Myself and some family members headed on an ancestry adventure to Gettysburg, PA to see if we could find my great-great uncle’s name, who served in the army during the civil war, on a memorial. Along the way, we were able to spend an afternoon at an encampment where a very kind young lady and her husband educated us greatly on what life was like in 1861-1865 during the civil war. Of course what sparked my interest was the clothing during that time period. She stressed the importance of both sewing and knitting<\/span> back then. <\/span><\/p>\n

Needle and thread played an important part in providing comfort to the soldiers on both sides during the war. Sewing machines were not in much use back then so most of the sewing was done by hand. Soldiers needed patches sewn onto warn out areas of their uniforms, lost buttons replaced, ripped seams sewn back together, bed linens, pillow cases, bed shirts and quilts needed to be made for the soldiers, and stripes and other military insignia needed to be sewn onto uniforms. Women and girls threaded their needles and took on these tasks practically sewing day and night. Many sewing circles were ask to do some of the larger responsibilities. Miles and miles of bandages were sewn for the four years worth of wounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

When soldiers were ready to leave for war many were given a “housewife.” The housewife was a small sewing kit with a small reel of thread, several needles, straight pins, and perhaps an extra button or two. The items were placed on cloth and easily rolled up. Some of them had the soldier’s initials embroidered on them. This was a gift that was made and given by a mother, wife, sister, or female relative.<\/span><\/p>\n