During the war, some women left their homes to become nurses. At first, war doctors said that the women weren't tough enough to handle the wounded soldiers, but many nurses insisted that they work anyways. Other women took over the jobs of men who had been drafted to go fight. They took office positions, taught students, and became secretaries. In addition to these jobs, many women on both sides of the war also worked as spies. One woman named Rose O'Neal gathered valuable information from Union members in Washington D.C, and passed it on to the South.