Woman Soldier Discovered at the Crater

In the pre-dawn hours on July 30th, 1864, the Federals exploded a mine amidst the Confederate defenses during the siege of Petersburg.  The result was a crater approximately 170 feet long, 70 feet wide, and 30 feet deep (measurements vary by source).  Attacking Union soldiers charged around and into the pit. The Confederates recovered from the initial shock of the blast and counterattacked the confused and vulnerable Yankees. What became known as the Battle of the Crater proved to be a debacle for the Northern troops while Confederate Brigadier General William Mahone called it a "turkey shoot." Indeed, that moniker proved to be quite accurate as soldiers in gray picked off soldiers in blue trapped in the crater, which ultimately served as a cemetery.

Two years later in 1866, grave diggers in the process of unearthing remains there for reburial discovered the body of a Federal woman in uniform among the male soldiers. The workers noticed that her body was in an "excellent state of preservation." Her hair had been cut short, and she had a delicate face. The cause of death was a gunshot wound through the head. 

Others explained why the bodies were well preserved two years after the Crater.  "One fact has been demonstrated, which is undeniable, that the soil possesses great preserving qualities."  The individual went on to provide a grisly description of the bodies.  "The corpses were as perfect in flesh as the day they were consigned to the pit, two years before.  They were fresh and gory, the blood oozing from their wounds, and saturating still perfect clothing."  

Unfortunately, that is all that is known about the woman soldier whose life came to a tragic end that early summer morning.  According to newspaper articles of the day, gravediggers placed her in a coffin and took her off to be reburied with the rest of her male comrades.  A search of burial records revealed that the soldiers unearthed at the Crater were reinterred at Poplar Grove National Cemetery, so she is more than likely one of the many unknowns who rest there today.  Unfortunately, the register does not reveal exactly where.

There is some question as to where exactly she was killed.  The newspaper article noted that her body was discovered "a short distance in front of that famous place [Crater]."  That seems to indicate that she was not killed in the Crater itself but rather in no man's land.  However, she certainly could have been killed in the Crater, and her body tossed out by the Confederates as they rebuilt the walls around the gigantic hole in the ground.  We will probably never know for sure.

The Crater, 2014
Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

See a video I made on the 155th anniversary of this woman's untimely death.

Elizabeth Finnern

Grave of Elizabeth Finnern in the military section of South Park Cemetery, Greensburg, Indiana. She was a German immigrant who enlisted in the 81st Ohio Infantry with her husband, John.  Their last name was spelled in a variety of ways on muster rolls and newspaper articles.  The inscription at the bottom says "She served in male attire until her sex was detected when she was detailed as a nurse serving 3 years."

Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

 Though she is commonly cited as a woman soldier, the author of this blog points out that it is doubtful as to whether she actually saw combat:

 http://decaturcountyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/03/elizabeth-finnern-woman-in-civil-war.html


Her service records confirm that she was mustered in as a laundress and not a soldier.

Fold3

However, her obituary records that "In times of danger she carried a musket just as did the soldiers and in all respects shared the rough life of the men about her.”  She also wore male clothing.  So she may have intended to serve as a soldier with her husband, but perhaps she was discovered early on and decided to enlist as a laundress instead.

In addition to serving as a laundress, she also assisted the surgeons.  Though she was not on the firing line, she did face danger while performing her duties and ended up suffering an injury when a mule kicked her while she was caring for a wounded soldier at Shiloh.  It was an ailment from which she never fully recovered. 

Until next formation...rest.

Confederate Woman Captured at Charles City Courthouse

On our way to Williamsburg back in July, we decided to make a spontaneous side trip to Charles City. I knew there was a Confederate woman captured there during a raid in December, 1863, and wanted to see if anything still existed. There were a few things including the courthouse, a monument to the Confederate soldiers, and, much to my surprise and delight, this plaque mentioning the captured woman! The reference comes from Bradney Griffin, an assistant surgeon with the 1st NY Mounted Rifles. Part of the letter to his father contained, "Among the prisoners was a female soldier, a woman of about 20 years. She had male attire, and used her rifle against us, as well as the rest. She has been in several engagements, Bull Run, Chancellorsville, etc." (Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh; Griffin letter mentioned in Blanton and Cook "They Fought Like Demons" p. 18 and also found in a New York Times article from 2000 

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/12/weekinreview/word-for-word-letters-home-the-myriad-ways-in-which-war-has-been-hell.html?src=pm&pagewanted=1

Women Prisoners of Camp Douglas

Here is a short video about the women discovered at Camp Douglas in Chicago in July, 1862. Only one of them, Bridget Higgins, an Irish immigrant, may have actually fought as a soldier with her husband in a Confederate artillery unit (Richard Hall, Women on the Civil War Battlefront, p. 147). These women originally arrived at Camp Randall in Wisconsin on May 28, 1862. However, upon expressing a desire to remain with their loved ones, officials honored their wish and chose not to reveal their identities when they were sent to Camp Douglas. (George Levy, To Die in Chicago, p. 89-90; he cites the Official Records,  series 2, volume 4, p. 228-229

"The Cruel War" (1966) by Peter, Paul, and Mary

Peter, Paul, and Mary released "Cruel War" in 1966. Even though the Vietnam War serves as a backdrop due to the time frame, the lyrics speak of a woman yearning to join her beloved soldier, "Johnny," in fighting the Civil War.

The lyrics that I found include the last part which is excluded from the song in the video. It mentions that she is killed at the side of her beloved.

The cruel war is raging, Johnny has to fight.
I long to be with him from morning 'till night.
I want to be with him, it grieves my heart so
Won't you let me come with you? No, my love, no.

Tomorrow is Sunday, Monday is the day
That your captain will call you and you must obey
Your captain will call you, it grieves my heart so
Won't you let me come with you? No, my love, no.

I'll tie back my hair, men's clothing I'll put on.
I'll pass for your comrade as we march along.
I'll pass for your comrade, no one will ever know
Won't you let me come with you? No, my love, no.

Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, I feel you are unkind
I love you far better than all of mankind
I love you far better than words can e'er express
Won't you let me come with you? Yes, my love, yes.

They marched into battle, she never left his side
'Til a bullet shell struck her and love was denied.
A bullet shell struck her, tears came to Johnny's eyes
As he knelt down beside her, she silently died.

The Real Ellen Levasay

Ellen Levasay is a woman soldier mentioned as having served in a Confederate Missouri unit and captured at Vicksburg. 

Susan Francis, Cantiniere of the 13th Louisiana Infantry

While going through some rosters, I came across a woman who was mustered in at Camp Moore, Louisiana:  Susan Francis of the 13th Louisiana Infantry.  She was enrolled as a cantiniere (or vivandiere) and not a soldier. These were women dressed in quasi-military garb who performed various duties such as providing water and medical care. Vivandieres had roots that can be traced to France and Zouave units, which was a theme adopted by some Civil War units, especially those from Louisiana due to the French influence. That was the case with the 13th LA.
 
There were two men in the same company whose last name was Francis. I assume they may have been related. Perhaps one was a husband. But I haven't been able to make any conclusions or find any other information on her.  Research is ongoing.

My Presentation at Pearl River Community College, 10/23/14

Today, I gave my presentation at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville.  This talk was in conjunction with the Outstanding Humanities Instructor award I received.  It was such an honor to be able to speak at the college where I attended as a student and now teach at as an instructor.

My Presentation at Beauvoir, 10/18/14

Saturday's presentation at Beauvoir was challenging yet enjoyable. I was scheduled to give the talk in the room downstairs but was moved to the library upstairs, which left us scrambling to find a working screen and more chairs. Thanks to the staff who helped me get everything set up. The room ended up packed and rather warm. Many thanks to those who attended and endured the conditions. I think everybody enjoyed the talk. One lady just shook her head and said, "I had no idea they did this." Two other women were moved to tears, which was a first. 

Cedar Creek and the Bell Cousins

Yesterday, October 19th, 2014, marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek. There was at least one woman who fought in the original battle:  Mary Bell.  There would have been two except Molly Bell had been sent off on duty.  Some accounts claim the Bells were sisters supposedly from Pulaski County, Virginia.  Others say they were cousins.  Regardless, they enlisted together in an unidentified cavalry unit for three months as "Tom Parker" (Mary) and "Bob Morgan" (Molly).  The girls were captured with their unit but rescued by John Hunt Morgan.  They then enlisted in the 36th Virginia Infantry and confided their true identities to their commanding officer who kept their secret. But the beginning of the end of the girls' service came when the officer was allegedly captured at Cedar Creek. Thinking their new commanding officer would be as receptive as their previous one, the Bells informed him of their ruse. However he was not as accommodating as his predecessor and ended up turning the girls over to Jubal Early who promptly sent them to Richmond where they were incarcerated at Castle Thunder for several weeks before being sent home still wearing their uniforms.  At the time of their arrest, Mary was 24 and Molly 17.

While in the service, Molly is reported to have killed three Yankees while on picket and was promoted to corporal as a result.  She was also slightly wounded in the arm by a shell at some point in the war.  The girls' sacrifice and devotion to duty made an impression on their male comrades who referred to them as "valiant soldiers." a view that was not held by Jubal Early, however, who referred to them as mere "camp followers." The Richmond Examiner from October 31st, 1864, echoed the general's derogatory label for the girls, referring to them as "whores of Babylon" and the source of the Early's failure in the Shenandoah Valley.

As a parting shot during their interview with General Early, the Bells informed him there were six other women serving as soldiers in his command but refused to identify them.  


 (Other source: Richmond Dispatch, October 31st, 1864)

Women of Shiloh

In 1934, a gardener named Mancil Milligan was working his land which bordered the Shiloh battlefield when he unearthed 9 bodies of soldiers, bits of uniform, and parts of their gear. Scientists were called in to examine the remains. The results were startling. One of the soldiers, they concluded, was a woman.  I spoke with Mancil Milligan, Jr. who said he recalls his father telling him about the scientists visiting his home and telling him about the woman.  He still possesses artifacts from the site which were passed down from his father.

The nine bodies were reburied in the national cemetery in section R, grave, 3633. 

This was not the only woman who met her fate during the bloody battle of Shiloh.  An Illinois soldier on burial detail discovered a female among the dead Confederates.  She had been shot through the head.  Unfortunately, he did not give any more details other than he thought she had been an officer.  Additionally, two laundresses with the 16th Wisconsin were killed while running to the rear during the opening shots of the engagement.

Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

You can read more about these women at Shiloh by clicking [HERE].