The War Was Hell on Women in Occupied New Orleans
The Women Waging War at Home
The Women Waging War at Home
(Irish Confederates) - After two weeks of Yankee occupation, Clara, like most New Orleans women, was at war with the occupiers. The ladies engaged in a silent refusal to accept the occupation. Some women, not Clara, wore black bows to signify mourning. Clara felt that everyone was in mourning, so why wear black? Clara did approve the new custom of working the Confederate flag into everyday wear and dresses.
Avoiding the Yankees
She was offended by the presence of Union soldiers in her city. She described instances of a group of soldiers entering an omnibus. An omnibus was the early street car, which was pulled by horses. In response, the ladies on the bus would all exit. At church, a group of soldiers would enter a pew. The women would all leave the pew.
And, again, the slave issue arose. Gen. Butler was the new commander. Rumors flew that he would do this or that. One rumor held that he had opened the prison and freed all the “negro” inmates. That rumor brought to her mind her deep fear of a slave insurrection. That possibility gave the young Clara greater fear than the Yankees, she said. The possibility of a slave revolt continually surfaces among diaries and reminisces of Southerners. It is easy to look back on their fears and see indications that slavery was far from the panacea the nineteenth century Southerners thought it was.
The St. Charles Hotel
Perhaps, the greatest shock for Clara was the scene at the elegant St. Charles hotel. It was one of the finest in the country. The Yankees occupied the St. Charles from their first day. The hotel was a perfect “wreck,” said the young woman. Soldiers were loitering about, some…
When I was younger I heard a comedian whose record was on our record player. He was talking about “Ignorant Southerners selling water to the Brilliant Yankees”.