The American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, unquestionably changed the direction of our country. It also dramatically changed the way society viewed women.

Local quilters and quilt historians Beth Bacher and Michele McLaughlin recently discussed these changes in society during "Money, myth and madder: Women and quilting during the Civil War," presented to a group of quilting and history enthusiasts at the Quilted Crow in Lehighton.The two women began researching quilting and women in the Civil War more than a year ago."We didn't research quilting as much as the local aspect of it and women's history during the Civil War," said McLaughlin. "It was a very important time. All of the women who assumed leadership roles went on to change the country and change the world."She noted that while women played a pivotal role in the war efforts, they are rarely given more than a mention in history books."My great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War. But what I often thought growing up was, 'What was grandma doing?'" McLaughlin said.Money: Theeconomics of the USSCWithin weeks of the attack on Fort Sumter and the start of the Civil War, thousands of women volunteered to aid soldiers. The most prominent group of civilian women volunteers was the U.S. Sanitary Commission, the war's largest organizational structure that gathered and supplied goods to soldiers.The economic and physical boost women provided to the Union's efforts cannot be discounted. In four years, Union women raised the equivalent of $2 billion in funds and goods."Tell me that didn't have an impact on the war effort," McLaughlin said.Soldiers were ill-prepared for the war. They mistakenly relied on the state and federal government to provide necessities such as blankets and sleeping materials.Upon realizing that many soldiers had no bed, cot or blankets, volunteers with the Sanitary Commission requested and received thousands of quilts, comforters and blankets.Pennsylvania women alone supplied more than 2,600 quilts and comforters and 6,000 blankets a huge benefit for soldiers and wounded veterans in military care. The Sanitary Commission also gathered bags with hygiene and grooming supplies, and socks.In addition to gathering critical funds and supplies, more than 400 women served as soldiers. Others joined the workforce for the first time, primarily doing secretarial work for the government.Women already in quilting and charity groups turned their focus to the war effort. They also started Sanitary Gardens, later called Victory Gardens. All this was done while maintaining their existing workload as a wife, mother and daughter.While Union women rose to the challenge of supporting their soldiers, they fought their male leaders and counterparts every step of the way. Nurses in training were spit on because they had the audacity to leave their home and attempt to work."The biggest challenge women faced was men's attitudes," said Bacher.Madder: Recognizing Civil War Quilts"What makes a Civil War quilt?" asked McLaughlin.To recognize a Civil War-era quilt, or to create a project in homage to Civil War quilters, you must understand the materials used for quilting during that time, she said.This wasn't a time period of great growth in quilting but rather a time to follow familiar patterns and use existing scraps of fabric.A commonly used fabric dye in the 1860s was madder, a pigment extracted from the madder plant. It could be used to create a brick red, warm brown or purple, depending on the dying process.Today these fabrics are a dull red or brown, but still show signs of their original vibrant color.Other popular colors included indigo blue and Turkey red.Because many dyes were unstable during this time, "overdyes" are also common in authentic Civil War quilts. This occurred when two dye colors were mixed together, such as yellow and blue to make green, and one portion of the dye bled onto adjoining fabric.It's common to see blue overdye on quilts that originally featured green or purple."We're fortunate to live in an era when there are lots of reproduction fabrics," said Bacher, who has created several projects in homage to quilts on display in museums and print.If you're looking for an original quilt from the Civil War time period, remember that quilts were a practical household item meant to be used.It's more common to find a quilt top, rather than a completed quilt or comforter, from the 1800s. Tops were sometimes tucked aside and as a result were never used and worn.Myth: The "Freedom Quilt"Bacher and McLaughlin also used the program as a chance to clear up a popular myth about quilting and the Civil War. While quilters played an important role in the conflict, they were never used to guide slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.This myth began surfacing in the 1990s and is not based on facts. As the quilters pointed out, many of the patterns believed to guide slaves weren't designed until well after the war. Slaves interviewed after the war never mentioned a quilt code.The women noted that when people focus on the "quilt code" of the Underground Railroad, they lose sight of the bravery and struggle brought out by slaves' bid for freedom, which happened right in our backyard.An Underground Railroad station was located in Palmerton."Myths are fine as fairy tales, but the real history is much more interesting," said Bacher.