The Role Of Women In The Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War was an important milestone in U.S. History. This war was initiated to gain freedom from the rule of Great Britain. The Revolutionary War took place from 1775 to 1783 and resulted in the United States being its own country. Although the men had a great impact on this war due to being soldiers and government officials, women in the Revolutionary Era had a great impact as well. The outcome of the Revolutionary War would not have been possible without the help of women. Women in the 18th century are often forgotten about when it comes to the successes of the war but they contributed a great deal. Some of the roles that women played during this era consisted of being nurses, cooks, and seamstresses for the men in the army. Other women played a more direct role in the war and took on roles as soldiers in a time where women were not allowed to. They disguised as men in order to be able to fight in the war. Other women contributed by quartering soldiers in their homes. With the help of these women through their various functions in the war, victory was possible.

One of the ways women helped out was through domestic help. They helped out through cooking for the soldiers, being nurses to aid the injured, being seamstresses for the soldiers, helping with their laundry, being water bearers, and even opening their homes to quarter soldiers. The American army recruited many women to be camp followers. Camp followers are civilians who follow the army to offer aid. They may be wives to the soldiers, mothers, and even children. For the first time in history, women were able to hold jobs in the military instead of male soldiers. They were offered responsibilities such as washing laundry, cooking fresh meals, making clothes for themselves and the soldiers. They were able to earn rations for the work provided. Although the aid these women provided was vital to the American army, they were forgotten heroes. There is not much documentation about these women. One of the female camp followers that is known in history is Lucy Knox. She was born into a wealthy family but later married Henry Knox. She followed her husband, General Henry Knox to the war. During her time as a camp follower, Lucy “proved a morale booster for the soldiers” with her cheerful personality (Garrett 2016). When Boston was occupied by the British, her and her husband fled. It was known that she hid the sword he wore at war in the lining of her cloak.

In addition to camp followers, Nurses in the American Revolution were also vital and had a great impact. Nurses were needed so that they could aid the injured soldiers and tend to them. However, not many women wanted to volunteer to be a nurse. Being a nurse meant that they would have to expose themselves to illness and disease. Because it was hard to recruit nurses, they were often bribed with full ration and even a wage. This was especially beneficial because this would provide them an opportunity to earn a living. Nurses received 0.24 cents a day plus one full food ration and someone in a supervisory position “got more than twice that rate at 0.50 cents a day” plus the full ration. The job duties of a nurse entailed of feeding and bathing patients, emptying chamber pots, and cleaning wards (Brooks, 2013). Maintaining hygiene for both the soldiers and themselves was important to prevent catching illness.

One of these nurses was a woman named Abigail Hartman Rice. Originally from Germany, she arrived in Pennsylvania with her parents and later married Zachary Rice at the age of 16. During the war, a lot of injured soldiers ended up at Yellow Springs Hospital near Abigail’s home. She visited often and brought food to the soldiers. Her role was to alleviate their pain as much as she could by uplifting their spirits instead of treatment. Conditions at the hospital was rough; supplies were scarce. The hospital’s director, Dr. Bodo Otto, wrote to the Continental Congress and explained that “There is no money in the hands of the Commissary to purchase fresh provisions, so the sick have been obliged these several past days to eat salt provisions. There is but six days’ supply of bread on hand, and the gentlemen who have furnished us that article as well as meat for the two years past now refuse to supply us any longer.” Shortly after the war in 1789, Abigail passed away from typhus fever that she may have possibly contracted from the hospital.

In addition to being camp followers and nurses, women played another role during the war which was more direct. In rare cases, women served in the army as soldiers and spies. It was far riskier to do this for two reasons; one, putting themselves out in the line of duty exposed them to combat and two, it was not allowed to do so. They often had to dress up and disguise as men so that they could be a soldier.