The article "Cross-Dressers of the Civil War" by Veronica Majerol is about the many women in the 1860's who fought in the Civil War. The women disguised themselves as men to be close to their family, for the money, or for patriotism. The article quoted many women who fought in the war through their journals or letters to their families. It talked about the situations women went through in order to get what they want. The article also talked about how most women went undetected. The author provided many statistics that showed how the women were superior to men in some cases. The article shows that the women who fought were brave, strong, and determined people who were willing to sacrifice themselves for their country.
Throughout the article, the author is trying to say that women can be just as strong, brave, and determined as men. She supports it by giving quoting excerpts from women solider's journals or letters to their families. Sarah Edmonds, under the name of Franklin Thompson, said "I can only thank God that I was free and could go forward and work and I was not obliged to stay at home and weep." The words "... I was not obliged to stay home and weep..." made Edmonds seem strong. It shows that Edmonds was too mature and internally strong to act as a typical 1860's woman would: to stay at home and weep for their husband, brother, or father who went to war. This proves a part of Majerol's claim, which was that the women soldiers could be strong.
Later on in the article, Majerol gives another example; this time of a woman who proved the "brave" part of her claim. The woman's name was Martha Lindley. She was a Union soldier who joined the war solely to be close to her husband. The article says, "'I was frightened half to death,' she said about joining the 6th U.S. Cavalry in Pittsburgh, 'but I was so anxious to be with my husband that I resolved to see the thing through if it killed me.'" Lindley demonstrated bravery by getting over her fear of joining the army to be with the person she loved the most. By saying this, she proved Majerol's claim about soldiers being brave.
Mary A. Brown was one of the women who enlisted because they believed in the Union or Confederate cause. The article said, "Mary A. Brown said she fought with the 31st Maine Infantry because 'slavery was an awful thing, and we were determined to fight it down.'" Brown displayed determination by proving that she was not going to back down from fighting against the wrong morals. She showed that she resolved to finish the fight, no matter how long it took. She showed determination and no fear which is something that Majerol wants to pinpoint. She finishes proving her point by giving this example that illustrates a woman with determination.
In response to what I read, I feel that it was unjust and sexist that women were considered second-class compared to men. Right before the Civil War time period, there was the end of slavery, which not everyone agreed with. There were many problems with the nation, government, and citizens, such as racism in that time. It was wrong that beside discriminating blacks, the white men thought themselves to be superior to women. By reading this article, I thought about how far our country has come since the mid-1800's. It made me realize how lucky each and every non-white and female is, being that the Union won the Civil War so that slavery was forever abolished, and that women later became equal to men. By just reading this one 3-paged article, my eyes became more open to the world around me and the history and reason behind prejudiceness, racism, and sexism.
