Jewish Women In Civil War

The Civil War represented the biggest conflict on American soil during the 19th century. North and South, deeply divided over issues like slavery, commercial enterprise, and Westward expansion, mounted a military offensive against each other that threatened to make the foundling nation a house divided. If we wish to examine the situation of Jewish women in early American history, the Civil War represents a unique opportunity for so doing. This is particularly true when it came to Jewish women in the South, many of who were supportive of and loyal to the Confederacy. By examining source documents of the era, we are able to reveal a great deal about the experiences of these Confederate Jewish immigrants, including not only their views and experiences during the conflict but also the examination uncovers many facets of their daily lifestyle.

We learn much about the character of Jewish women in early American society from examining source documents of the period during the Civil War. One theme that appears to repeat itself when it comes to these Jewish women is their fortitude, courage, and an unwillingness to surrender their hope. We would see a century later that many Jewish women who survived the atrocities of Hitler's Germany were endowed with similar qualities. If we look at the diary of Eleanor Cohen Seixas, recorded from February 28, 1865 through September 10, 1865, we see a young woman with such determination "I have been in the habi

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swer. Fears as to the future thronged thickly upon us, and Phillip packed his trunk and made such arrangements for our young children as he could, expecting every hour of each night to be called from his bed, for transportation to Fort Lafayette, the American Bastille!" (Journal Of 3). Eugenia Levy Phillips was the sister of Phoebe Yates Levy Pember. Mrs. Levy Pember authored A Southern Woman's Story. In that work she exhibits no hesitation in accusing the North of tactics not much above those her ancestors would levy at the Nazi's. Mrs. Levy Pember worked as a nurse and functioned in whatever capacity she was able in order to help the Southern cause. However, she often found herself in dangerous and difficult situations where character more than anything else was the resource that would help save the day. We see this in A Southern Woman's Story when Mrs. Levy Pember explains being abandoned and left in enemy lines "Those who were compelled to remain were almost wild at being left in what would be the enemy's lines the next day; for in many instances they had been exchanged prisoners only a short time before. I gave all the comfort I could, and with some difficulty their supper also, for my detailed nurses had gone with G

Category: History - J