Spies and Soldiers
Women who wanted to take more revolutionary roles decided to become spies and soldiers, and were among the first to take such aggressive actions far outside their spheres by fighting on the war front alongside their fathers, brothers, husbands, uncles, and friends.
"Dressing as men was, for these women, a means to an end--they did so to strike a solid blow against the enemy, or to gain a measure of economic, legal, and social independence unavailable to them as women." -Lauren Cook Burgess, An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman
Sarah Emma Edmonds, a famous spy and soldier who joined the military under the alias of Franklin Thompson and successfully kept her role a secret
Sarah Emma Edmonds, a famous spy and soldier who joined the military under the alias of Franklin Thompson and successfully kept her role a secret
- Women were not allowed to take a more direct role in war efforts
- So, they illegally disguised themselves as men to serve as soldiers and spies
- Actually really easy to join because health checks were perfunctory and society didn't even consider the possibility that women could help on the battlefield
- The first women to carry secret messages, infiltrate enemy forces, serve alongside male counterparts during wartime
- Over four hundred joined, such as Sarah Emma Edmonds, Loreta Janeta Velasquez, Rose O'Neal Dawson, and Jennie Hodgers
