Southern Knitting in the US Civil War

Emerging Civil War, a website devoted to the American Civil War, published an interesting post on knitting for the troops in the 1860s. ‘Knitting in the Civil War South‘ offers an insight into the Southern home front.

Some of the many women ready to contribute to the war effort by knitting for soldiers were surprised to find the task more difficult than they imagined, and their exertions unappreciated. Newspapers lamented the quality of some of the items sent to the front by their female readers, complaining that they were too small for soldiers’ feet or even that they were misshapen. The Charleston Mercury remarked, “The formation of some of the socks which they have produced does not indicate a very exact knowledge of human anatomy. I saw one last evening, which I am told, was intended for the foot of the entire Southern Confederacy. From its size, I judged it would make a rather loose fit.”

The guest post is by Hannah McClearnen, currently taking a Masters degree at West Virginia University. Read the whole article here.