The image in my banner above shows the image of the Bas-Relief Bronze Panel “Cleveland Soldier’s Aid Society” that is set in the central column of the Tablet Room in the Soldier and Sailors Monument, Public Square, Cleveland, OH. The Soldier’s Aid Society organized at the beginning of the Civil War became one of the key branches of the U.S. Sanitary Commission. This panel is the only 19th Century Civil War monument that included women.
Without knowing the larger context of the panel, it would be difficult to identify the purpose of the image. It does not portray the women as “Heroines”, although these women were, giving up time at home and daily activities to promote and organize the collection of food, medical supplies and other items requested by the field stations and hospitals of the Union Army. They collected articles & money, served as the conduit of information from the front line and cared for soldiers medical, transportation and sheltering needs from 5 days after Lincoln’s call for troops though the duration and about 3 years after the Civil War. These women are portrayed simply as a group of women. Once could probably date the context through the women’s attire. Aside from the Sister of Charity holding an amputated arm, the setting could be anywhere in the mid-late 19th Century.
I believe this image is a wonderful place to begin the tour because it provides the opportunity to raise a variety of topics:
- What is women’s role: in the Civil War; …on the home front; …in the city?
- What are women’s jobs: on the cusp of the Civil War and after?
- What is women’s relationship: to the War; ….to each other; ….to their families; …..to the City and Federal governments?
- What are the attributes of women’s leadership?
- What impact did race and class have on women’s ability to participate in society or demonstrate leadership?
- What is the perception of women and their place in the public sphere?
- How are women remembered?
This image grounds us in the fact that “women” are individuals who are living and their lives…when changes come… they meet them.
