Women in the Civil War

by Larry G. Eggleston

  After this incident, she moved to the eastern theater and jointed the 79th New York Infantry Regiment. During the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1–3, 1863, she was wounded in battle. A piece of shell fragment hit her in the side and she required medical treatment. While attending her wound, the surgeon discovered her gender. She was discharged again after recovering from her injury.

  Lizzie Compton was arrested in Rochester, New York, on February 20, 1864, while trying to enlist in a new regiment. She was thought to be an adventurer by the police. Like many other women who had appeared in disguise, she was regarded as a disorderly person.

  The police chief first noticed her talking to a young man in a local saloon and told her the local magistrate wanted to see her. She agreed to report to the magistrate but asked if she could be allowed to leave the saloon alone so that she wouldn’t appear to be under arrest. Her request was granted and she soon reported to the local magistrate.

  She explained to the magistrate that she was not a camp follower and did not ever want to act like those women who were. She advised the magistrate that she did not want to be a woman and that maybe someday she would be a gentleman, but she could never be a lady.

  She revealed her story to the magistrate and showed him a paper she carried. The chief of police of Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Prest, had signed the paper. The letter explained who she was and commended her to the favor of the railroad superintendents.

  When the magistrate advised her that it was against the law for a woman to wear men’s clothing and that she must abandon such activities, she replied that she would rather take any punishment, even death, than be forced to act the role of a woman.

  Bail was entered for her good behavior and cooperation and she was released. She boarded a train and left town. The last bit of information on her was that she went to Ontario, Canada, where she made her home.

  She had served 18 months in at least seven different regiments, had fought bravely in several of the fiercest battles of the Civil War, and was wounded twice. She was an incredibly brave woman who had accomplished all these great feats before she was 16 years old.

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  Charles H. Williams: Woman Soldier

  The love for a young army lieutenant and a patriotic duty to serve her country are the reasons a young Iowa girl disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Union army.

  The true name of the young lady was never revealed. Only her assumed name of Pvt. Charles H. Williams is known. She was a native of Davenport, Iowa, and living just north of Davenport in Clinton County when the Civil War began.

  In May 1861, when her lover left for Keokuk, Iowa, to accept a commission as a lieutenant colonel in the 2nd Iowa Infantry, she devised a plan which would allow her to be near him. She cropped her hair short, disguised herself in men’s clothing, upped her age to 20, and changed her name to Charles H. Williams. She and her lover, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel R. Curtis, who later became a brigadier general, enlisted together in Company I of the 2nd Iowa Infantry Regiment.

  When she presented herself to Captain Hugh P. Cox and expressed a desire to become a soldier, he looked at her as if he was surprised and said, “You’re rather young, ain’t you?” She quickly replied, “I’m 20 and anxious to serve my country.” She was accepted as Pvt. Charles H. Williams in early June 1861.

  At some time during the initial training, Captain Cox discovered that Pvt. Charles H. Williams was a woman. She pleaded with him to keep her secret and let her remain in the army. Captain Cox finally agreed and cautioned her about going out on the streets alone in some of the larger cities such as St. Louis because she might be noticed and arrested.

  Pvt. Williams worked extra hard during the training period and became quite proficient as a soldier. The 2nd Iowa Infantry Regiment was mustered into federal service on May 27, 1861. After a few weeks of training, they departed for Missouri on June 13. They were stationed at St. Joseph, Missouri, till July and were responsible for guarding the railroads. Then, in July, they were sent to Bird’s Point, Missouri, 125 miles south of St. Louis on the river. They served at Bird’s Point till August 14, 1861, when they were sent up river to Pilot Knob (Irontown), 60 miles South of St. Louis. They were at Pilot Knob until August 27, 1861.

  On August 27, 1861, the regiment stopped in St. Louis on its way to duty in Jackson, Missouri. Private Williams was not with the regiment since he was assigned duty aboard the steamship City of Warsaw from Bird’s Point to St. Louis where he was to rejoin his own regiment. The steamship docked in St. Louis the same day the regiment arrived.

  Private Williams at once made inquiries about her regiment and found that it was at the St. Louis army barracks waiting for orders to depart for Jackson, Missouri. She decided to stay in the city for the night and join her regiment in the morning. She went to the home of some friends she had known in Iowa who were now living in St. Louis on 7th Street. She made herself known to them and was welcomed into their home.

  She rose early the next morning to obtain the latest and most reliable news and locate her regiment. It was Wednesday, August 28, 1861, when some of the police officers at the central station discovered a young soldier passing on the opposite side of the street. The soldier’s walk was very different, his complexion was fair, and he had small delicate hands. These characteristics excited the suspicion of the policemen, who followed the young soldier several blocks and then decided to take him into custody.

  The young solder gave his name a Pvt. Charles H. Williams and was quite surprised and a little angry that he was being interfered with. Pvt. Williams explained that he was on his way to get a newspaper from the Republican office. They still felt that the characteristics displayed by this young solder were not of a masculine nature, and took the young private to the police station where she finally admitted that their suspicions were correct and that she was a woman.

  The St. Louis newspaper reporters from The St. Louis Republican, along with a Captain Turner, called on her that afternoon and found her reading a copy of the Republican that one of the policemen was kind enough to buy for her. She related her story to the visitors.

  Captain Turner asked her if she would resume her proper dress if he would release her. She agreed and was released. She was a bit upset that she wasn’t allowed to draw any pay for the three months she had served. She stated she had earned $30 and was as much entitled to it as any male soldier.

  Captain Hugh P. Cox of Company I resigned from the army on April 1, 1862. Records do not show what her true name was, and it is not known if she re-enlisted in another unit under a different name.

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  Marian McKenzie: Woman Soldier

  Adventure was the primary motive for several of the women who disguised themselves and enlisted as fighting men during the Civil War. Such was the case of a young Scottish girl named Marian McKenzie.

  Marian was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1844. A few years after she was born her mother died. She and her father then immigrated to the United States and resided in New York. Her father died shortly after they arrived in New York, leaving her and several brothers and sisters orphaned.

  Marian educated herself and studied to become an actress but soon found that the life of an actress was not suitable for her. She began traveling from place to place earning a living the best she could.

  Marian McKenzie was in Kentucky when the Civil War began. This gave her a chance for a great adventure in her life. She planned to disguise herself as a man and enlist in one of the Union regiments. At the age of 18, she cropped her hair short, put on men’s clothing and enlisted in the 23rd Kentucky Infantry Regiment as Pvt. Harry Fitzallen.

  Pvt. Harry Fitzallen is described in the military records as five foot, three inches tall, of Scottish origin, with a dark complexion, light blue eyes, black hair, and coarse-looking and rounded features.

  The 23rd Kentucky Infantry Regiment was mustered into Federal service on January 2, 1862. They were assigned garrison and guard duty in southern Kentucky and
central Tennessee until August 27, 1862.

  After only four months with the 23rd Kentucky Regiment, Pvt. Fitzallen was found out to be a woman. She pleaded with the regimental commander to let her stay in the regiment. The regimental authorities agreed and she was allowed to remain in the army, but not as a fighting soldier. She was assigned to nursing duty in the regimental hospital where she worked for two more months before leaving the regiment.

  After leaving the 23rd Kentucky Infantry Regiment, Marian joined the 92nd Ohio Infantry Regiment in August 1862. The 92nd Ohio Infantry was a newly formed regiment, which was organized at Camp Marietta and Gallipolis, Ohio, during August and September 1862.

  Marian served with the 92nd Ohio Infantry as Pvt. Harry Fitzallen until her secret was discovered in early 1863. While with the 92nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, she participated in the march to Charleston, West Virginia, on October 14 to November 16, 1862. Then the regiment was assigned duty at Camp Vinton till January 1, 1863.

  When her true gender was discovered, she was discharged from the 92nd Ohio Infantry. She promptly sought out another regiment. She enlisted in the 8th Ohio Infantry Regiment, which had been in existence since being formed at Camp Dennison, Ohio, on June 22, 1861. She was discovered after only a few weeks with the 8th Ohio.

  Each time she was caught and arrested, she was suspected of being a Confederate spy. She revealed her story to convince the authorities that she was not a rebel spy. She was able to convince the authorities that she was not a spy each time she was arrested. She stated that she had brothers and sisters who were now living in Canada. The provost martial asked for their names and addresses to confirm her story. She refused to supply the names and stated that she would not cause them the embarrassment of being questioned about her.

  She explained that her only reason for enlisting in the army was a love of adventure. The only crime she felt that she committed was wearing men’s clothing. She was discharged and given women’s clothing before being sent on her way.

  She went into and out of several more regiments each time her gender was discovered. She was later arrested while serving in a cavalry unit in West Virginia. Once she confessed to being a woman she was provided with suitable women’s clothing, with the exception of the dress hoops. She adamantly refused to change into the woman’s clothing until the oversight was corrected. The provost martial corrected the mistake and she was discharged. She was mustered out of the army in January 1865, just three months before the war was over, on the basis “proved to be a female.”

  Marian McKenzie served many different regiments in the three years she was in the army. She only expressed adventure as her motive, but the fact that she served for three years and continually re-enlisted makes one believe that there were other, more patriotic motives involved in her decisions.

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  Molly and Mary Bell: Women Soldiers

  Out of the mountains of Pulaski County in southwestern Virginia emerged two battling southern belles who fought for two years in the Confederate army without being detected. These two disguised soldiers were Molly and Mary Bell.

  Molly and Mary Bell were cousins who were raised by an uncle on a small rural farm in the mountains of Pulaski County, Virginia. In 1862, their uncle left Virginia and went north to join the Union army. The two girls were furious and considered him to be a traitor to the South.

  The two young ladies decided to do their part for the South and make up for their uncle being a traitor. They decided to disguise themselves as men and join the Confederate army. They cut their hair short enough to comply with the male style of the times, wore thick woolen work shirts to cover their breasts and curves, and practiced lowering the tone of their voices and walking like men. Being mountain farm girls, they were already used to hard work, riding horses, hunting and foraging.

  Once they felt they were well prepared and could maintain the disguise, they presented themselves to the recruiters as volunteers. Molly enlisted under the name of Bob Morgan while Mary enlisted under the name Tom Parker. With their prior riding ability in their favor, they were enlisted in the cavalry.

  Within one month of their enlistment, Union forces captured the entire Confederate cavalry unit. Molly and Mary thought that their careers in the military had come to a quick halt. Within a few hours of being captured, however, the attacking forces of General John Hunt Morgan rescued them.

  The Bells decided that the cavalry was not their cup of tea and soon switched to the infantry. They were assigned to fight under General Jubal A. Early. They fought at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania Court House, where General Early defeated General Burnside.

  Molly was standing guard duty one night when explosions and gunfire broke the quiet of the night as the Union troops attacked their camp. Molly sounded the alarm and stood fast at her post. She was credited with killing three charging Yankees, which was quite a feat with a muzzleloader. She was singled out for heroism and promoted to the rank of sergeant. In the same period of time Mary had been promoted to corporal. The two were considered to be gallant fighting soldiers.

  In order to continue concealing their sex, they agreed to take a young captain into their confidence. They felt that they could trust him to keep their secret and protect them against physical checkups and other army duties which might expose them. The captain was amazed by their revelation. His respect for them as soldiers and their accomplishments in battle prompted him to overlook their gender and he agreed to keep their secret.

  Later, Molly was wounded in battle by a shell fragment that hit her in the arm. Mary rushed to her side and stated that they had better get a doctor. Fearing detection, Molly jumped to her feet and said, “No doctors for me. It is just a scratch.” She and Mary tended the wound, which healed quickly and caused no trouble for Molly. This act made the other soldiers consider Molly a tough fighting solder.

  At the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864, the young captain who knew the girls’ secret was captured. Their protector was gone. They then decided to take a young lieutenant, who now commanded the company, into their confidence. The young lieutenant, however, was an opportunist and reported the two girls to General Early hoping for a pat on the back or promotion.

  The girls begged General Early to let them stay with the regiment and reminded him of their excellent fighting record. General Early had the girls arrested and sent to Richmond to be placed in Castle Thunder Prison. They were kept at Castle Thunder Prison for three weeks. No specific charges were ever filed against the girls. The Bells were freed after the three weeks and allowed to return to their home in full uniform.

  When the newspapers heard of the discovery of women in the Confederate forces, they quickly labeled the girls as common camp followers who were demoralizing General Early’s troops. It seems obvious that the opposite was true. The way society viewed women, at the time, especially those who dressed as men, slanted the objectivity of the reporters.

  Mary and Molly Bell fought in some of the fiercest battles of the Civil War and distinguished themselves as brave, loyal, soldiers, serving undetected for over two years. Camp followers and women who disguised themselves for prostitution usually did not last more than a few weeks before being discovered or turned in by one of the soldiers. The achievement and longevity of the Bells speaks for itself.

  Molly and Mary Bell should be remembered for their great loyalty, dedication, bravery and the sacrifices they made for the cause they believed in.

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  Notable Women Soldiers

  As we have seen, there were many women in the armies of both the Confederacy and the Union who were never discovered. Many accomplished heroic deeds before being found out while others were discovered after a short time with the regiment and subsequently discharged.

  Those women who were dedicated enough to actually join the army as fighting soldiers should also be counted among the nation’s Civil War patriots even though their known service was cut short by being exposed as women. Some of th
ese women are discussed in the following eight accounts.

  Henrietta Spencer—Woman Soldier

  It was pure revenge that prompted a young Ohio girl to disguise herself as a man and join the Union army. Her name was Henrietta Spencer, and she resided with her family in Oberlin, Ohio, about 20 miles west of Cleveland.

  When the Civil War began in 1861 her father and brother enlisted in the Union army. They fought many battles together until December 31, 1862, when they began the three-day Battle of Stone’s River (Murfreesboro, Tennessee). During this battle both her father and her brother were killed.

  Henrietta was devastated by the loss and felt that she must do something to avenge their deaths. She formulated a plan whereby she would disguise herself as a man and join the Union army. This was the best way she could think of to get revenge for the death of her father and brother.

  She cut her hair short, dressed as a man, and practiced talking and walking like a man, all things other women did in order to enlist. When she felt confident in her disguise she presented herself for enlistment in the 10th Ohio Cavalry Regiment. She was accepted and began her training. The name she used with the 10th Ohio Cavalry is not known.

  The 10th Ohio Cavalry Regiment was formed at Camp Taylor, Cleveland, Ohio, in October 1862. They were mustered into Federal service and left for Nashville on February 27, 1863, after the Battle of Stone’s River. Henrietta’s enlistment date was probably in early January 1863 after a very short period of bereavement. The exact date is not known.

  Henrietta learned that the 10th Ohio Cavalry was to be assigned duty at Murfreesboro, Tennessee after they trained and were mustered in. She was looking forward to her regiment going to Murfreesboro after training. She worked hard during her training, but forgot to keep up her disguise and her actions gave her away after only three weeks. She was discovered to be a woman during the third week of January 1863. The New York Times made the first public report of the discovery on January 24, 1863.