Journal Entry for Yorktown

Were women actually important in terms of the war effort?

It's a well-known fact that war has always been considered a manly thing, and that a war zone is no place for women. However, the presence of women seems to have aided the troops quite a bit during the Revolutionary war. Women were allowed to follow their husband’s army, a fact which some praised and many bemoaned. The three biggest arguments against allowing women to attach to regiments were issues of rations, focus, and time. Many superior officers felt that women, especially those who were not in the upper class, were an inconvenience to the military. The biggest issue was that of rations. Women needed rations just like their husbands did, and with women also came children, needing rations as well. That meant that valuable military supplies were going to people who weren’t enlisted in the army to fight. The second problem was that of the soldier’s focus. Many worried that having women around would serve as a distraction, when full attention was meant to be on the fighting. In addition, the attachment of women to the regiment was also costly in terms of time, because travel took much longer.

A sign displayed at Yorktown, advertising various laundry services for the soldiers.

However, the woman more than made up for this. Apart from the obvious instances of women joining the front line that everyone is familiar with (Molly Pitcher, anyone?), women contributed so much behind the scenes to the war effort. In colonial America, everyone knew their place – men were protectors and providers, while women were the mothers and housekeepers. For men to be asked to do a job that was typically women’s work was insulting, and could cause strife within their regiment. However, when women followed their men into battle, there were suddenly people to do the laundry, sew, cook, and all of those other chores men didn’t normally do. Things could now run smoother, and the men of the army had more time to focus on their tasks. An increase in women really meant an increase in manpower. And the presence of wives was not necessarily a distraction; it may have led to untroubled thoughts instead. Husbands did not have to worry about coming home to find their families gone, forced to flee; instead, they knew that their family unit was remaining intact. So, while some will argue that women only hindered the war effort, it seems that instead they helped it along. They worked behind the scenes so that men didn’t have to, enabling soldiers to focus fully on fighting, and eventually winning, the war.

Sources: Holly Mayer, “Retainers to the Camp”