Maryland Women in the Civil War: Unionists, Rebels, Slaves & Spies

by Claudia Floyd

On July 9, 1864, young Mamie Tyler crouched in a cellar as Union sharpshooters above traded volleys with Confederate forces. After six excruciating hours, she emerged to nurse the wounded from the Battle of Monocacy. This was life in a border state and the terrifying reality for the women of Maryland. Western Maryland experienced some of the worst carnage of the war, and women turned their homes into hospitals for the wounded of Antietam, South Mountain and Gettysburg. In Baltimore, secessionists such as Hetty Carry fled arrest by Union troops. The Eastern Shore's Anna Ella Carroll plotted military strategy for the Union, and Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Author Claudia Floyd draws on letters and memoirs to chronicle their stories and present a fascinating and nuanced portrait of Maryland women in the Civil War.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2013

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating - I learned so much!

[Shivaun Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, short, but a lot of information. Took me longer than I thought to read and digest it. Coming from California, my knowledge of Maryland state history basically ended at its colonial founding. This was eye-opening to understand how immeshed southern culture was and how long Jim Crow remained in Maryland.

[Giulia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was disappointing through and through. This isn't a book. It's a thesis paper, which is fine if that's what you want to read, but I was hoping for more of a non-fiction narrative. Hopefully there are other books out there about Maryland women during the Civil War.

[robin upperman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read about our history

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening my awarwness to the bi-polar politics of Maryland before, during and after the Civil War, I found CF's prototypes of outspoken women interesting: activist; reactors and provincials. Surely we are experiencing similar female responses in today's polarized politics.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!!