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About Women's Roles During the Civil War

During the Civil War, Michigan women served the Union cause in a variety ofand often under appreciatedways. As men went off to war, women remained at home where they were thrust into leadership roles. They managed the farm or business, ran the household and organized relief societies that provided soldiers with everything from foodstuffs to stationery. These societies also operated hospitals near the war front where many women volunteered as nurses. Some women even joined the army. Annie Etheridge of Detroit served as a modern-day combat medic. According to one soldier, she always displayed the most intrepid coolness and indifference to danger. Sarah E. Edmonds of Flint assumed the appearance of a man and spent two years in the army before deserting when an injury would have led to hospital confinement and the inevitable disclosure of her sex.

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