For some African Americans, the Revolution meant freedom. Because so much of the fighting in the last years of the war took place in the South, many slaves escaped to British lines. The British, hoping to weaken the American war effort, emancipated and evacuated thousands of ex-slaves. Women’s lives were also profoundly affected by the Revolutionary War. These women flocked to the army camps to join male relatives. There they helped maintain army morale while doing traditional women’s chores–cooking, laundry, nursing, and so forth. It was the first time in American history that women played a significant role in a war effort.