There were many women playing important roles in the Civil War, including nurses, spies, soldiers, abolitionists, civil rights advocates and promoters of women’s suffrage. Most women were engaged in supplying the troops with food, clothing, medical supplies, and even money through fundraising. Others, following in the footsteps of Florence Nightingale who pioneered the institution of professional nursing in the Crimean War, took to directly caring for the wounded, treating the sick and ensuring the health of the troops.
