Women in the Civil War” “I want to do something…” “Write a book,” says the author of my being. “I don’t know enough , Sir. Live first, then write. “Try teaching again,” my mother suggested. “No thank you, ma’am, ten years is enough. » “Take a husband like my Darby and fulfill your mission,” said Sister Joan. “You can't afford expensive luxuries, Mrs. Coobiddy. » “Go and take care of the soldiers,” said my younger brother, “I will!” (Harper 14)." This is a conversation Louisa May Alcott had with those close to her. Miss Alcott, like many other African American women, helped serve in the Civil War. During the Civil War, Miss Alcott held a variety of jobs working primarily as a writer, she held positions as a nurse, teacher, and volunteered at soldiers' aid societies (Harper 14). sample of jobs held by African American women during the Civil War African American women, free or enslaved, found the Civil War a chance for them to free themselves from slavery. moment in their lives when they had the chance to find freedom Even though they knew they could not directly influence this opportunity, they had the opportunity to make an impact While their husbands, fathers or parents. men fought in wars, African American women had to find a way to provide for their families. African American women worked as nurses, servants, laundresses, cooks, seamstresses, and operated boarding houses. They also managed to continue the education of young people by becoming teachers, volunteering in churches, and establishing literary and moral improvement societies. The most common job for African American women during the Civil War was as a nurse. African American women were typically the backbone of hospital staff... middle of paper, and many families ended up starving to death. Many of these women were forced to make their own clothes and shoes. This would be the only way for them to clothe their children. Women who had jobs found themselves wearing formal clothes to work because their street clothes were so worn and tattered. It was also a woman's role to teach her children. Women who were not in the war had to shoulder many responsibilities. Another role they had to take on was that of nurse. One of the main disadvantages of living on a Southern farm was that your home would become a battlefield. As the war was fought on the home front, women were invaded by wounded soldiers in their homes and forced to care for them (Massey 197-219). Even women who did not work on the battlefields still endured pain and suffering and sacrificed themselves for the sake of their families and their countries..