Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-07-11
THE BATrTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Blue aud the Gray Review Incl
dents of the Late War, and in a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.

THE Civil war" said the Sergeant,
"made as great a change in the young
women of the period as it did in the
young men l have often thought that
the impulse that has carried so many
girls into employments formerly mon
opolized by men was born in the first
years of the war. The girl of the
period was proud of her femin!nity ana
was extremely particular in the mat
ter Of employment. Even the father
Of large family of girls might not
ask his daughters to do what was re-
garded as mems work without exciting
criticism from both men and women.
The girl of the smaller city, the viii
lage, and the country drew sharp line
between what she might do and what
her brother might do. She was re-
action from the girl of the previous
generation. who had been trained to do
all sorts of work in and about the
farmhouse and was jealous of her pre-
rogative as q girl. Her mother had
been trained to spin and sew, TO weave
cloth and make coats. as well as
dresses; TO raise vegetables as well as
cook them, and therefore the girl of
1860 If circumstances permitted. was
not inclined to do any of these things.
The men We're 10 DO their work and
she was to do hers
~.
men of the farms and towns south
ward, however. the women were ready
and willing to take up mems work
Even those who had been taught to
believe that TO be lady was to be
idle became eager to help the soldiers.
Young women who did not know how
to sew organized sewing circles. and
III the first months of the war the
woollen shirts and other garments re-
ceived by the soldiers Were fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Buttons at the collar band, in front,
and at the cuff bands were on the
wrong side. and not infrequently the
sleeves were finished with a fancy
stitch that made then look like the
sleeves of a lady's dress. The boys
We're wont to laugh over the dear left
handed shirts. but they swore they
would wear them if they had TO stand
on their heads to button them. And
these girls stitching, stitching in mis-
directed zeal, with tears dropping on
their work, as they thought of the
absent men, were transformed into
workers. They learned to do things
and to do them well.
Many of them had never bridled or
Sadled or htched horse. They soon
learned to care for horses as well as
the men had. Few of them knew
anything Of farm work Many of them
went without hesitation into the corn
fields. and not n few Of them into the
Wheat fields in harvest time. Going
home in the second year of the war,
girl who had seemed to me a year
before of such delicate mold as 10
shrink always from Il uauniSh act
ran TO the stable while | talked to
my mother, threw the harness on Il
horse that | had called mine. hitchcd
him to the spring wagon. and drove
around to the front door for me. stand
Ing UP like boy, and driving like a
iehu. her bright hair flying ana her
blue eyes sparkling.
" / could not believe she was the
same girl then and when caught her
curIying the horse the next morning
Twelve months before she had shrunk
from riding behind a spirited horse:
now she was driving one every day
and enjoying all the unusual work that
came to her. Another girl OF the same
type drove ten miles and sold not only
eggs and butter, but potatoes, cab
bage, corn and hay in the market place
When | came home in 1864 an old
comrade met me at the station and
drove me along the familiar road to-
ward my old home.
AS we passed Farmer Browns.
where knew there were half dozen
pretty girls, | suggested that we stop a
few minutes. My friend looked en-
harassed and limited that my mother
ought to have my first call. This cx-
cited my suspicious and / asked If
there was any trouble. He said there
was not. but that the girls were just
cleaning up their wheat harvest ana
We're not In shape to receive callers.
Thereupon Jumped out Of the buggy
and started for the wheat field. where
! met five girls coming Ia. a little the
worse for the work ana sun, but
ready to greet me The next night
] called on them and would not have
suspected they had ever scen a wheat
field"
1T must be remembered, said the
doctor, that IL 1860 very few Young
women were employed in dry goods
establishments. and none az all in gro
cefies and general stores There were
10 girls IN offices Of lawyers or bust
ness men. and there were not one.
third as many employed as teachers as
now. The trained nurse had not arriy-
ed and the stenographer was not in
evidence. Girls were disnclined 10
h0usewOrk outside their own families