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Amidst the confusion and uncertainty of the times, homemakers sought to preserve their homes as a sanctuary of peace & civility. Armies of women worked tirelessly to manage their households, raise their children and support their men in the field.

These united efforts strengthened some communities while tearing others apart. The war left no town untouched. Differing political views became the force that split a country apart; even close families would be torn asunder by opposing beliefs and affiliations. Yet in some towns all worked together to support each other and their cause. Neighbors helped each other and shared their meager resources.

The war had a liberating effect on women North and South. Although many women worked for a living before the war, the exodus of men into the military opened the door to professions previously limited to men. Women worked as government clerks, nurses and in ammunition factories. Rosie the Riveter was not the first American woman to give her all for the war effort. With the men away at war, many women faced the task of running family businesses and farms in addition to caring for children and aged parents.

Families buried the silverware and hid the quilts when armies of either side were marching in their direction. Their towns were overwhelmed when armies crossed paths and fighting flared. Homes suddenly became headquarters or hospitals. Fences became firewood. Soldiers often ate their way through the countryside, clearing out smoke houses, chicken pens and root cellars. When the fighting ended and the armies marched away, the civilians were left to tend the severely wounded and bury the dead.

The civilians of the Confederacy felt the harshest difficulties of the war. With rampant inflation, just surviving was challenge enough. Persistence and resourcefulness were the keys to earning the basic necessities of life. As the Anaconda plan went into effect, deliveries of supplies were interrupted. The enterprising made and sold goods that were in short supply to support home & hearth.

Others sought to make their fortunes from the miseries of war. Scallywags made huge profits on the misfortunes of others, preying on their gullibility. Opportunists found ways to separate the legions of soldiers from their pay. The unscrupulous pandered vices to young men away from the civilizing influences of wives and mothers.

Despite the challenges, discouragements and sorrows of the times, all found ways to laugh and love amid the chaos of war.

Join the RACW Township and display your talents as a business, craft or trade, or as the embodiment of a period homemaker, farmer or rancher. There are a number of interesting roles available for interpretation. For further information please contact the Township Representative Sharon Roberts.