Society for Women and the Civil War
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| Society for Women and the Civil War, Inc. Box #9066 8345 NW 66th St. Miami, FL 33166 (804) 244-1864 www.swcw.org |
The Society has held conferences highlighting the Women's Role during the Civil War for nearly 10 years. Here are some of the conferences and their presentations. |
Presentations:
The Union’s Secret Weapon: Harriet Tubman’s Military Career by Catherine Clinton, author and historian.
Harriet Tubman played a crucial role in military campaigns during the war. She began her service with the Union army as a nurse and laundress,
but transformed into a spy and scout during 1862-63, when her greater gifts were recognized by commanding officers. Post war, Tubman struggled
to obtain compensation for her services, a campaign stymied by racism and sexism.
They Called her Captain: The Amazing Life of Emily Virginia Mason by Karen Rae Mehaffey, author and historian.
A member of the social elite of antebellum Virginia, Emily was reared in Michigan and educated in New York. An avid secessionist, she worked
as a hospital matron for most of the war. Post war, she traveled and wrote, including a book of Confederate poetry and the first authorized biography
of Robert E. Lee.
A Heavy Responsibility: Women and Men in Civil War Northern by Virginia Michael Mangus, PhD, Ohio State University.
A look at Confederate women’s aid and devotion to the Southern military. Women routinely described the duties thrust upon them as
laborious and grew tired of war, yet they gave their all and remained committed to Southern independence. As long as men continued to fight, locals
continued to hold out hope and actively support their country.
Kady Brownell: A Tall and Taller Tale by Sara Bartlett, independent scholar and actor.
Kady Brownell, vivandiere of the First and Fifth Rhode Island, served 1861-62, yet she is one of its most famous participants. Newspapers cited
her as the only woman enlisted in the Union Army, but their stories are far from accurate. What happened to her and for her on the road to mythic
heroism is explored.
The Role of Women Physicians in the Civil War by Mercedes Graf, Governors State University.
There were approximately 200 female physicians in the U.S. in 1860. This is an introduction to some of these pioneers who chose to involve
themselves in the war effort, serving at home or in the field.
Madame Elizabeth: From Plantation to the Lincoln White House by ZSun-nee Kimball Matema, Intercultural Education Exchange.
Born a slave, Elizabeth Keckley, purchased her freedom and established herself as a seamstress in the Capitol. She became Mrs. Lincoln’s
confidante and friend. Keckley’s book Behind the Scenes was an insider’s wartime view, position, and participation at the side of the Lincolns.
Take Your Gun and Go: Images of Women in Civil War Era Songs and Ballads by Meg Galante-DeAngelis, University of
Connecticut, and Caitlin DeAngelis, musician.
Images of women are a central theme in Civil War era music although few but the most sentimental love songs of the period survive in our
collective consciousness. Portrayals of women in period songs and ballads will be examined, revealing a much broader celebration of patriotic
women of both North and South.
Betty Van Metre: Vermont’s Rebel Heroine by Thomas Ledoux, historian and genealogist.
Betty Van Metre’s husband and four brothers served in the Confederate army and suffered at the hands of the enemy. Although a loyal
Southerner, Betty was the savior of a severely wounded Vermont officer who was left for dead near her home. This young, courageous, altruistic
Berryville, Virginia, woman braved danger and derision to become a heroine in Vermont.
Making War on Women and Women Making War: Confederate Women, Union Army Policy, and the Military Prisons of St. Louis
during the Civil War by Thomas Curran, St. Louis University.
Little research has been done on the imprisonment of women during the Civil War. Policies, conditions, and sentencing concerning female
political prisoners in the prisons of this city will be explored.
The Ties of the Past: The Gettysburg Diaries of Salome Myers Stewart, 1854-1922 by Sarah Sites Thomas, author and
historian.
This Gettysburg schoolteacher was drawn into nursing the wounded both inher father’s house and in area field hospitals. The diaries, memoirs, and
letters of Sallie Myers are a significant contribution to the history of this battle. They tell a remarkable story of the human capacity for heroism and
courage in the face of devastation and destruction.
“Play Dixie for me:” Oral History and the Women of West Virginia by John Heatwole, author and historical consultant.
Many people in this area still occupy the same land as their Civil War ancestors and are custodians of rich oral traditions of the war’s impact on the
lives of their forbearers. The women left at home to tend the farms and shops were caught up in situations never before dreamed of and they
responded with ingenuity, courage, and determination. Their stories are a color commentary to the statistics of history.
Workshops
A • Domestic and Material Culture of the Civil War Era . (Virginia Mescher).
The topic of material culture and everyday life is one that is often neglected. It isn't one that is necessarily exciting, but it does have a great many
surprises. Women dealt with buying items in stores, cared for a household, and cooked food, whether they were directly involved in the war effort or
not. By studying domestic culture we are given an insight into aspects of their lives that we would not otherwise know. Whether one is strictly a Civil
War researcher, an author, or a reenactor, it is important to know about the ordinary details of everyday lives of the people.
B • Copyrights and Wrongs (Susan Anthony).
In this practical, hands-on presentation, copyright attorney and Civil War historian Susan Anthony will explain how to protect your research and the
circumstances under which you can use the research of others. Using a “fact pattern” approach, she will cover such topics as:
• What can be protected by copyright;
• Attribution and integrity rights;
• Trademark, publicity and privacy rights, patents, and other proprietary rights distinguished;
• Copyright protection and duration;
• Copyright notice;
• Works in the public domain;
• Use of copyrighted materials (including the fair use doctrine, and licensing);
• Merchandising rights;
• Other terms and conditions of using others’ artifacts.
To the extent time permits, Susan will address the impact of the World Wide Web on copyright and other intellectual property rights and
infringement notification under the Digital Copyright Millennium Act of 1998.
C • Accuracy in Reenacting (Glenna Jo Christen, Wendy King, and Juanita Leisch)
The portrayal of a civilian woman or a distaff soldier involves more than just putting on a dress or uniform. three veteran reenactors discuss the
challenges and problems in properly presenting a 19th century person.
Walking Tour of Civil War Frederick, Maryland
A tour of downtown Frederick covering the ransom of the city, wartime hospitals, the meeting and arrest of Southern sympathizers in Maryland’s
legislature, and many other stories of this divided community.
June 15-17 2001 Our Fifth Conference!
The Conference participants enjoyed the facilities of Hood College in historic Frederick, Maryland.
The Conference participants enjoyed the facilities of Hood College in historic Frederick, Maryland.