I'll Pass for Your Comrade : Women Soldiers in the Civil War by Anita Silvey

The Civil War has been studied, written about, even sung about for generations. Most people know that it was a conflict between North and South, Unionists and rebels, blue and gray. We recognize the names of Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee. Many people know about Clara Barton, the nurse who did so much to save soldiers' lives. But few have heard of Sarah Emma Edmonds, Rosetta Wakeman, or Mary Galloway. They were among the hundreds of women who assumed male identities, put on uniforms, enlisted in the Union or Confederate Army, and went into battle alongside their male comrades. In this compelling book, Anita Silvey explores the fascinating secret world of women soldiers: who they were, why they went to war, how they managed their masquerade. A few left memoirs, diaries, or letters. Newspaper stories, pension records, and regimental accounts yielded additional information, as did the writings of male soldiers who became aware of the women in the ranks. Undoubtedly, there were women soldiers whose true identity was never discovered or revealed. Accessible, accurate, and engaging, I'll Pass for Your Comrade invites readers to view the Civil War from an uncommon perspective and explores an often overlooked aspect of our history.

Women at War: Civil War Heroines by L.P. Brockett, M.D. and Mrs. Mary C. Vaughan

They were young, they were old, they were mothers, sisters, wives, widows, and neighbors. They were ladies of high social position, farmer's wives, and school teachers. Shells and bullets flew through the very tents and hospitals in which they worked.

They worked with colored soldiers, freed slaves, and rebel soldiers. They not only gave up their time and exhausted themselves serving others, many lost their lives to the same diseases that killed the soldiers for whom they were caring. They even fought as soldiers.

They were the Union women of the American Civil War and their role in support of the cause was vastly broader and more essential than most people realize. Here are the stories of some of the prominent and the not-so-prominent.

Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix, and Emily Parsons are only three of the many women profiled in this work written right after the Civil War. Without their leadership and tireless efforts, the outcome of the war would have been very different.