Well of course you know I like the idea of honoring the women who were there and while most didn't fight in the battles, they sure weren't sitting at home resting while they waited for the men to come home. I'll dig through what I have but the write up I posted pretty well said it all. I do have a picture of her that was taken probably a couple of years before she died. Will try to copy it and send it to you. Like I said before, my scanner has decided to lay down and die. Gotta get a new one soon. Her family was aware of some of her story but after the UDC and the SCV got into the records and put the puzzle together it was an amazing find. Just the fact that there were a few women who drew a pension in their own right, not a widows pension is special because that was for sure a 'mans world' at that time. We have heard some stories of things women did to help during the Revolutionary War and the war of 1812 it with the work of the nurses and those who took on the more difficult task on the homefront during the CW sure makes them the early model for the later Rosie the Riveter.It is easy to imagine they were just having their sewing circles to make socks, scarves, blankets and the other items that were needed but many didn't stop at that. Trying to protect what supplies they had and to grow crops to just feed their children while not having the animals used to help with those task is another testiment to their strength. Their stories shred the myth that most of the women were just sitting around the house being served and pampered while awaiting their husbands return. While I don't have any real numbers and am not sure how to find any official estimate, it's pretty clear that those ladies had their days filled with labor and they also had to keep track of any troop movement in their area. Sure, there were a few areas that saw little to no action but they still suffered hardship due to lack of supplies.
While women making a big difference is not confined to the CW because those who headed out on the wagon train trails and set up homesteads in lands they'd probably never have dreamed of visiting much less living in are a whole other matter. They also deserve their place of honor in American History. Those who stayed home in the South while it was being invaded deeper each day were a special breed. I do wonder how many there may have been who were more like Delity. One day, maybe, information on others will be found so they can get the recognition they deserve. Until that happens, we can use Delity and the others we know of to show it was a war that brought out the best qualities and the survivor in all of them. How can we not, at the very least, show our admiration and understanding of the monumental task they took on?

Pam