“Pray, Maiden, Pray!” is an 1864 ballad dedicated to “the patriotic women of the South.” Southern women’s participation in the war effort has been understood, in many ways, by the “customary moral and spiritual role” that they occupied to boost the spirits of their husbands and sons as they went to war. Southern women were expected to remain ever strong and proud as their men sacrificed their lives for the Cause. As soldiers marched through cities, women cheered them on to boost morale; however, this role as patriots was not enough for many women. Many lamented that the men were allowed to fight while they were left at home, and so began to branch out into other services to aid the war.
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