To go to many reenactments, one might not think that life changed very much during
the Civil War years. In some areas, both North and South, this may be true.
Yet for many women, life changed dramatically. Even some of the wealthiest
experience privation and had to engage in work that they had never before dreamed
possible for a "lady."
As reenactors (especially in certain areas of the South), we have the opportunity to
show the reality of war. During the Civil War, the United States engaged in total war
against Southern civilians: the elderly, women and children. Whether this was
justified or not is left to the individual to decide.
While reenacting the part of a lower-class woman, refugee, or simply the wife left to
guard hearth and home may not be as "fun" as being the beautiful, spirited belle
dressed in silk, these are necessary and rewarding roles for some reenactors to
pursue.
The following links, mostly directed at the ladies, are to help the reenactor who may
be interested in moving beyond the stereotypes and developing a historical
"character."
As each area was different, finding out as much about life in your area from census
records, local letters, newspapers, etc. will be invaluable in your quest to present
the facts, fashion and material culture that relate to "your" experience during the
Civil War.
WOMEN'S CLOTHING AND LIFE IN THE
CIVIL WAR SOUTH
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Index and some general notes to the book Brokenburn: The Journal of Kate
Stone 1861-1868. (Edited by John Q. Anderson LSU Press: Baton Rouge
copyright 1995).
Age: 20s
Class: Planter
Place: Northeast Lousiana and Northeast & East Texas
Marital Status: Unmarried
Condition: Struggles as a refugee with food and clothing, yet still continues to
have some recreation (horseback riding) and even a few new clothes during
the war.
Copy of the July 1866 article from Godey's Lady's Book "Dress Under
Difficulties: Or Passages from the Blockade Experience of Confederate
Women."
Character: Eliza Hay
Class: Apparently the planter class
Place: Georgia
Eliza describes the way that blockaded Southerners used Southern-made
factory cloth, homespun and old clothes to piece together wardrobes during
the Civil War. Once again, these are NOT the costumes seen in old photos, at
most reenactments or shown in Godey's Lady's Book.
To go to these pages,
click on the links
below.
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