ABSTRACT
The course of each man and woman’s life is shaped at the nexus of historical events and personal biography. Arguably, of all the historical events that influence individual lives, wars have the greatest impact—especially for those who participate in or are otherwise subject to military battles. Contemporary Americans tend to think of wars as happening in esoteric, far-away, foreign places, like Korea, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Normandy. Consequently, the impact of wars on individuals often seems removed from the everyday lives of Americans whose only contact with them is through letters from the battlefield, the memories of surviving veterans, and the mass media. What happens to American lives when the invaded and devastated land is right here in Virginia and Tennessee, when the casualty rate is ten times higher than is typically the case in contemporary wars, and when there are American lives at stake on both sides? To answer such questions, we must look at the American Civil War. Alternatively, what happens to American lives when there is a massive, protracted war mobilization, when civilians are required to make daily sacrifices due to rationing, when individuals who do not typically directly participate in war efforts are needed to enlist in the military and work in war-related industries? In this case, we must look to World War II. In both of these wars, the historian’s perspective allows for a broader definition of the impact of wartime that takes the experiences of women into account.
