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