Spies In The Civil War

Superior Essays
For four years between 1861 and 1865 the United States engaged in a civil war. The war started all over some disagreements between the free and slave states. It helped determine what kind of nation they would be. The Civil War was the first total war, meaning it not only inflicted on soldiers, but civilians, land, and cities. This impacted the women in many different ways. There were women who were soldiers, spies, nurses, and ones who stayed on the home front. Historians often say that America's Civil War pitted brother against brother. But what many people do not know is that, on occasion, it also involved sisters (Nuwer,2014).Even though women weren’t legally allowed to fight in the civil war. Many women disguised as men to fight …show more content…
Spying changed the tactics of warfare not only for this war but for wars to come. (Delgader,2012) American Civil War spies were some of the most interesting characters of the war, and there were many different individuals, on both sides, who had their own impacts on the conflict(Americancivilwarhistory.com).Union spies were more numerous but it was southern spies that were interesting if not effective. The Civil War had many spies on both sides however the art of spying was in its infancy, not the skilled high-stakes game that it is today.(civilwaracademy.com)There were hundreds of spies during this time that risked there own life for others. Many women disguised but one in particular was Harriet Tubman. She led a two time life as a spy and was totally against slavery from the beginning. Many slaves would asked themselves questions”(I wonder if our white fellow men realize the true sense or meaning of brotherhood?’”(Taylor,2014)In 1863 her and 150 black soldiers all went on a gunboat raide to South Carolina. She had inside information from scouts so they were able to surprise the confederate rebels. When they arrived they began to set the plantations, which the slaves worked on, on fire. When this Harriet could bring them passed the union lines to freedom they began running from left and ride. Bringing as much as their belongings as they could (Americaslibrary.gov, 2014). This act of freeing …show more content…
It took a lot of courage and strength to be a nurse. Having to see how gory and gruesome the men were when they came in would be heartbreaking. No matter what sight they saw, they kept working because their main goal was to get them back out in the war. Though there is very little written record of their service a few of the most important left accounts. They included Louisa May Alcott, Jane Stuart Woolsey, Susie King Taylor, Katherine Prescott Wormeley, and the two most important Dorethea Dix and Clara Barton. (Historynet.com,2014) Clara would deliver poems to others throughout the war and one of her most written lines was “They would scream at the sight of a gun, don't you see?”(civilwar.org,2014)Togther Dorethea and Clara organized a nursing corps to help care for the wounded shoulders after the Battle Of Bull Run. Later on Clara expanded the corps to what would now be called “Red cross”. Which is a humanitarian organization that provides

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