Words Have Meaning, Choose Them Carefully: Language And The Obfuscation Of Women’s Contributions To American Warfare

More Than “Camp Followers”: Camp Women During the American Revolution, Their Value to Effective Warfare, and Historiographical Depreciation Women were essential to the Continental Army during the American Revolution and in the army’s eventual victory. They worked for the army as laundress, seamstresses, sutlers, and nurses. Largely, these women have been referred to as “camp followers.” However, the anachronistic use of that derogatory nineteenth-century term does not accurately portray their relationship with the army and instead does them a disservice. Their support of fighting men through various services was instrumental in supplying the troops and bolstering their efficiency. This paper explores the history of these remarkable women. Specifically, it delves into the motivations of this under-acknowledged group, their roles in supporting the American fighting forces, and how they came to be denigrated over time. It also investigates the distinctly nineteenth-century origins, uses, and implications of the term “camp follower” and how it was used to devalue and demean these women. Ultimately, it complicates and works to question the use of and redefine our understanding of the term itself. My analysis highlights the significant contributions these women made to the success of the Continental Army and, ultimately, the entire war effort. “White, Negro, Other:” The “Indian Princess” and Native American Woman in the Liminal Space of a Racially Segregated Military in World War II While Native Americans have the highest per capita rate of military service of any minority group in the United States, Native American women are one of the most understudied groups of service members. During World War II, their service in a segregated military was characterized by their existence in a liminal space that defied the binary the military tried to force them into. While they were classified as white, integrated into white units, and afforded opportunities exclusive to white women as a result, their individual experiences were reflective of their uniquely Indigenous identities and perspectives. This paper examines how Native American women experienced their indigeneity in the military during World War II. It especially explores how both the military and society at large tried to simultaneously erase and celebrate that Indigenous heritage by forcing them into a black-white binary while still utilizing highly racialized discourse to discuss their service. In the end, it complicates ideas of race in women’s military service branches during World War II, by highlighting that while the military itself only had white and black units, it had more than just white and black women and their experiences cannot be accurately reflected or explored within that binary.