ABSTRACT
An individual woman might experience a variety of realities during the course of her husband’s enlistment. In spite of the variables, there are certain commonalties and values that shaped the experiences of army wives and produced remarkably similar responses from the women. Army officers’ wives viewed themselves as special, as members of a tight circle of women who shared experiences that set them apart from other middle-class women. Army wives interpreted and adapted nineteenth-century, middle-class ideologies in ways that suited their circumstances. Women posted to remote locations relied on their families and friends at home to keep them abreast of the latest changes in fashion. A variety of circumstances other than finances frequently sent wives and children home to live with grandparents. Some assignments were simply too dangerous or remote for the women to accompany the men. The women in this study strongly believed that their place was with their spouses.
