"Women Soldiers of the American Civil War," w/ Dr. Sarah Batterson & the Civil War Roundtable of New Hampshire

Throughout history, women have participated in war efforts not only at home but also on the battlefield as well.  For a small but significant number of women, war not only brought them into battle, it motivated them to disguise themselves as men and take up the musket and sword.  During the Civil War, it is estimated that more than four hundred women concealed their sex in order to fight. Most of them were driven to fight because of their personal convictions and desire to make a difference.  This talk will focus on the adventures of some of the known women who risked their lives, asking what motivated these women and if they truly were ahead of their time. 

Dr. Batterson received her Ph.D. in History at the University of New Hampshire and is Director of Liberal Arts at Granite State College. Her research focuses on nineteenth century U.S. history.  As an instructor, she has taught U.S. survey courses, as well as thematic courses on women’s history, Atlantic Revolutions, Civil War history, and African-American history.  One of her goals as an instructor is to impart her enthusiasm for history to her students, and encourage them to view history as a vibrant and colorful field of study, instead of dull, dusty, old library books- although she also loves those old books too.  She is a self-proclaimed life-long, history devotee with a passion for the past and how it relates to modern day.  She spent most of her childhood in costume wishing she had been born in the 18th century.  Now she is very glad to be living in the 21st century, but her enthusiasm for history has never faltered.