Capital Dames

In this engrossing and informative companion to her New York Times bestsellers Founding Mothers and Ladies of Liberty, Cokie Roberts marks the sesquicentennial of the Civil War by offering a riveting look at Washington, D.C. and the experiences, influence, and contributions of its women during this momentous period of American history.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, the small, social Southern town of Washington, D.C. found itself caught between warring sides in a four-year battle that would determine the future of the United States.

After the declaration of secession, many fascinating Southern women left the city, leaving their friends—such as Adele Cutts Douglas and Elizabeth Blair Lee—to grapple with questions of safety and sanitation as the capital was transformed into an immense Union army camp and later a hospital. With their husbands, brothers, and fathers marching off to war, either on the battlefield or in the halls of Congress, the women of Washington joined the cause as well. And more women went to the Capital City to enlist as nurses, supply organizers, relief workers, and journalists. Many risked their lives making munitions in a highly flammable arsenal, toiled at the Treasury Department printing greenbacks to finance the war, and plied their needlework skills at The Navy Yard—once the sole province of men—to sew canvas gunpowder bags for the troops.

Cokie Roberts chronicles these women's increasing independence, their political empowerment, their indispensable role in keeping the Union unified through the war, and in helping heal it once the fighting was done. She concludes that the war not only changed Washington, it also forever changed the place of women.

Sifting through newspaper articles, government records, and private letters and diaries—many never before published—Roberts brings the war-torn capital into focus through the lives of its formidable women.

How did the war transform not just the city, but the very role of women in America?
Washington D.C. in Crisis: Witness the capital’s dramatic transformation from a sleepy Southern town into a sprawling Union army camp, supply depot, and city of hospitals.Biographical History: Follow the true stories of remarkable women like Adele Cutts Douglas and Elizabeth Blair Lee as they navigate political intrigue, personal friendships, and national conflict.Untold Stories of History: Drawn from private letters and diaries—many never before published—this book uncovers the personal experiences of the women who shaped the capital during the war.Women's Changing Roles: Discover how women moved beyond the home to become indispensable nurses, journalists, relief workers, and even government clerks printing money to finance the war.