Revolutionary Mothers: Experiences Of Women In The American Revolutionary War
American Revolution was fought by the men, but what about the women? This truth was brought to light with Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence: Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berkin. On the other side, men were going to war with knowing that there is no coming, only death is ahead. Women in the American Revolution had similar experiences because they all had to struggle to keep the stability of their households.
The story of Hannah Adams, the wife of Deacon Joseph Adams was that the burden that she faced to bring preservation to her household wasn’t easy. For instance, the Battle of Trenton in 1777. The author noted: “How could a woman protect...“Tables chairs looking glasses and Picture Frames”?. She was powerless to protect her home, yet stood strong for defense. She fought for the revolution and risked her life, for the household that she protected to support her husband in the war for independence. She suffered alone because she got hurt by the fight around her “leg was shot at her ankle by a cannonball”. Another example, Abigail Adams was a farm wife, who had to take care of the whole farm and keeping it safe, which was unfamiliar responsibility to her but later, it slowly became from “our farm” to my farm”.
The story of Mary Donnelly’s who was from a low-class poor family, she had to protect her home for food because of the starvation. She fought for the stability of her home through starvation and poverty from inflation. Inflation started during the time of 1778. The author noted: “Takes thirty dollars to buy a sieve... we sure must die”. She was pleading her husband to come back from war because of the shortage of food and necessary supplies, so she started fearing that she “sure must die”. In the end, she was alone and every day was hard to wake up and have no hope that she could do anything except dying from starvation. To demonstrate she wrote “afraid to open my eyes… and not have it in my power to relieve him” (Vintage Books 2005, 33). Another example, Colonel Ebenezer Huntington, who complained about the inflation that she is getting paid less than what she deserves and said “Money is good for nothing… my Washing bill is beyond the limits of my Wages”.
Moreover, women didn’t just stay at home like many supportive mothers in the revolution, they cooked and washed clothes for soldiers. It was so in high demand that there was not enough “women power” to wash all the clothes. That some soldiers would get diseases from wearing filthy clothes from being away out in the war. The author noted “Should any woman refuse to wash for soldier at the above rate… or any other improper excuse”. Also, women at that time were “absolutely necessary” for the soldiers and they were wishing to have their wives and said, “If she were here to nurse me I could get well”. Another example, a woman at Fort Monmouth, was attacked by a canon but she observed that she was “lucky it did not pass a little higher” or else it would “carried away something else” but she still “continued her occupation”.
To conclude, the revolutionary mothers were the most energetic and active in every activity of their household. Also, they were best at organizing, farming, nursing the soldiers to save their lives, funding for the emerging nation and managing the family while struggling with the sad reflection of their husband, father and son's death. Still, the author, Berkin disclose that it was not only men who fought in the war but also women like Margaret Cobin, who took her husband’s place at Fort Monmouth and fought at the front line to end the scarcity from home-front war and bring American Independence.
