Vivandières played an interesting, and often obscure role in the American Civil War. These brave women traveled with soldiers for little or no pay as sutlers, mascots or nurses, while others fought alongside their male counterparts. Vivandières provided creature comforts to the men and were often the only females seen for weeks on end.
Officially during the Civil War, the term Vivandière is usually applied only to women who served with Zouave outfits, and occasionally other ethnic units, since they were official under this title apparently only in France. The term "Vivandière", from a mixture of French and Latin meaning "hospitality giver," was officially replaced in 1854 by "Cantinière," although the two are nearly interchangeable. During the Civil War, only women traveling with the Garibaldi Guard appear to have been called Cantinières, though even they were referred to more often as Vivandières. Many Vivandières carried a trademark cask, either round or oval, often filled with brandy or wine. Their uniforms generally consisted of jackets copied from those of their units, many times with feminine touches such as extra braid or lace. They wore men's pants under a knee-length skirt, similar to the bathing and gymnastics uniforms of the period. It is interesting to note that many Vivandières had pants which were sewn in two sections, cotton from the waist to just above the skirt hem, with wool starting at the hemline, so that they appeared to be wearing the same wool pants as their male companions.
For the purposes of this page, I have included daughters of the regiment and some officer's wives and nurses, as the roles of these women often paralleled those of the Vivandière. This list is far from complete but represents the information I have uncovered so far.
Most Vivandières and regimental daughters were mascots, present for parades and reviews but not often seen in battle. The majority of them went home or were sent home near the end of 1861, or whenever their regiment began to see real fighting, although documentation has been found of Vivandières returning home for the winter and returning to camp in spring.
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