|
 It
was clear at this seminar that Professor Smith holds women
of the Civil War in great regard. He opened by saying that,
the Civil War was the war of the women. The times held more
opportunities to recognize women and allowed women to take
on politically active roles.
He put women and
war in historical context, going back to the Greco-Roman
era, where a mother sending her son off to war told him to, "Return
with your shield, or upon it!" In other words, he was expected
to be victorious or to die in the effort. This sentiment
resounded in the South, where they were inspired by the values
in Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe.
The South embraced
the ideal of a romantic, chivalric master ruling class. These
images were superimposed on their society and they lived
it. This translated into the exaltation of the role of woman,
with man's role being to fight for her honor. The upper classes
saw themselves in these terms and the lower classes aspired
to it. This is why William Tecumseh Sherman said that the
real warriors of the South were the women, who encouraged
the men to fight. Thus, Sherman turned the war against civilians--the
women at the home front.
 Dr.
Smith explains that in addition to the women on both sides
who gave their sons, husbands, and fathers to the war effort,
some women gave their spirit. Harriet Beecher Stowe started the
war with Uncle Tom's Cabin. With the words to the Battle
Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe defined the
purpose of the war--"to make men free" (we assume she meant
women too!). Clara Barton mended the wounds
of war by nursing men on the battlefields; and, her post-war
projects to find missing soldiers, and to identify and bury
the victims of Andersonville. During this time the Capitol
dome was completed and the Statue of Freedom was placed on
top--a female figure symbolizing both the victory of freedom
and the continuity of the Union. This action served to consecrate the
war.
Dr. Smith mentioned
other women whose contributions to the era are often overlooked.
These include the Southern diarist Mary Chestnut; Phoebe
Pemberton, head of Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond; Harriet
Tubman, conductor of the Underground Railroad; and, Sojourner
Truth, who fought for emancipation and women's rights
The seminar provided
me with a great deal of new information. And, I was very
pleased with the choice of Professor Smith to teach the class.
He was a former speechwriter for President Carter and is
a professor of history at American University, in addition
to being a regular Smithsonian seminar and study tour leader.
He was excellent, so was the topic, so was the information,
and so was the evening spent at the Smithsonian.
Our thanks
to Sara Bartlett for this review. Ms. Bartlett and
her family recently moved to the Washington DC area and they
just discovered the opportunities available as Smithsonian
Resident Associate Program members. This fits in perfectly
with Sara's career as an actor, writer, and independent scholar.
This topic was especially meaningful to her, since she is
also a Civil War re-enactor who portrays Clara Barton.
Photos: Library of Congress |
