believe it. But I think it was good for people to hear that. I think it was also important that they tried to identify the dead. The confederates fought a hard battle and those soldiers deserved to be honored. But on the other hand women today fight in the war themselves. At the time they were looked down upon when in reality they could have done a lot more than people let them in those days.
ReplyDeleteJust as anybody may have expected, the role of a woman was to fill in where “federal resources,” (pg. 238), (aka men and money) could not. Fortunately, women had more to fill in for because men were busy at war. This was an opportunity for them to be granted more of a voice relative to peaceful times because their voice could be recognized easier because the only men that were around to control and limit them were those who weren’t at war, and therefore couldn’t fully understand or get involved in the same things that women did. Women mourned for men that couldn’t mourn for themselves. They buried those who were not funded by government. Women spoke out for the men who could not speak for themselves because they were at war. They respected the life of a soldier to the necessary degree that only a woman could at the time. At the end of the war, men were dead, both physically and mentally, and the money went with them. Women were the only ones that survived with the experience and stability necessary to advance society, economically and emotionally. I think that it takes a lot of strength and determination to have the will to do these things for your country that you don’t even have as many rights or even equal opportunity in life as men.
ReplyDeleteAfter the Civil War, women mostly mourned. But in some cases, such as Clara Barton, they were a huge help in finding missing soldiers, identifying them, and sending them back to their families. “Barton determined to develop a way to relieve what she described as the ‘intense anxiety… amounting in many instances almost to insanity (212).’” She founded the Office of Correspondence with the Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army. This was basically where she worked to find the names and homes of the missing soldiers (213). “By mid-June she had published the names of 20,000 men; by the time she finally closed the office in 1868, she reported that it had received and answered 68, 182 letters and had secured information about 22,000 missing soldiers (213).” She was a very important woman because she found so many names of missing soldiers and where they were and she was willing to do more. Clara Barton also served as a medium between lost soldiers and their kin. In one instance, Clara Barton was contacted by a man named Dorence Atwater who was willing to help identify men from her lists (215). Clara Barton represented what the women after the Civil War did, they did everything they could to help. Since the men of the country stepped up and fought for the best cause they knew, after it was done, the women did the same thing, and I’m glad they did because in Clara Barton’s case, it gave so many unknown soldiers a name.
ReplyDeleteWomen's roles after the civil war consisted mainly of dealing with dead soldiers' bodies. Women (mostly in the South) "mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not" pg. 238. They formed memorial associations using their money and time in reburial efforts because the government spent $4 million on just the Union soldiers' reburial. The Southern ladies from these associations maintained and repaired existing graves. They also honored Confederate dead by reburying soldiers in better graves with markers so that they could be identified.
ReplyDeleteThese women were very determined and driven in their efforts. I think they were amazing for picking up the slack in something the government should have done. A lot of work went into caring for these deceased soldiers, but the women proudly did it.
After the Civil War, the women were left to mourn. But not only were they left to mourn, they were left to clean up the country, particularly in the South. Clara Barton, a nurse for the Union army, helped with the search for information about missing soldiers and worked to distribute it to the families of the soldiers. She also helped to locate and rebury the soldiers whose graves were far removed from civilization, and needed to be more accessible to family and friends. The women of the South had the most work to do after the war ended. Because the United States government worked to recover, move, and take care of Union soldiers' graves, and not Confederate graves, the Southern women had to scrape together their own means of recovering and reburying the Confederate dead. The women "mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not" by running fundraisers and asking for private donations that they then used to fund searches for unburied, unmarked, unattended, and undiscovered graves. Once the graves were found, the women helped to maintain, relocate, repair as many graves as they could with the budget they had. While I admire the way the Southern women took charge and worked hard to make up for where the government left off, I don't think they should have had to do that. Even though the Confederacy was the enemy of the US, I don't think it was right of them to just leave the former Confederates on their own; they were once again part of the country, and should have received the funds to help them take care of their dead, even if that was all the help they received. But because they were not given any funds or help of any kind, the women took charge and did what needed to be done. They took care of the dead, honored them respectfully, and took care of what the government should have done.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Jenna H.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you. Those women were strong. I'm sure it took a lot of courage to be able to go dig up a grave of some unknown soldier, just to move it to a place where it was more accessible, and then rebury it, all after probably having just lost a son or a husband to the war. They did what they needed to do to make them feel as though they were doing some good for their communities, and for their beloved soldiers who were left behind. They shouldn't have had to do it, but they did, and they did it with dignity. how could we not respect someone like that?
Response to Hank Hammond:
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure what you mean when you say “women sometimes held political positions in order to get the point across to officials.” I understand that women were trying to take authority, but I don’t think that they were very successful, nor do I think that individual women actually held down political positions. After all, many women in the eastern half of the United States had very limited suffrage until 1920 upon the passage of the 19th Amendment. Women did not have the same right s and their power was much more limited than your post implies. I do agree that they had many other obligations that they had to and in turn did fulfill. I also agree that “[women] created a better country after it was torn apart.”
After the civil war many women took it upon them selves to bury the fallen soldiers. One class of women were "The Ladies of Richmond", these women thought that the way some of the soldiers were being treated was wrong, and they worked as hard as they could to get every fallen soldier in Virginia buried. One quot from Mrs. William Mcfarland the Confederate capital was, " begirt with an army of Confederate dead" pg.239, she believed that every southerner had an obligation to the dead they needed to give them proper burials. I believe the women were trying harder to get the neglected bodies buried. There were some men that tryed after they saw what happened been happening with the bodies but for the most part it was the women. The women played the biggest part after the war they helped bury so many dead. They put on so many petitions and tryed as hard as they could to get the fallen a little more care for their bodies. One women Clara Barton spent a good part of her time caring for the families of the dead by writing home letters and by also trying to care more for the dead. my impressions on the women during and after the civil war are they were strong and great people. They were the only ones that gave thought to the dead and I admire that.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jenna H.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Many of these women had just lost loved ones and still went out and helped. How they created so many associations in order to rebury the dead is a very remarkable thing. All those women in mourning and probably hurting really bad being able to bury more men and lake care of people they didn't even know was amazing. I found that these women were so incredible and deserve an award for all the hard work they did, and for doing all this work while they were still mourning from their own lost.
Women after the Civil War made it their job to honor all that had died. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not." (pg 238) Women were realizing how many soldiers graves were being negleced and took matters into their own hands to honor those dead soldiers. "The association began repair of the elven thousand soldiers' graves dug at Hollywood during the war. Nearly all needed repairing and returfing, and few had adequate markers." (pg 239) These women astound me. They didn't have to go out and repair thousands of strangers graves but they thought it their civic duty to do so, to honor those who had fought for them, fought for their homes, and fought for the lives of many americans. They truly were very whole-hearted women and they should be looked up to with honor.
ReplyDeleteIn response to McKenzie:
ReplyDeleteI agree that since the North won, the southerners lost their slaves. Since the south lost their slaves, men and women would have to work harder for their sudden drop in labor. Women were already “keeping house and raising children.” The men were out working to earn a living for the family. I am sure there were not many stay-at-home dads at the time. In my post, I was saying that since the men would have to work harder to make money after losing their slaves, the women (the ones who wanted to honor their dead) were left to accomplish that task. In the book, there was hardly any mentioning of the men (banding together and) burying the dead in the South: instead it mentions how the women (locally) grouped together to honor fallen Confederates. Not that I do not think that men didn’t help with the burying process, there just wasn’t a mention of any major movement of that in the South.
In response to Evan:
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the North was foolish to not help the South. These women made up for the lack of governmental help and that was extremely impressive to me as well. My judgment on the Civil War was very biased before I read this book. Faust was very consistent about revealing the South’s side of the story. I found that the North wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, in fact I was somewhat disappointed in how they treated the southerners after ruining their lives as they knew it.
Women of he South made it their job to bury the fallen soldiers. Clara Barton, a nurse, helped search for missing records of fallen soldiers and get information to the families of the deceased. The women of the South had the most work because they had no help from the government in burying the dead. They took it upon their on and honored these strangers to the best that they could with very little resource because they felt it was their duty.I admire these women because they took on a very hard duty that in my opinion they should of never had to of taken on because the government should of done this type of job. Burying of the deceased properly is the governments responsibility but these women of the South are my heros cause they took on the task.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kristina
ReplyDeleteThese women astound me too as you stated they didn't have to go out repair the graves of strangers, but they did and that makes them heroes. For someone especially women to take on such a great task to repair and dig graves jobs normally done by men is an honor to me when it is done by such a great group of women.
Response to Jessi-
ReplyDeleteI love the way you put the women's roles into a short but to the point sentence- "...they were left to clean up the country." That is exactly what the women did when they took care of the deceased soldiers and their graves. And I agree with you when you say that was something the government should have done even though the South had fought against them. The North won to keep the country together, and that is what the government should have done better- kept the country together by helping out the South in the rebuilding.
Women played the role of the caretakers of the dead. In the North, soldiers were buried by the government, but in the South, women "mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not." (238 pg)These Southern women took on the duty of burying Confederate soldiers. Organizations, started by women, appeared to bury the dead. To take this task was nobel of the women. They also tried to identify bodies before burial. They honored the dead.
ReplyDeleteIn response to McKenzie:
ReplyDeleteYou did bring up a good point to Blake about women not have time. I do agree that the lifestyle of the Southern woman changed. You said, "the women had to take on the jobs of keeping house and raising children." but most women who had slaves to do that work were usually wealthy didn't have to take on these responsibilities. Many African Americans stayed south so they needed jobs, and whats better than doing the same job you have had to do your whole life and now get paid. Many off the freed slaves mast likely took these jobs. So the women most likely didn't have to worry about house keeping and raising children. So really they did still have time.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that the women of the South honored their dead but they did much more than that. These women were the cause of families being comforted that their loved one was safe and buried properly. They cleaned up the mess of the war so that people would not have to look at dead bodies day in and day out. And most importantly, these women did all of this in their own time with their own money just out of the love for their family members and the country that they lived in.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Nicole M
ReplyDeleteWomen were not given many rights during the time period of the Civil War. So I completely agree with you that they were unbelievable for doing what they did. The tried their best to identify all the bodies that had just been left on the battlefields. Especially in the South women worked very hard to see that most soldiers got a proper burial. The government did not see it as a top priority immediately after the Civil War. But women saw the importance of it.
Women of the South did many things after the Civil War. They took it upon themselves to be sure that all fallen soldiers were honored and respected. "In dying," she proclaimed, Confederates "left us the guardianship of their graves." (pg.239) Mrs. McFarland believed all of this. She also believed that all the southerners had an obligation to the fallen soldiers tha had fought and died for what they all believed. These women managed to keep the South United even after so many deaths, if no one had gone in and been willing to get their hands dirty, who knows how long the bodies of those soldiers would've been left unburried? My main thought on this is just how great it was for the women of society to step up to the plate and take charge of their community. I have a lot of respect for these women. During a hard time they put their emotions aside and did what they thought they should do.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Celina Roy:
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with your post. I really do think that without these women the Southerners wouldn't have made it through this hard time. The men and women were definetly both depressed about all the darkness and death around them, but as the men had to go back to work the women took it all upon themselves to clean up all the mess. I am proud of these women and what they did for their country.
When the war finally came to an end, the women of both the North and the South had the duty of burying the dead. For the most part, the government took care of burials in the North, however, the women in the South had to deal with it more because there were far more deaths. “Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not,” (page 238). Still, women of both sides took it upon themselves to honor the thousands of soldiers they didn't know and give them a proper burial. In fact, I personally feel that the women played a very important role in the process of rebuilding the United States. Without their effort to support all soldiers not just their own, they made it clear that it was crucial to bring both sides together again. It goes to show that mourning was not the only duty the women of the Civil War had. I admire these women for their determination and strength.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jenna Hofmann:
ReplyDeleteI loved how you mentioned that, "Many of them were still grieving over deaths of loved ones, but still helped with these very hard tasks to honor the dead Confederates." You explained that even though the Southern women were in the process of mourning, they still had the heart and respect to honor their dead by giving them a proper burial. I think this is an important credit to give all of the women of the South because it shows that they fought through the pain to make their country a better place to live and to respect the people who fought hard for their rights.
Women played many roles after the Civil War ended. The women would take care of the dead bodies and bury them. They would also identify certain soldiers and keep records of the dead soldiers. These things that the women did after the Civil War, were all kind of honoring the soldiers. The things that the women did were each vital things that needed to be done after the war. I think that it was mportant that the women did these things and were actively involved.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Cameron:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I think that it was a huge deal for women to be committing themselves to serving after the war even when they did not have the same rights as men. I agree that it would take a lot of determinaion to be willing on doing those things regardless of the circumstances.
Women after the Civil War, specifically the Southern women, played a role that the government had left behind. While northern reburial movements were professionally done with the help of the federal government, women decided to take the role of removing Confederate soldiers still lying on the battlefields. "Southern civilians, largely women, mobilized private means to accomplish what federal resources would not," (pg. 238). As a role, these women created and organized many associations in order to properly locate and bury the forgotten soldiers. I am impressed by these women because they put effort in work that was not required for them. It was instead voluntary, yet extremely effective to society. They had proved that women can actually make a change to the nation during the 19th and early 20th century. I admire them for their hard work and dedication.
ReplyDeleteAfter the Civil War, women would band together to bury and honor the Confederate soldiers. Mrs. McFarland directed an appeal to the women in the south to bring the soldier’s bodies home. The women in the south organized themselves and took care of their dead soldiers. Women were found wherever a battle had taken place, setting up memorial associations. I think these women were showing true power and civilness when they took charge when they realized their soldiers were being neglected. If they did not do the work they did, their confederate soldiers would be laying in the open without honor or respect. They would lose all humanity and be no more than dead animals. I think these roles were important to society back then. The men that were still alive had a lot of work to do. The union soldiers didn’t have the respect to properly rebury the confederate dead. The women did what the men of the south did not have time for. Their fallen soldiers were given proper respect and burials.
ReplyDeleteJonah- in response to Samantha Cook:
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said. I really liked how you feel that the women kept the south united. I do see how their work to honor the dead made their communities stronger.
After the Civil War, the women became caretakers of the dead in a way. They joined together and went to battlefields to bury the dead, as well as identify the bodies. I think that it is kind of strange that the women were left to do this job, because the government or surviving soldiers could have taken care of it. However, I think it is a very honorable thing to do, because they took it upon themselves to take care of the dead. They weren't assigned the job or anything. They just did it.
ReplyDeleteIn response to leephan:
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you when you said, "I am impressed by these women because they put effort in work that was not required for them." People generally don't do something unless they are asked or required to, especially when it is something that isn't particularly appealing. I think it was a very honorable act of these women.
During the aftermath of the Civil War, women largely improved the types of roles they were allowed to play in American society. By forming organized efforts to rebury the fallen soldiers, women proved that they could be a valuable asset to post war life. They formed organizations such as the “Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association.” Women proved that they could help with the important role of reconstruction after the war. The huge undertaking of reburial and memorial taken by these women was an important task, and crucial to honoring all the soldiers dead or alive.
ReplyDeleteIn the aftermath of the civil war the women of the south did a lot of very honorable deeds. The women went to the battle fields filled with the dead and they dug graves and buried and identified the fallen soldiers. It wasn't their duty you think they would have had either soldiers or slaves to the work. But for the women to step up and do the job is very noble. Because every time the could end up burring a love one. I think the women in the civil war played a significant role.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Steven,
ReplyDeleteSteven i agree with you when you say "The huge undertaking of reburial and memorial taken by these women was an important task" women took the opportunity and showed that they could help rebuild the country. As you said they did show that they could take on more important roles in society.
In response to ben Norton
ReplyDeleteI think that it was the women who felt obligated to do this job. They were almost completely left out of the war effort and they were the ones who dealt with the uncertainty of sorrow. So yes I do agree that it was an honorable thing for them to do.
Women after the war had would band together to bury and honor the Confederate soldiers. They were a crucial part in reburying the fallen soldiers. They then created associations such as “Ladies Memorial Association for the Confederate Dead of Oakwood” and the “Hebrew Ladies Memorial Association.” They had to bury them without resources from the government. “Without out the women undertaking the task of honoring and burying/reburying the dead, the slain Confederates would still probably be lying on a field somewhere, uncared for, left to be eaten by animals.” The women had done what no one else would do.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Blake:
ReplyDeleteBlake had stated “Thus this was left to the civilians of the South, mainly the women, because the men still had plenty of work to do”. I would have to disagree, the men could have helped somewhat. After the war the southerners then lost their slaves, so the women had to also take over some of their jobs.
Southern women after the war undertook the enormous task of burying the dead. This was a valiant effort to honor their dead. I was their way of showing that even though they had lost the war, their soldiers lives were not lost in vain. And it was the South’s effort to honor their soldiers because they knew that the North wouldn’t make that effort.
ReplyDeleteWomen took it upon themselves to honor Confederate and Union soldiers that had not been given such an honor. Page 238 speaks of Southern women holding services and raising funds for fallen Confederate soldiers. The Union had not given the same rights to dead Southerners as Northerners because "it seemed unimaginable to that those who had tried to destroy the Union should be accorded the same respect as those who had saved it." Southerner women, however, disagreed, and thus chose to act on their own and with the help of communities and churches to claim and respect rebel soldiers. Though the Confederacy's beliefs are not shared by me, I believe honoring brave soldiers fighting for their beliefs is noble, no matter who they are.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jordyn Voegele,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on women in the Civil War. They were not given power, or rights, or even respect. Yet they acted selflessly and with respect to those who did not return it. I believe they were very strong and because of such displays, women are given rights in present day America. The women of the past helped to change the standings of women in the present.
In response to Nicole:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on how the Women preoccupied themselves with the reburrial of soldiers because the federal resources would not. They had to preoccupy themselves with something in order to not let themselves think about their loved ones that they lost. And they had nothing to do otherwise since they had no husbands,sons, or fathers left.