How did women participate in the Revolutionary war?
Most of the women involved with the army in the Revolutionary War worked as nurses. They staffed the hospitals and took care of the wounded solders. A number of them served as spies. They would get to the highest levels of the British Army and find out the battle plans. Then they would return and relay the information to the American commanders. A number served as messengers. Women were frequently able to ride horses between two American commanders without raising suspicion when a man would have been unable to do the same. Women served as cooks. Unlike today’s army, a number of wives stayed with their husbands while the men were in the army. A number of women would join the men in battle. Then the Continental Congress made it illegal. (If it had not been happening, the Continental Congress would not have made it illegal. Laws are reactive not anticipatory.
