This document is a letter written in support of Sarah Ann Deegen’s employment at the Schuylkill Arsenal, Philadelphia, PA, dated December 26, 1863.
Women have long worked in wartime industry, as demonstrated by the “Recommendations for Employment” (1861–1867) of individuals who sought employment at Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Arsenal during the Civil War. At the start of the Civil War, the arsenal quickly hired up to 10,000 tailors and seamstresses to make uniforms, blankets, tents, and bedding for Union troops.
The records in this series document efforts by many of those individuals seeking employment. The majority of the applicants were women who had a relative in the Union Army. While many letters merely recommend the women for employment, others give a glimpse into the daily lives of single women and widows as they struggled to make ends meet in a labor market devoted mostly to the employment of men. This letter supporting Mrs. Deegan’s employment is typical of the letters found in the series of letters.
