Women's Role In The American Revolution

The American Revolutionary war was a huge turning point in our history.
The American colonies were ruled by the British Parliament. The British
Parliament was harsh, they passed unfair rules, they made life difficult. The men and woman were forced to make a choice. Would they decide to fight for a new life? Would they decide to fight for a new independent nation? Believe it or not, many historians will tell you that the woman that backed these heroic men did play a major role in the American Revolution. Generally, the women would be characterized into two different groups. The groups being those known as “The women back home” and those known as “The camp followers. Little did many know, there was, in fact, a third group of women. They
These women would tend to the animals, they would plow the gardens.
The women at home wore long dresses, and bonnets. The farm women wore frilly, fancy underskirts that were called Petticoats. The women at home worked from sun up to sun down. The colonial women, such as these, would make household items like candles and soap. Many of these women knew how to sew, knit, spin wool, cook and clean. The women known as “The camp followers” were those who would cook meals at the camp for their husbands, they would do the wash at the campground, and many other tasks. Although these women had not been trained to be nurses, they would still tend to the bloody, wounded soldiers. The camp women were tough, they would even repair canons and tote ammunition to the men. History notes and believes that thousands of women traveled with the army, but were unofficial camp followers and many were poor and had never learned how to read or write. Although there were many women who were great patriots of the American
Revolutionary War, I would like to note a few that played pivotal roles in gaining independence. Margaret Corbin was the first woman to enlist in the
Because of her injuries, Margaret was left without the use of her left arm for the rest of her life. Sybil Ludington, also known as the female Paul Revere, was only sixteen years old when she volunteered to go in an important mission. On the night of
April 26, 1777, Sybil rode around the area of Dutchess county. New York to warn minutemen of the approaching British troops from Danbury, Connecticut. She rode almost two times the distance that Paul Revere did, and even fought off a highwayman with her father’s musket. Sybil returned home right around daybreak soaked from the rainstorm and exhausted from riding more than forty miles the previous night. Because of her bravery and heroism, about four-hundred soldiers in the local militia were ready to march and meet the approaching British soldiers. Catherine Moore Barry, also known as “The Heroine of the Battle of
Cowpens”, played a pivotal role in the Battle of Cowpens. She volunteered as a scout for the Continental Army. Catherin lived on a plantation in South Carolina and was familiar with every trail, shortcut and pathway used by Native Americans in the area. General Morgan of the Continental Army looked to Catherine