Sergeant Jennie Gregg

According to her discharge document (1), Jennie Gregg was 4'10" with a dark complexion, black eyes, and auburn hair.  She enlisted in the 128th Ohio Infantry, Company K, on August 22nd, 1864, and was discharged at Johnson's Island on June 23rd, 1865, due to expiration of service. Her antebellum profession was listed as "lady." During the war, however, she apparently was a sergeant.  Supposedly, there is an accompanying Letter of Recognition and Recommendation also noting her rank as sergeant but lists her unit as company K, 82nd Ohio Infantry.(2)

The Men Were Not to Be Outdone: Male Soldiers Dressing as Women

While women disguised themselves as men in order to enter the service, there were some men who dressed as women to get out of it....precursors to Corporal Max Klinger, if you will.

Does a Woman Soldier Haunt a National Cemetery?

Women soldiers went to extreme measures to blend in while in the ranks, their true identity hidden.  However, there may be one female fighter who is finally trying to make herself visible, an act she so desperately tried to avoid 150 years ago.

Strange Stories From the Cemeteries

(Not woman soldier related)

This installment comes from the Knoxville National Cemetery and concerns an unknown soldier buried in grave 275.

2nd East Tennessee Cavalry

The South wasn't as solidly pro-Confederate as one might be led to believe.  Every state in the Confederacy, except South Carolina, had units in Federal service.  Over 50 of these were raised in Tennessee, an especially divided state.  One of these regiments was the 2nd East Tennessee Cavalry, which was also referred to as the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry.   The following photograph at the Tennessee State Library and Archives shows soldiers of Co. D.  Click to enlarge.

Welcome to Smashville!

Every year at this time, Music City is transformed into Smashville as hockey returns to Bridgestone Arena.  The term is quite accurate to describe what goes on there.  It's a brutal sport where blood is commonly spilled.

Bodies have been banging against the boards since 1998.   The concept of "Smashville" goes back further than that, however.  Over 135 years prior, the city of Nashville was a rough place plagued by violence and vice.  In the surrounding rural areas, savage guerrilla acts were committed by both sides as well as those with no loyalty other than to themselves. An article in the Nashville Daily Union newspaper on September 9, 1862, reported that “companies of outlaws belonging to neither side, taking advantage of the anarchy which prevails in the country, roam about for the sole purpose of plunder. These bandits prey on secessionists and loyalists alike.”

"The Lady Lieutenant" and "Castine": Two Wartime Novels Featuring Women Soldiers

The female warrior motif in literature was nothing new by the outbreak of the Civil War.  By that time, writers had been included them in their works for hundreds of years, their stories including tales of daring young ladies who boldly stepped outside the domestic sphere to experience adventure denied their gender.  Two novels published during the war exemplified this genre.

Cat Fight at Ten Paces....or....Oh No She Didn't!

The first recorded duel in what would become the United States occurred between Edward Doty and Edward Leister, two servants, in 1621, a year after the Mayflower landed.  More face offs occurred in the subsequent years to settle disputes and by 1777, duelists were following the code of duello, which was written by Irishmen to provide guidelines for the conflicts.  An "Americanized" version was published by South Carolina governor John Lyde Wilson in 1838. A variation of this code is still utilized in sports today, particularly among hockey players.

My Talk for the Jackson Military Road Chapter of the DAR

I ended this year’s talks in the same place where I started, my home state.  But unlike the first, my last scheduled presentation didn’t deal exclusively with women who fought in the Civil War.  This time I ventured into new territory as I spoke to the Jackson Military Road chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Purvis, Mississippi.   I was very honored to be invited by Carolyn Ruegger who taught me math at Pearl River Community College.  Her daughter, Anita Morrow, also taught me math.  Throughout my life, God has placed influential people in my path who have helped mold me into the person I am today.  Mrs. Carolyn and Mrs. Anita are among these. 

Winds of War, Winds of Fate: a Brief History of Mississippi Antebellum Hurricanes

Today marks the 10^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  Forgive me as I delineate from the focus of this blog.  As a survivor, my thoughts have been on that particular event in my life.   Katrina was a historical event indeed, one that I will never forget.  But speaking of history, we don’t tend to think about weather that much.  But, of course, our ancestors had to deal with the elements as we do.  And that includes hurricanes here on the Coast.   Closer to our own history, I can remember my daddy telling me about a time when he was a boy and asking his grandpa about a big pile of dirt.  “Oh, a bad storm caused that,” was the reply with a shrug.  He was referring to the hurricane of 1947, a “bad storm” indeed that had hit several years prior.  

Aftermath of the 1947 hurricane
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Hancock County Historical Society

Ship Island

Named by French explorers in 1699, Ship Island is located approximately 12 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast and lies about equidistant between Mobile and New Orleans.  The barrier island was initially used as a port of entry by colonists and has been called the “Plymouth Rock” of the Gulf Coast. 

AAR From the Gardendale and Jasper, Alabama Talks

Back in March, I gave two talks in Alabama (click HERE for a recap) where I met a couple of nice folks who invited me to speak for their respective organizations, which I did so this past weekend.  

Boscobel AAR

I consider myself semi-retired from reenacting.  The only event I generally attend a year is Muskets

Photo by Tom George Davison

and Memories in Boscobel, Wisconsin held annually the first weekend in August.   I still can't get over how cool Wisconsin is this time of year.  While my friends and family are drinking the air in Mississippi, I'm typically freezing under a wool blanket.  I campaign, which means I only bring what I can carry on my person and sleep under the stars with no tent.  In that regard, you get a sense as to what the soldiers experienced.  I am in the infantry and, as a lifelong athlete, enjoy the physical challenge of it.  You definitely get a good workout!

Mark is the overall Confederate commander at this event and helps design the battle scenarios, which he typically researches months in advance.  He, and a lot of others, put a lot of time and effort into it, which results in a good event that typically draws large crowds.  The small town embraces it as well.


This year, the event organizers wanted to honor Alonzo Cushing who was recently awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg.  He had local ties, having been born in Delafield, Wisconsin.  (Boscobel itself had a Medal of Honor winner who served with a woman soldier.  Click HERE to read about them.)

Boscobel-A Medal of Honor Recipient, a Woman Soldier, and a Reenactment

In 1846, the first settlers began arriving into the area that would become Boscobel, the word being derived from "bosc" for wood and "belle" for beautiful, describing the magnificent grove of oak trees located in the vicinity of what would become the town.  By the 1850's, settlers were purchasing the wild prairie land for 50 cents an acre.

When the Civil War broke out, the small Wisconsin town organized two companies of volunteers in

From Fold3

April, 1861, the first to do so in Grant County.  One of those to heed the call was farm boy Francis Jefferson Coates who enlisted using his middle name in Co. H, 7th Wisconsin Infantry on July 20th, 1861, a month before his 18th birthday. During his service, Coates was promoted from private to corporal on September 17th, 1862, and then to sergeant on March 8th, 1863.   He was wounded twice, once at South Mountain and then at Gettysburg.

On July 1st, 1863, the first day's fighting at Gettysburg, the 7th Wisconsin, part of General John Reynolds' First Corps, was deployed to aid General John Buford's cavalry brigades at McPherson's Ridge.  However, Heth's Confederates were able to drive the Iron Brigade, of which the 7th Wisconsin was a part, from their position with considerable loss.

During the fighting, Coates was struck by a ball on the right side of his face, which caused him to lose both of his eyes.  For his courage, the Wisconsin farm boy received a brevet promotion to captain in addition to the Medal of Honor, which was awarded on June 29th, 1866.  His citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism on 1 July 1863, while serving with Company H, 7th Wisconsin Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for unsurpassed courage in battle, where he had both eyes shot out.

From FindAGrave.com

On September 22nd, 1864, Coates was discharged and returned home to Boscobel where he learned to make brooms for a living.  He married and had 5 children.  In the early 1870's, Coates and his family moved to Dorchester, Nebraska.  There, he died of pneumonia on January 27th, 1880, at the age of 36 and is buried in Dorchester Cemetery in Saline County, Nebraska.  Click (HERE) to visit his memorial page on Find A Grave.

Boscobel erected a monument in his honor on July 1st, 1989, the 125th anniversary of his actions at

Gettysburg.  The stone sits in front of the G.A.R. Hall, a former Baptist church, which was purchased in 1889 to serve as a meeting place for the John McDermott G.A.R Post #101.  Hailing from nearby Fennimore, Captain McDermott of the 20th Wisconsin Infantry was killed at Prairie Grove, Arkansas on December 7th, 1862, while retrieving the flag from a fallen comrade.

Since the death of the last Civil War soldier, the hall has been preserved as a memorial to veterans and continues to serve as a meeting place for the L.G. Armstrong S.U.V camp #49.  Leroy G. Armstrong of Fennimore served in the capacity of surgeon or assistant surgeon for the 6th, 8th, and 48th Wisconsin Infantry units.  After the war, he was instrumental in organizing the John McDermott G.A.R. Post #101.

In the picture, the monument to Coates is clearly visible in front.  Speaking of Coates, I wonder if he was ever aware of Rebecca "Georgianna" Peterman of Ellenboro who served as a drummer and scout in his regiment, the 7th Wisconsin Infantry.  She had a connection with Boscobel as well.  After mustering out and returning home, Peterman decided to reenlist, a feat which proved to be difficult considering how much the press hounded her after learning of her service.   Everywhere she went, people knew of her, Boscobel included.  On March 6th, 1865, the Janesville Daily Gazette, carried a story from the Boscobel Broad Axe detailing Peterman's past service and her current attempt to enroll as a recruit.  Her gender was discovered during the examination.  And, according to the article:

"...she was politely informed that, though Uncle Sam was anxious to get men, women were not wanted in the military service, and if she did not leave town immediately, she would be placed under arrest.  As she did not choose to take this rather strong hint, she was arrested, but finally settled the matter by leaving."

Thank goodness Boscobel is a lot more welcoming today!  Indeed, every time I go back to the town of just over 3,000, I meet more nice folks.  And I am very honored to have been asked to once again give my talk on women soldiers at their annual reenactment called Muskets and Memories.  It will be on Sunday, August 2nd at 11:00 a.m. under the big Event Tent.  This is a fairly large event, drawing about 500 reenactors and over 800 spectators the first weekend in August every year.  My talk went great last year and was well received.  I am hoping for the same this year.

So if you're in the area next weekend, stop by and I will not only tell you more about Peterman, but also share the stories of other women soldiers from Wisconsin.  On top of that, I will talk about the accounts of women who participated in Pickett's charge and Bentonville, the two engagements we'll be recreating over the weekend.

Click (HERE) for the Muskets and Memories website.  (Yes, there is a mistake on it.  But it's supposed to be corrected.)

Prior to the event, on Friday, July 31st from 9-10 a.m. central time, Mark and I will once again be on the WRCO morning show, which is based in Richland Center.  If you are in the area, the station is 1450 AM or 100.9 FM.  Or click (HERE) to listen online.

Sources:
http://genealogytrails.com/wis/grant/history_boscobel.htm
Gettysburg Medal of Honor Recipients by Charles Hanna
http://www.suvcw-wi.org/garhall.html
http://www.suvcw-wi.org/camps/camp49.html

Until next formation.....rest.

Content on this page is the exclusive intellectual property of Shelby Harriel, except that which is used by permission or in the public domain. Content may not be used nor replicated in part or in whole in any manner whatsoever without expressed, written permission.

My Talks in Newark, Ohio and Fort Donelson, Tennessee, 7/14 and 7/16/15

Unlike the last time I traveled by train to speak, I actually showed up at the station on the correct day.  Mark picked me up in Illinois and off we went to Newark, Ohio where I would speak at the Licking County Library.  Doug Stout, who is Head of Circulation and Building Service was waiting for us and was wonderful with everything.  I met Doug last year when I saw him post on the Facebook page of Petersburg National Battlefield.  He was putting on a program at his library about the battle and was looking for interesting stories to share.  I responded to him with the account of the woman soldier unearthed at the Crater in 1866,  which I wrote about (HERE).  The next thing I know, we became friends and he invited me to speak at his library!  Of course, I was very honored.

Before Mary Surratt.....

Mary Surratt; from Surratt House Museum

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the hanging of the Lincoln conspirators.  Among the condemned sent into eternity on July 7th, 1865, was Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the Federal government.  But a little over a year-and-a-half prior, another woman nearly went down into history for that distinction.

Sometime in either October or November, 1863, Jane Ferguson enlisted in the 13th Kentucky Cavalry as John F. Tindsley, the surname being her maiden name.  I have also seen the alias spelled Lindley and Findsley.  Regardless, I have not been able to find service records for her.  Perhaps that is because the day after she "jined the cavalry," she was arrested for alleged espionage.  This was not her first military stint, however.  Prior to enlisting in this Federal unit, Jane and her husband were serving the Confederacy in Captain Oliver P. Hamilton's cavalry company, which was organized in Jackson County, Tennessee "...for the local defense of the border counties lying up the line of Tennessee where the counties and mountains strike the Kentucky line..." (Source:  http://www.tngenweb.org/civilwar/csacav/csahamil.html).  From my research, it does not appear that she was formally enlisted in this company because I have not been able to find service records for her.  Furthermore,  she claimed at trial on November 23rd, 1863, that she stayed "...part of the time in camp, and part of the time at a boarding house."

They Fought in the Mexican War, too!

Even though my blog centers around women who fought during the Civil War, I have occasionally strayed from this focus to highlight women combatants of other conflicts.  See my previous post about female fighters in the American Revolution (HERE)  and, more recently, the women of Waterloo (HERE).  In this post, I am going to discuss the women soldiers who fought in the Mexican War, 1846-1848.

Signed frontpiece of Allen's memoirs; New York Public Library

Eliza Allen Billings wrote about her experiences as "George Mead" in her 1851 autobiography, The Female Volunteer:  Or the Life and Wonderful Adventures of Miss Eliza Allen, A Young Lady of Eastport, Maine.  Eliza fell in love with William Billings who worked for her father, George Allen.  Since the Billings family was poor, he did not approve of the romance and forbade the couple to see each other.  Thinking military service would gain him respect, William enlisted to fight in the Mexican War.  Eliza soon followed him disguised as "George Mead."  Her adventures as a soldier took her to the battlefields of Monterey and  Cerro Gordo where she was wounded but remained undiscovered.  Both mustered out and their adventures continued in the gold fields of California.  Later, Eliza saved William from a shipwreck.  In 1849, both returned to Eastport, Maine having achieved some success in prospecting.  Eliza's parents, relieved to be reunited with their daughter, finally allowed her to marry William.

Waterloo-There Were Women Soldiers There, Too!

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo and the death of several women soldiers who fought there.   And while the sacrifices of the men are remembered today, let us also honor the women among them who also suffered and perished while performing the same duties as their male counterparts.  These women were disguised and weren't discovered until after they died.

While helping bury the dead, volunteer Charles Smith of the 95th Rifles found the body of a French woman in a location of heavy fighting.

British troops found the bodies of two more Frenchwomen during a lull in the fighting.  Captain Henry Ross-Lewin of the 32nd Regiment of Foot wrote, "I saw one of them.  She was dressed in a nankeen jacket and trousers, and had been killed by a ball which had passed through her head."

There were several women among the casualties on the British side as well.  Mary Dixon was one of them.  Her 16-year service in the military while disguised ended at Waterloo with her death.

From Wikipedia

Sources:

http://www.historynet.com/napoleonic-wars-women-at-waterloo.htm
http://www.regrom.com/2012/01/19/regency-women-of-character-women-at-waterloo/
http://waterloomatchofthecentury.blogspot.com/search/label/women%20in%20war

Until next formation.....rest.

Talk for SCV Camp #265, Rankin Rough and Readies

Okay, the Shelby Stupidisms for this trip? I forgot to put on deodorant before I left. But hey, I remembered the perfume! Thankfully, I had my tennis bag in the car, and I keep some there. Oh, and I forgot my jewelry. I usually don't wear any but do like to wear a necklace of a cross at least when I speak. Mark gave it to me as a gift. Yup...forgot that, too. And no, I didn't have an extra in my tennis bag.

Jennie's House

A couple of weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit the home of Jennie Hodgers.  A snow storm back in December put the trip on hiatus, and I'm glad Mark and I waited.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day with bright, warm sunshine when we met Mr. Al Arnolts, the historian for the village of Saunemin, and .Mrs. Cheryl O'Donnell, who has worked tirelessly to have the house restored.   She has also visited Clogerhead, Ireland where Jennie was from and plans to return soon.  During our three-and-a-half-hour visit, we toured the house and the cemetery before enjoying lunch at Mulligan's, which, I think, may have been the only eating establishment in the town of approximately 400.  The hospitality shown by these kind folks rivals our own down here in the South.  We thoroughly enjoyed talking with them and feel that we have made new friends.  Many thanks to Rick Keating for putting us in touch with them.

Adventures In Presenting-Iowa Edition With Notes on Traveling

Due to construction along the route I would be taking, I decided to leave a little earlier than normal.  And, of course, there were no delays whatsoever.  You know that if I had left at my normal time, I would have been sitting there motionless amongst angry motorists for 14 hours or something.  Isn't that the way things go?  So while sitting at the train station an hour early as opposed to my usual 30 minutes, I pulled out my phone to check my eticket for my room assignment.  I purchased the tickets back in February and couldn't remember.  All of a sudden, I felt all tingly, a lump developed in my throat, and my ears began to burn.  The date of the ticket was for the following day!  #%&#($*&#(&*#@@!!!!!   I kept looking back and forth between the date on the ticket and the date on the calendar as if that would magically morph them into one and the same.

The Birth of Freedom.....Literally

The birth of freedom of this country takes on many forms.  Boston Harbor and the fields of Concord are easily recognized and accepted.  But, for many women, that birth took place in the guise of men during the Civil War.  Indeed, these women seemed to have become "reborn" as they were free to  seize new opportunities previously closed to them.  While these women experienced a birth of freedom, some also experienced........the birth of children........while serving as soldiers.  So on this Mother's Day, I am going to share the brief stories of these extraordinary women.

The Images of Loreta Janeta Velazquez

Cuban-born Loreta Janeta Valezquez is only one of two women soldiers known to have published her memoirs.  Sarah Emma Edmonds was the other.  The Woman in Battle, Velazquez's narrative, appeared originally  in 1876 and details daring exploits of the lady lieutenant and double agent.   Some of her adventures were embellished.  Jubal Early condemned her as a liar.  James Longstreet, however, seemed to corroborate some of story at least in a letter he wrote in 1888 to a Miss Park in Massachusetts where he says that he met Valezquez in New Orleans after the war.  Even though he "...had not known of her in the ranks..." he was able to "...attest of points she gave for identification."  (Richard Hall, Women on the Civil War Battlefront, p. 311)  Furthermore, historians have been able to confirm at least part of her exploits through newspaper articles and documents in the national archives.  Edit to add:  William C. "Jack" Davis wrote a book about her called Inventing Loreta Velazquez (2016) in which he concluded that she was a hoaxer.  I found flaws in his research, and you can read my critical review of his book by clicking [HERE].

Strange Stories from the Cemeteries-Amputated Limbs and Breastplates

Did you ever wonder what happened to all of the amputated limbs?  They were reinterred in national cemeteries!  This is an entry for Corinth National Cemetery.  (Click pictures to enlarge.)

 

Woman Soldier Who Died at Overton Hospital in Memphis

Women soldiers suffered the same fate as their male counterparts, which included succumbing to disease as is the case of an unknown woman from Missouri serving in a Federal unit.

In 1863, the Memphis Argus carried the following article:

 "DEATH OF A CAVALRY SOLDIER WHO PROVES TO BE A WOMAN.  "A short time since a soldier, belonging to a Missouri cavalry regiment, was entered at the Overton Hospital for treatment for fever contracted in camp. Two or three days ago the soldier died, but not before it had been revealed that the supposed young man was a woman. It seems that she entered the army early in the war, and served her time faithfully as a soldier, until mustered out. During all this time she was enabled to retain the secret of her sex. A short time after leaving the service she re-entered it again as a veteran, and had been with the regiment to which she was attached a month or two when sent to the hospital in this city. Her real name, we learn, could not be ascertained, but her experience, as related by herself, was the old story over again. She had followed her lover into the army, and to be near him had willingly braved the dangers of the battle-fleld and borne the hardships and exposures of campaign life. Her years could not have been more than twenty ; though who can estimate those in bitter experience which had been her lot? Poor girl !"

(The United States Service Magazine, vol. III, 1865,  p. 271)

Presentation for Delta Kappa Gamma, 4-11-15

Me being introduced.  Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

Remember when I talked about the challenges of working with technology?  Specifically, I mentioned how my projector and PA system like to take turns causing me the most grief.  Well, it was my laptop's turn this time.  Last week, it became infected with viruses and malware.  Yes, a mere week prior to  the state convention of Delta Kappa Gamma.  Thank goodness my awesome, talented mama works on computers for a living.  She is totally self taught and can fix everything.  My parents have always been my heroes.

Mama was able to have it cleaned up by Thursday, T-1.5 days until I was scheduled to speak.  And then after I got it back, I discovered that my slides.....just..... weren't.......right.   Thank goodness for Google Drive and Mama's extra laptop!  The files themselves weren't corrupted, so I was able to access my presentation on the other computer......and it functioned!  Hallelujah!   My laptop is more than likely going to have to be reloaded to get everything back the way it was.

Battle of Fort Blakeley-150 Years Ago Today

Today, April 9th, marks the 150th anniversary of the capitulation of Fort Blakeley and the end of the Mobile Campaign. At least one of the soldiers present was a woman, Jennie Hodgers, alias "Albert Cashier," of the 95th Illinois Infantry, which was commanded by Colonel Leander Blanden.

Hodgers, an Irish immigrant, had seen action with the 95th from the beginning and was involved in the unit's last engagements of the war. 

150 Years Ago Today at Appomattox

They were there from the beginning until the bitter end.

Gilbert Thompson, From Wikipedia

On April 8th, 1865, a skirmish ensued at Appomattox Station.  Afterwards, U.S. engineer, Gilbert Thompson wrote in his journal, "the remains of a woman in Confederate uniform were found between the lines near the Appomattox river."

Nothing else is known about this woman whose death came just one day before Lee surrendered.

She nearly made it.

If you click (HERE), you can see a map of the Appomattox area that Thompson helped create.





Source:  They Fought Like Demons, Blanton and Cook, p. 24

Frances Hook's Hospital Stays and Encounters

In a previous blog post from January 9th, I wrote about nurse Annie Wittenmyer's encounter in Chattanooga and Nashville with a soldier who turned out  to be Frances Hook whose real name was Elizabeth Quinn.  Click (HERE) for the post. 

Wittenmyer wasn't the only nurse who wrote about meeting the woman soldier.

Mary Walker, from Wikipedia

Quinn arrived at Hospital No. 2 in Chattanooga on February 18th, 1864.  It was there where she crossed paths with Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who would become the only female recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Walker described her as "...about medium hight (sic), with dark hazel eyes, dark brown hair, rounded features and feminine voice and appearance."   Hook was not the only woman soldier connected with Mary Walker.  But that's another post.








Martha Baker's husband, Abner, enlisted in the 90th Indiana Infantry in February 1862.  Following the battle of Chickamauga, he was sent to Nashville where he was transferred to the 160th Veteran Reserve Corps and detailed as a wound dresser.  He wrote to Martha asking her to travel to Nashville in order provide assistance.  She left Stockwell, Indiana with their young daughter in January 1864.  Upon arrival, she began work in the special diet kitchen where she prepared food for the Officers' Hospital and Hospital No. 2.  It was during her stay when she crossed paths with not only Hook but another woman as well.  According to Baker,

I met two soldier girls who had donned the blue.  One, Frances Hook, alias Harry Miller, served two years and nine months; the other was called Anna.  She was put in our charge until the military authorities could send her North.  (Our Army Nurses, Mary Holland, 1895, p. 230)

The identity of Anna and her fate are unknown at this time.  Quinn's story, however, continues.  She was transferred from Hospital No. 2 in Chattanooga to the Officers Hospital in Nashville on March 1st, 1864, and this is the one where both Baker and Wittenmyer encountered her.  This hospital, also called Hospital No. 17, was the former Planter's Hotel. 

Courtesy Battle of Nashville Preservation Society

The site is now a surface parking lot located on the northeast corner at the intersection of Deadrick St. and 5th Avenue.

 I then blended the two pictures:  then and now.

Quinn remained here until May 5th when she was transferred to Hospital No. 1, which was at a location of an old gun factory on College Hill on 4th Avenue (formerly Cherry Street).   The building was not there at the time, but this is the general location of the hospital.

(Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh)

RG 94, NARA

Quinn sustained the wound that sent her to these hospitals while reportedly serving in the 90th Illinois Infantry late in 1863.  As to the nature of the injury, Annie Wittenmyer wrote, "She was wounded in the thigh.  No bones were broken; but it was a deep, ugly flesh wound, as if torn by a fragment of shell."  (Under the Guns, Wittenmyer, p. 17)  Another account claims she was shot through the calf. (Pictorial Book of Anecdotes and Incidents of the War of the Rebellion, Frazar Kirkland, 1867, p. 567). Hospital registers note that it was a thigh wound, however.  Regardless, it turned gangrenous and crippled Hook to the point where it required lengthy hospital stays. She was finally released in June 1864, having spent approximately six months recovering.  This wound undoubtedly bothered her for the rest of the few years she had remaining.  She died of dropsy in 1872 at the age of 27.

My Talk for the Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library

When one ages, is it common for one to become increasingly late to destinations?  I have always prided myself in arriving early to everywhere.  But it seems lately I am struggling to get myself in gear, and I don't like it.  At least it wasn't my fault yesterday.

150th Anniversary of the Battle of Bentonville

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the first day of the 3-day battle of Bentonville.  There was at least one woman who participated, Margaret Plyler Torry.  On April 11th, 1865, the Charlotte Western Democrat ran an article from two Raleigh papers, the Progress and Daily Conservative detailing her story, the former of which incorrectly calling her "Plyde."

My Triple Header

Last week, Mark and I hit the road to give three talks in three nights.  As we left the rental car place in south Mississippi, we were hoping the Ohio license plates wouldn't draw unneeded attention in central Alabama and southern Tennesseee.  I would be able to talk my way out of anything with my Mississippi accent.  But Mark probably wouldn't, considering he is from Iowa.....and would be wearing his Federal uniform.  Of course, I say all of this in jest.  We have always been treated extremely well everywhere we have gone.

It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Hurt

Not woman soldier related.  Sgt. Henry Howell, 11th Illinois Cavalry, "sporting" around.  From Corinth National Cemetery:  click on pictures to enlarge.  I wonder what the story behind this is.

Source:  U.S. Burial Registers, National Cemeteries, and Military Posts, 1862-1960

My Talk for the Poplarville Historical Preservation Society, 2/12/15

The crowd had just started filtering in as I was in the final stages of getting all of my gadgets plugged in.  An elderly gentleman walked in, turned to look at my title slide projected on a wall, and said, "I didn't know women fought in the Civil War."  It is something I hear a lot.  And it strengthens my desire to continue giving these presentations for the purposes of education and preservation of the memory of these extraordinary women.

Presentation for the Poplarville Historical Society

If you're in the area, stop by! It's this Thursday, 2/12 at the Poplarville Methodist Church at 5:30. It is free and open to the public. Click below for directions and address.

Post by Shelby Harriel - "Forbidden, Hidden, and Forgotten".

Scared To Death

This isn't about women soldiers, so please forgive me for veering off topic.  I wanted to share an unusual bit of information I stumbled upon when scouring the pages of U.S. Burial Registers, Military Posts and National Cemeteries, 1862-1960 last week.  Lots of interesting information can be gleaned from its pages, some of it a bit morbid but interesting nevertheless.  You'll find where soldiers were originally buried before being reinterred, if there was an epithet left by their pards carved on a headboard or neighboring tree, their name/age/rank/unit/date of death if known, what they were wearing, the color of their hair, if they were buried with any personal effects such as rings or photographs, any visible injuries, and where they currently lie.  Some were killed by bushwhakers.  I even saw some who were drowned either by accident or at the hands of others.  I came across soldiers who were buried in blankets and coffins.  Some were holding pictures of a wife and/or children.  Some had bushy beards while others were whiskerless. Some had gold teeth.  Some were missing legs just past the knee or arms above the elbow.  Some were missing jaws.  Some had bullet holes in their head while others had the entire skull smashed in.   It was obvious how these poor souls met their demise.  And then there was this guy who is buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery: (click the photos to enlarge them)

"said to have been scared to death"

 

"A Campaign Incident"

(Library of Congress)

Henry Clinton "Clint" Parkhurst was born December 9th, 1844, in LeClaire, Iowa, which, incidentally, was Buffalo Bill Cody's hometown.  He began writing poetry at a young age and,  before the war, worked as a printer.  Once hostilities broke out, Parkhurst heeded Iowa's call and on February 12th, 1862, enlisted in Company C of the 16th Iowa Infantry.  He was 17 years old, 5'6" with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Parkhurst saw action in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia with the 16th.  During the Atlanta campaign, he was taken prisoner and sent to Andersonville, Millen, and Florence.  Parkhurst survived the horrors of prison camp life  and was discharged on June 8th, 1865.

(Post war photo; Library of Congress)

 He returned to Iowa where he became a reporter for various newspapers.  He also worked on his memoirs, and published Songs of a Man Who Failed, a collection of his poems, in 1921.

 Parkhurst died on November 16th, 1933, at the Soldier's Home in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Florena Budwin

 Today, marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Florena Budwin. Residents of Philadelphia, she and her husband, John, enlisted in an unknown unit. One account says he was killed in an engagement in South Carolina. Another says that they were both captured in South Carolina and sent to Andersonville where her alleged husband, a captain, was said to have been killed by a guard. She remained at Andersonville until September 1864, when she was sent with a group of other prisoners to Florence, South Carolina, in the wake of Sherman's operations in close proximity to Andersonville. While at Florence, she contracted pneumonia and died January 25th, 1865, at the age of 21. She lies in a mass grave in section D and is believed to be the first woman buried in a national cemetery.  However, this not entirely correct. She is the first woman to be buried under her entire feminine name in a national cemetery, and it is more than likely an alias. See below. However, Chalmette National Cemetery was established a year before Florence and serves as the resting place of Rosetta Wakeman who was buried over six months before Budwin. But Wakeman is buried under her male alias, “Lyons Wakeman,” whereas Budwin’s feminine name appears on her headstone. Other female soldiers died before Budwin and removed to national cemeteries established after Florence.

Florena is the only one in section D with a marked grave. 
There are over 2000 unknown soldiers buried around her.
Someone had placed artificial flowers at her grave.
Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

Click [HERE] to view an album from my visit to Florence National Cemetery.

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Ancestry.com

"Hair" Today, Gone Tomorrow-Women Soldiers and Their Locks

Because women weren't allowed to fight during the Civil War, those who felt compelled to serve their country in a military capacity had to disguise themselves as men in order to do so.  This included cutting their hair short.  Women of the time had long hair which they parted in the middle and pinned back.  Men had short hair parted on the side.  So in order to look like a man, these women warriors cut their hair like one as evidenced by these accounts of women discovered in the ranks:

Are These Women Soldiers?

I was browsing the Library of Congress website and came across these photos of unknown soldiers, which gave me pause.  One of the questions about women soldiers is how many served without ever being discovered.  Are these photos of some of those women?  What do you think?

Annie Wittenmyer's Encounter With a Woman Soldier

From Wikipedia

Born in Sandy Springs, Ohio in 1827,  Annie Wittenmyer became active in social reform and relief work after marrying and moving to Keokuk, Iowa in 1850.  During the Civil War, she traveled to hospitals to provide aid and improve the horrible conditions she found there.  It was during her journeys when she encountered the same woman soldier on two occasions, events she recorded in her memoirs.

The woman, a Union soldier, initially refused to tell Wittenmyer her name or where she was from for fear of the newspapers learning her identity and publishing the information.  But she did share her story with Annie.

Unlike many women soldiers, she did not follow a loved one off to war.  As a matter of fact, she claimed that she didn't know anybody in her regiment.  Her reason for enlisting: "I thought I'd like camp-life, and I did."  Wittenmyer described her as ".....stout and muscular, with heavy features, high cheek bones, and her black abundant hair ....cut very close.  She was perhaps twenty-six or twenty-eight years old, but when in her military rig looked like a beardless boy."