NextPrevious

The Home Front: 1861 to 1865

Children in Wartime

How about the girls of the period? How did they see the Civil War?

Our evidence is scantier when it comes to the young females, but we can venture some guesses. Patriotism loomed large for the girls, as well as for the boys, and many wished to become nurses. Very few girls ran away from home, however, and those who did were not accepted into the U.S. nurses. Generally speaking, the war did not provide as many opportunities for young girls as for young boys, but this did not prevent the girls from daydreaming and thinking things were better, or that the grass was greener, on the other side of the fence.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Civil War Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App