Women in the Civil War
Extraordinary Stories of Soldiers, Spies, Nurses, Doctors, Crusaders, and Others
LARRY G. EGGLESTON
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE
BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE
e-ISBN: 978-1-4766-0781-8
©2003 Larry G. Eggleston. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover photographs: Frances Clayton standing in uniform and sitting in dress (Boston Public Library/Rare Books Department, courtesy of the Trustees)
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Acknowledgments
The assistance of the following people and organizations is gratefully acknowledged. Their courteous help in gathering data and illustrations has contributed greatly in the preparation of this publication.
• Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia.
• Lake Blackshear Regional Library, Special Collections. Americus, Georgia.
• National Park Service. Andersonville National Historical Site. Andersonville, Georgia.
• The LaPorte County Historical Society Museum. LaPorte, Indiana.
• The LaPorte County Public Library. LaPorte, Indiana.
• The Valparaiso Public Library. Valparaiso, Indiana.
• The Valparaiso University Library. Valparaiso, Indiana.
• The Valparaiso University School of Law Library. Valparaiso, Indiana.
• The Chicago Historical Society. Chicago, Illinois.
• The Chicago Public Library, Special Collections and Preservation Division. Harold Washington Library Center. Chicago, Illinois.
• Betty Estes, Director of Tourism. Pontiac, Illinois.
• Bill Lannon. Saunamin, Illinois.
• The Illinois State Historical Library. Springfield, Illinois.
• The Pontiac Public Library, Historical Collections. Pontiac, Illinois.
• The MINERVA Center. Pasadena, Maryland.
• The Boston Public Library. Boston, Massachusetts.
• The Bentley Historical Library. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• The Grand Rapids Public Library, Historical Collections. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• The State Archives of Michigan. Michigan Library and Historical Center. Lansing, Michigan.
• The New York Historical Society. New York, New York.
• Appalachian State University. Boone, North Carolina.
• Avery County Historical Society. Newland, North Carolina.
• Duke University. Special Collections Library. Durham, North Carolina.
• The University of North Carolina. Southern Historical Collection. Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• Maggie Marconi. Sandusky Library Follett Museum archives. Sandusky, Ohio.
• The Sandusky Public Library, Archival Collections. Sandusky, Ohio.
• The Western Reserve Historical Society. Cleveland, Ohio.
• Gettysburg National Military Park, Library Archives. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
• Leib Image Archives. York, Pennsylvania.
• U.S. Army Military History Institute. Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
• Florence Public Library. Florence, South Carolina.
• Buddy Hughes. Pound, Virginia.
• The Richmond Civil War Visitors Center. National Battlefield Park. Richmond, Virginia.
• The Valentine Museum and Historic Center. Richmond, Virginia.
• The Library of Congress. Washington, D.C.
• National Archives. Washington, D.C.
• The West Virginia State Archives. Charleston, West Virginia.
• Terry Foenander. Toowoomba. QLD, Australia.
Thank you
L.G. Eggleston
January 2003
Wanatah, Indiana
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
1. Women POWs at Andersonville Prison
2. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman: Woman Soldier
3. Jennie Hodgers: Woman Soldier
4. Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds: Woman Soldier, Spy and Nurse
5. Loreta Janeta Velazquez: Woman Soldier and Spy
6. Frances Louisa Clayton: Woman Soldier
7. Frances Hook: Woman Soldier
8. Charlotte Hatfield: Woman Soldier
9. Sarah Malinda Pritchard Blalock: Woman Soldier and Guerrilla Raider
10. Fanny Wilson and Nellie Graves: Women Soldiers
11. Amy Clarke: Woman Soldier
12. Frank Martin: Woman Soldier
13. Lizzie Compton: Woman Soldier
14. Charles H. Williams: Woman Soldier
15. Marian McKenzie: Woman Soldier
16. Molly and Mary Bell: Women Soldiers
17. Notable Women Soldiers
18. Elizabeth Van Lew: Union Spy
19. Rose O’Neal Greenhow: Confederate Spy
20. Maria Isabella Boyd: Confederate Spy
21. Antonia Ford: Confederate Spy
22. Charlotte and Virginia Moon: Confederate Spies
23. Olivia Floyd: Confederate Spy
24. Mrs. E. H. Baker: Union Spy
25. Rebecca Wright: Union Spy
26. Notable Women Spies
27. Harriet Tubman: Abolitionist, Scout, Nurse and Spy
28. Pauline Cushman: Union Scout and Spy
29. Kady Brownell: Daughter of the Regiment and Nurse
30. Anna Blair Etheridge: Daughter of the Regiment
31. Marie Tepe: Vivandiere and Nurse
32. Notable Daughters of the Regiment
33. Emma Sansom: Southern Patriot
34. Anna Ella Carroll: Union Pamphleteer and Spy
35. Barbara Frietchie: Legendary Union Patriot
36. Civil War Heroines
37. Sarah E. Thompson: Union Spy and Nurse
38. Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke: Union Nurse
39. Clara Barton: Union Nurse and Humanitarian
40. Civil War Nurses
41. Women Doctors in the Civil War
42. Women Crusaders
Bibliography
List of Names and Terms
Preface
The four-year American Civil War was a period of great suffering and hardship. It was also a period of great heroism and sacrifice, filled with many exciting stories of those who went far beyond the call of duty to do their part for the cause in which they believed. Great heroism and loyalty were displayed by many brave men and women on both sides of the conflict, as normal everyday people rose to the challenge and made extraordinary contributions to their cause.
In studying the Civil War it becomes evident that the great contributions made by many extraordinary women have not been properly recognized. This can be explained as one begins to understand the moral attitudes of the time and the way women were viewed by society. Women were held with respect even though they were considered to be the weaker sex. It was not acceptable for a woman to lower herself by doing what was considered to be men’s work or to wear men’s clothing. Those women who did were considered odd and thought of poorly by society. This way of thinking seems strange to us, since many women at that time were doing very hard work on the farms as we
ll as in the homes. The nation, being mostly agricultural at the time, saw families working the land side by side. Women participated in the same work as men. Women who worked on the early farms tended the livestock and helped with plowing, planting and harvesting, as well as performing the many duties associated with keeping the home.
Many women broke away from society’s traditional view of women when the Civil War began. Those brave women distinguished themselves in many different fields, even though at the time they were looked down upon by society.
Hundreds of women disguised themselves and joined the armies of the North and South as fighting men. Some were quickly discovered because of not being able to hide their feminine characteristics such as how they walked, how they sat, and how they acted. Some recruits who were suspected of being female would be tested with little tricks such as tossing them an apple to see how they would react. Those who held out their shirts to catch the apple as if in an apron were found out. Tricks like this caused many women soldiers to be discovered and subsequently discharged.
Those women who were not discovered usually practiced walking, talking, and acting like men prior to their enlistment. Many took to chewing tobacco or changed their fair complexions to a more rugged look by using some sort of stain. They would make padded vests to hide their breasts and make them appear stout and masculine.
Personal and toilet problems in the company of so many men were additional problems women had to overcome. One would think that women could easily be detected while living in such close proximity with a huge number of men. Their personal needs, it seems, would surely give them away. In some situations this might have been true, but in the Civil War many of the soldiers were very young. Most of these young boys were easily embarrassed and a bit shy. Some could not relieve themselves in front of other soldiers but instead went into the woods or somewhere private to tend to their toilet needs. Therefore the women soldiers could likewise go somewhere private without it seeming strange.
Those young soldiers for the most part had fair, boyish faces and had not yet begun to shave. The women soldiers therefore were not under suspicion for not shaving since it was not considered unusual.
Those women who were not discovered served with honor and endured all the hardships of army life. Some endured great suffering by being captured in battle and sent to prison camps. Many women were killed in battle and buried without their gender being revealed. Many others made it through the war undetected and were granted pensions even after their gender was known. Estimates of the number of women who fought in the Civil War disguised as men range from 400 to 700. Records indicate that approximately 60 women soldiers were known to have been killed or wounded during the Civil War. It is not known how many lie in unknown graves on the many battlefields.
Many women soldiers wanted to stay active and on the move. In order to do so they volunteered for other duties during the long periods between battles. Those other duties included working in the regimental hospital, which usually kept them up late and allowed them to go to bed after all the men were asleep. This lessened the chance of their being found out. Many volunteered as couriers or spies, which kept them out of camp for long periods of time.
The reasons women disguised themselves as fighting men are many. They included running away from pre-arranged marriages, a quest for excitement, a sense of duty and patriotism, a desire to be part of history, wanting to be with a husband or lover, a desire to receive better pay on a steady basis, and wanting to help support their families. For whatever reason these women chose to become soldiers, they all served with courage and dedication and deserve recognition.
Other women served as “daughters of the regiment,” a duty that included many different tasks such as nursing, cooking, mending uniforms and being flag bearer. These courageous women usually carried the flag ahead of the regiment into battle. They marched with and trained with the soldiers and often participated in battle to replace fallen comrades.
Women volunteered to serve as nurses and doctors once the government decided to accept them into those professions. This acceptance was the result of the great need and the lack of available male help. Those women served on the battlefield as well as in the hospitals and regimental aid stations. Their courage and dedication saved thousands of lives.
Women stood up and answered the call when the need arose. Many volunteered as vivandiers, cooks, laundresses, couriers, and spies. Some used their talents to help their cause by writing, teaching, organizing relief agencies, and administering programs to help the soldiers.
Only a handful of those heroic women have been remembered by history. Others are slowly coming to light with diaries, letters, and personal papers being found by descendants as estates pass down to new generations.
The purpose of this book is to give recognition to those extraordinary women and their remarkable contributions to American history.
L.G.E.
Wanatah, Indiana
January 2003
1
Women POWs at Andersonville Prison
In early 1861, as the Civil War began, many women felt compelled to serve their country by disguising themselves and enlisting in the Union or Confederate armies as fighting men. Some of these brave women were quickly discovered and discharged, while others served throughout the war undetected.
There are many accounts of women soldiers who were captured on the battlefield and held as prisoners of war in one of the many Civil War prison camps. Some endured the hardships while others were discovered and set free. None, however, revealed themselves in order to be set free. Instead, they stayed with their comrades and endured the hardships and cruel conditions of prison.
One of the most interesting accounts of women POWs is that of the three women incarcerated at Andersonville Prison.
By late 1863, overcrowding was becoming a huge problem in the Confederate prisons. The Confederate government was in need of new facilities to house the increasing number of Union prisoners being captured. They began to search for a suitable location that would be accessible and yet safe from possible Union raids.
In early 1864, an isolated spot for a new prison camp was selected. The new site was south of Atlanta, Georgia near the end of the Southwestern Railroad, at a small town called Andersonville Station. The prison camp was built in an oak and pine forest and was named Camp Sumter. Camp Sumter is commonly referred to as Andersonville Prison.
The 26-acre stockade was hastily constructed and the camp opened prior to any buildings being constructed to house the prisoners. As a result, the prisoners were required to live in makeshift tents and dugouts. Official records reveal that Andersonville Prison was the most brutal, unsanitary, and overcrowded prison of the Civil War.
Map of Andersonville. Courtesy of the National Park Service at Andersonville.
The prison camp was in operation for 13 months and 14 days, from February 25, 1864, to March 10, 1865. During this short period of time, a total of 12,912 prisoners lost their lives. The first Union prisoners arrived on February 25, 1864. By late summer of 1864, the population of the prison had risen to three times its capacity of 6,000. The prison population continued to grow to over 30,000 by the end of the war. During this 13-month period, Andersonville Prison had housed a total of 45,613 prisoners.
Among this huge population of prisoners were two women soldiers who were disguised as men and fought in the Union army. There was also one woman prisoner who chose to stay with her husband when he was captured and sent to the prison. She also had to disguise herself as a man in order to hide her gender from the other prisoners. It is recorded, however, that the Confederate guards knew she was in the prison with her husband. There may have been other women in the prison, but they were not discovered and no record of their involvement exists.
Stockade at Andersonville. Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia.
The most interesting fact about these three women prisoners at Andersonville is that they
stayed and endured all the suffering and hardships of being confined under such brutal conditions. The two women soldiers only had to reveal themselves to their captors and they would have been returned to their own lines under a flag of truce. Many women, both prisoners and spies, were returned in this manner after being discovered. The third woman could have chosen to leave at any time.
Janie Hunt
The first of these extraordinary women was Janie Hunt, daughter of Thomas L. Scadden of Chicago, Illinois. Janie Scadden was married in June 1863 to Captain Harry Hunt of Buffalo, New York. Captain Hunt operated a coasting vessel out of New York City.
After the wedding, the wedding guests were invited aboard the ship for a pleasure cruise. The guests happily accepted and the ship set out from New York Harbor for a short trip. After sailing for only a few hours, they were stopped by a Federal revenue cutter and ordered to proceed to North Carolina to pick up a load of corn. It is not known why the wedding guests and the bride were not taken aboard the revenue cutter and returned safely to New York. Perhaps there was no room for them on the ship, or perhaps its captain attached no danger to the mission. For whatever reason, all stayed aboard and the ship sailed to North Carolina.
While the corn was being loaded, the ship was seized by Confederate troops. The passengers and crew were all taken into custody. Soon thereafter, the wedding guests were released and allowed to return home. Janie, hoping that her husband would soon be released, refused to leave and was allowed to remain at his side.
The newlywed couple was held in custody until February 1864 when the Confederate authorities decided to send Captain Hunt to the new prison camp at Andersonville, Georgia. Upon hearing this news, Janie still refused to leave her husband and after much pleading was allowed to disguise herself as a man and accompany him to prison.
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