Women Writing History!

by Emerging Civil War

Posted on March 15, 2024

We invited the women at Emerging Civil War to contribute to a discussion about writing and authorship, and you’ll find the discussion/answers below from those who chimed in. This topic was selected because it’s also a chance to spotlight the writing and publishing of all the women at ECW.

Do you have a favorite Civil War era account that a woman wrote for publication? 

Tonya McQuade: I really liked reading the book Fearless Purpose: Memoir of Emily Elizabeth Parsons, which was originally published to help raise money for the Cambridge Hospital, which Emily had founded in Massachusetts. Elizabeth wrote many letters to her parents during her time as a nurse. After she died in 1880, they published those letters in this book. I actually wrote an ECW POST about her back in April 2023.

Emily Parsons had already gained notice in L.P. Brockett and Mary Vaughn’s Woman’s Work in the War: A Record of Heroism, Patriotism, and Patience (1867), the first book written to acknowledge women’s contributions to the Civil War: As it turned out, Emily served at Benton Barracks General Hospital during the time my great-great-great grandfather, James Calaway Hale, was there recovering from illness after spending time in Helena, Arkansas, with the 33rd Regiment, Missouri Infantry. His first of several letters from the hospital is dated June 23, 1863. On June 21, 1863 – just two days before James wrote his first letter from the hospital – Emily wrote: “Yesterday we received a number of men from Memphis – poor, sick, and wounded fellows. We are booked for a thousand more, I suppose, from down the river.” Somewhere among those “poor, sick, and wounded fellows” was James. It made me happy to know he had such a kind and compassionate nurse looking after him.
Sheritta Bitikofer: It’s likely a tie between Josie Underwood’s Civil War Diary (though it was never intended for publication) and Susie King Taylor’s A Black Woman’s Civil War Memoirs. The former, I liked because of the very candid way in which she penned her thoughts on the war and how it impacted her family and community in Kentucky. I reviewed the book a while back and enjoyed it immensely. Taylor’s book was simple, but honest in how she described the war through the eyes of a Black nurse following a USCT regiment. Her later chapters cover life after the war and her family’s struggles with racism, which I found enlightening upon my first read through the book years ago.
Susie King Taylor
Sarah Kay Bierle: I’m intrigued by the women during the Civil War era who wrote or allowed their personal writings to be published to financially benefit a cause. Sarah Broadhead’s diary excerpts from June 15 to July 15, 1863, were printed in 1864 and sold at a Sanitary Commission Fair to fundraise for Union soldiers. The Diary of Lady of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania first appeared for charitable purposes, but the publication also helped to ensure that Sarah Broadhead’s voice and thoughts during and about the Gettysburg Campaign from a homefront perspective didn’t disappear or lie forgotten in a drawer.
It’s also interesting when we know that women intentionally edited their writings—either for publication, privacy, or protection. Mary Chesnut is probably one of the best examples of this because several editing phases are documented in the post-war years as she tried to clarify or conceal parts of her “first draft.”

Do you find women writing for publication during or after the war a “forward step” in women’s history or continuing traditional roles through a different media?

Tonya: I think women writing for publication was a step forward – especially as they tackled more serious topics, such as war and medical work and abolition. Any time women broke out of the traditional mold and restricted lives many were forced to lead was, I believe, a step toward greater recognition of their capabilities and potential.

Sheritta: While thinking about these questions, I pulled down a book written by Lyde Cullen Sizer, entitled The Political Work of Northern Women Writers and the Civil War, 1850-1872. I haven’t read the book in its entirety (I have an 8-month-old that prevents me from doing much these days), but in it, she covers how the use of writing served as a political tool for women reformers in the mid-nineteenth century. By writing both fiction and nonfiction about the war, its causes, and its aftermath, women authors could convey messages to the public that may not have reached them otherwise. In this way, women were stepping out of their traditional roles within the domestic sphere (home and family) and breached into the public sphere (of politics and social issues) and “created a base of images and ideas that later generations would build upon” through their writing. (Sizer, 2000, p. 280) So, in that way, I think women writers were definitely taking a step forward with their publications, but in some ways, they were falling back on established methods of communication within reform circles (anti-slavery, abolitionism, prohibition, social well-fare, etc.) when they wrote pamphlets and newspaper articles to bring awareness to their cause.

Sarah: Beautifully said, Sheritta! I think it’s important to note that across the centuries, if women knew how to write, they did. But they did not always write for publication and were not usually chosen for publication. If a woman had means, she might arrange for “self-publishing” a book or pamphlet as a way to more widely share her poetry, creative writing, or ideas in essay form. If they were published, it was often as “A Lady” or under a pseudonym that often disguised their gender. In America, the various social movements—particularly abolition and temperance—opened opportunity for writing for publication. The Civil War built on that trend, I think. Also, in a complicated arrangement, both Union and Confederate veterans need the presence, voices, and publications of women in their memory efforts; this might have made a more welcoming publishing atmosphere for women’s Civil War stories, albeit with deeper motives.

Do you have a favorite part of the research/writing process?

Tonya: I love digging into a new topic I’ve never known about and discovering more about it and how it fits into the whole. I also love when I find the perfect word to capture my thoughts.

Sheritta: While researching for my capstone paper to earn my BA in history, I enjoyed finding those little “golden nugget” quotes that fit perfectly with my thesis. Not only were they interesting to read and dissect, but it helped to support what I set out to write. That may not happen too often, but when it does, it’s that “Aha!” moment that makes the struggle worth it.

Sarah: Well, recently, I’ve been trying not to happy-cry in archives over some really exciting finds! I really love the research process, especially when I realize how all the “pieces” fit together and I have a citable answer to a name, mystery, or story. I do like the writing process, too, and I look forward to do some writing in the future that isn’t in the darkest hours of night—literally and figuratively.

Do you have a favorite part of the publishing process?

Tonya: I was pretty excited when my first box of books arrived and I got to finally hold the book in my hands! I also love when people say they’ve read something I’ve written and want to talk about it – or when they read it and leave a comment. It’s great to know your work and efforts are appreciated.

Sheritta: To answer this, I don my “fiction author” hat and I have to say my favorite part is the writing itself. When I can find just the write string of words to describe a scene, an action, a character’s appearance or mood, it makes me feel like I’ve brought to life something that only existed in my head. It’s the fleshing out of the world and story that really sparks joy for me.

In nonfiction writing, I enjoy the research part the most. Gathering the information, reading the books, and thinking critically about the subject provides a sense of discovery. It may not be new knowledge to the world, but it’s new to me. I’ve always enjoyed learning, especially about those things I’m keenly interested in.
Sarah: I’ve learned to like getting editorial notes and often schedule time to sit down and go through them thoughtfully and without distractions. It’s a good way to learn and try to be a better writer. I think my favorite part though is actually at the very beginning—talking with trusted friends and colleagues about the concept and working on the outline for research and writing. In the past, that has been a hopeful time and just fun to talk about ideas!
Thanks for joining us for the “discussion” about writing and publishing! Check out the new books and we’ll see you on the blog or battlefield.

2 Responses to Women Writing History!

  1. Wish I had seen your earlier post with the questions for women writers. I had my first foray into writing a book with the discovery of a group of letters from a 4th Wisconsin lieutenant to his friend back home. The letters were a gift to our local historical society where I volunteer, and I just couldn’t keep from turning the correspondence into a book. My favorite part of researching was reading each letter for the first time. I was literally holding Civil War history in my hands!

    Anyone interested in a copy can find it at parksbentleyplace.org and all proceeds go to the Historical Society of Moreau and South Glens Falls, NY for their history education programs.

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