Civil War Quilts

The U.S. Sanitary Commission was funded and supplied by the efforts of Northern women volunteers with the object of "doing what the government could not". They rolled bandages, sewed quilts and clothing, purchased medicines, and held fund raisers called "Sanitary Fairs". 

In 1863 the U.S. Sanitary Commission requested cot size quilts (approximately 48 x 84 inches) that the soldiers could also use as bedrolls and this amazing group of volunteer women made an estimated 150,000 - 250,000 sanitary commission quilts in addition to providing an abundance of other relief services. Of those quilts only 4 have survived and only one is on public display and it is in the A.K. Smiley Library's Lincoln Shrine in Redlands, California.

Southern women also made quilts and blankets to support the confederate troops. Due to the high price of fabric and severe shortages in the south, southern women cut up heirloom quilts to make quilts and used carpet, drapes and linings from their dresses to make blankets and quilts for their soldiers. Later during the war, southern women spun cotton and made homespun fabric to be utilized for quilts and clothing. In some of their diaries they write about the roughness of the homespun fibers and of making clothing from bed ticking and basically anything else they could salvage. Due to the high cost of fabric and severe fabric shortages, they often resorted to using newspaper as quilt batting.

Southern women also made special quilts to be sold to raise money to buy gunboats for the south. Many of these quilts were appliquéd. Some of these quilts were purchased and given back to the owner so they could be resold. These women became known as the "Gunboat Ladies". Through their volunteer efforts and hard work they were able to purchase three gunboats. A gunboat quilt is on display in the Birmingham Museum of Art.

I read an article about a soldier that had been injured, was unresponsive and near death. They changed his bed and covered him with a quilt . He began reading the signatures on the quilt and found his wife's name. He immediately began improving and survived.

Just as the women during the Civil War honored their soldiers and stepped up to the call for help, please help us honor our brave service men and women by volunteering for this project.