A Nation in Extremity: Sewing Machines and the American Civil War

The sewing machine, a mid-nineteenth century civilian experimental invention with little public appeal, gained widespread acceptance in the United States only after it proved of value in outfitting the Union army during the American Civil War (1861-65). Although it is not unusual for wartime circumstances to advance development and implementation of new technologies, little attention has been paid to the military's role in advancing the major shift to mass-produced machine-made clothing and accessories that took place in the decades following the Civil War.