Union Widow

For many a George who went to war, there was a Maria left behind. Maria bid her husband George farewell on June 2, 1862. She never saw him again. George joined the Union Army and died less than three months later. His death wasn't Maria's only worry. Their son Simon, 21, also served in the Union Army. Simon didn't come home when George died. He was fighting, most likely somewhere in Missouri. Simon survived having a horse shot out from under him, but he contracted tuberculosis in the Army camps. He lived a long life, but never again enjoyed good health. As a widow, Maria raised a three-year-old, a seven-year-old and a 12-year-old. In between the time when Simon left home and George followed, she  buried her 10-year-old daughter Anna Maria. It was at least the third time Maria buried a child. With youngsters tugging at her skirts, a son already at war and a child's death, it's hard to imagine that Maria willingly sent George into harm's way. But she didn't have a choice. She didn't have a vote. Perhaps the war wouldn't have lasted so long or cost so many lives, if women had a voice at the table. North and South, they were the ones left widowed. They were the ones damaged sons came home to.