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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Confederate Matrons : Women Who Served In Virginia Civil War Hospitals, A. Elise Allison
Confederate Matrons : Women Who Served In Virginia Civil War Hospitals, A. Elise Allison
Honors Theses
In September 1862, the Confederate Congress authorized hospitals to employ white women as chief matrons, assistant matrons, and ward matrons. This paper examines the lives and experiences of matrons who worked in Confederate hospitals in Virginia. It concludes that only ''exceptional" women with the stamina to endure physical and mental hardships were able to defy conventional ideas about their proper role and contribute to the care of Confederate sick and wounded as matrons.
Worrying About The Civil War, Edward L. Ayers
Worrying About The Civil War, Edward L. Ayers
History Faculty Publications
There is no animosity in any of these historical or practical interpretations of the Civil War. It is clear that the North fought for purposes entirely good--for Union and the end of slavery--but Confederate soldiers also win respect for their bravery, their devotion, and their struggle against long odds. They seem to have been playing historical roles for which they are not to blame. The reenactors, the books in stores, and the battlefield tours generally avoid talking about the cause of the war, focusing instead on the common bravery and hardships of soldiers North and South.