Good news! There was no such thing as “rape culture” among Northern soldiers fighting for the Union in America’s Civil War. Scholars looked for the tell-tale signs of “rape culture” and found none. No Rolling Stone frat parties gone awry, no Duke Lacrosse team—oh wait those things didn’t actually happen. Back to the Civil War. Despite what popular culture would have us believe about men and boys in America, most don’t rape–or think of rape. Many don’t even want to be around women anymore for fear of the “rape culture” witch hunt.
Oops. Back to the Civil War:
Northern men in the 1860’s were supported by a culture that valued self-restraint. In fact self-restraint in men was seen as one of the top indicators of a truly masculine man. To lose control was seen as childish, feminine and kind of pathetic. Of course this does not mean that all men kept away from prostitutes or that all men were angels–there were a few cases of rape but astonishingly rare.
For all the bad press patriarchy gets, the notion of the South going against the father (government) and the brotherhood (the northern states) created an interesting twist when it came to how the northern soldiers viewed southern women. This changed over the course of the war to be sure as the women went from outspoken vixens (she-devils) to co-combatants (stories of women luring soldiers to guard their homes only to shoot them in the head spread like wildfire and in some cases were true). There was a sense initially that messing with southern women was like messing with your best friend’s sister–not good. As time went on it seemed more soldiers fantasized about killing southern women than sleeping with them.
And what is this thing about rape during war anyway? There’s always plenty of hookers hanging around. Rape during war is mental assault against an opponent–what kind of man isn’t able to protect his women folk? Again I will remind everyone that northern soldiers were hardly ever rapists (like most US men are hardly ever rapists). In the rare recorded cases the raping seemed to be more a thing done to slave women (considered southern property) and usually in front of their white southern female owners as if to warn them that it could happen to them if they weren’t careful. Some Union soldiers blamed the fiery southern women for prolonging the bloody war by convincing their men to keep fighting against all odds.
There were a few well-documented cases of gang rape done by colored troops and here the reasoning may have been more in line with revenge against their former white masters.
Here are my questions: When did self-restraint in men become something to be laughed at? When did men begin to cling to childhood and abdicate their proper place as men? What’s not cool about taking care of families (other than divorce courts being brutal on men)? When did childish women decide that unrestrained lust would make for better relationships? When did these same women start calling all men rapists?
There was a Cult of Womanhood back in the 19th century. Women had a great mission and a great power. Not everyone lived up to the ideal or even wanted to and that’s fine, but when a culture turns its people into children unable to use self control and actually applauds self obsession and stupidity one wonders when the real men and women will stand up.
Essay prompted by THE VACANT CHAIR by Reid Mitchell
Author Adrienne Morris 
18 responses to “Rape Culture Civil War Style”
Thanks for this! I can already hear the feminists’ angry cry, which, as far as I’m concerned, means you hit it just right.
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Thanks for reading, Sarah. If only men and women took more time to admire the positive strengths in each other–but then we get into who decides what positive is. Ugh.
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A fascinating and thought-provoking post, Adrienne. We sorely need to re-connect with some of the powerful traits of times past to give our future a chance. Nothing is ever or was ever as bad (or good) as rumours and propaganda suggest. I’d always assumed that ‘rape culture’ was a given in war time but your post made me sit up short and think.
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We all need to put out thinking caps on! What I’d like to do away with is the tearing-down-the-other-sex culture. 😉
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I gotta process this one…
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Me too 🙂 Self restraint as a manly trait is pretty cool though. (I think women could use a bit of it as well).
BTW, I really enjoyed your discussion the other day on the silent victims of child abuse (enjoy is not the right word). Great interview!
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Thanks for letting me know. It’s a heavy topic people don’t like to talk about and I thought our guest was absolutely phenomenal.
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This is fascinating! Thank you for this.
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Glad you enjoyed. Reid Mitchell’s book is a fascinating book in general–thought-provoking but mainly just a great look into the minds of the men who fought for the Union.
Have a great day
Nicodemas!
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Always delighted to see truth spread and virtue praised. It was a different world then.
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Parker J hit it on the head for me…gotta process this one…
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I take that as a compliment! Like to keep people questioning and thinking. 🙂
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No. it’s a good thing. It means I have to analyze why I have to process it, rather than just leave a pat answer which I don’t like to do. In fact it’s only an overload of work and issues that came in and put a stop to my analysis!
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For me sometimes it’s an overload of reading about too many issues! Will the world just calm down a bit so I can catch my breath? And then there’s the what’s the meaning of life thing. 😉
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Ha! Oh that’s very true! If all bloggers could just slow down please and adjust to my reading rate and time available I’d appreciate it! Then I’d find the time to answer that meaning of life question which keeps getting shoved to the bottom of the pile! 🙂
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I look out my window on a sunny fall morning and wonder how is there a war going on in Syria? Has anyone discovered the meaning of destabilizing the Middle East? What must the meaning of life be for the people in power in this crazy mixed up world?!!
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…You are actually going for the answer here aren’t you? 🙂 But I don’t know if it’s a Middle East problem as much as a power crazed human one. They come in all shades and from all centuries. It’s the one thing you can absolutely rely on humans for. Whether it results in genocide or a completely uncalled for parking ticket.
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Those damned parking tickets! haha. Everything you say is true.
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