Rosetta's Real Life "Mercy Street" in New Orleans

http://thecivilwarparlor.tumblr.com/

Continuing with the theme of women soldiers and their hospital experiences, this blog post details that of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, whose story has been highly publicized in books, articles, and blogs since Lauren Cook introduced us to the woman warrior in 1994 through her wartime letters in An Uncommon Soldier.

The 5'0" tall, blue-eyed farm girl was financially driven to enlist in the 153rd New York Infantry on August 30th, 1862.  As a "man," she would make more money than she ever would as a woman.  Rosetta sent a portion of her soldier's pay home to Afton, New York in order to help alleviate the debt her family had accrued.  (Uncommon Soldier, p. 9)

In February, 1864, the 153rd was transferred from Washington D.C to Louisiana where they would participate in Major General Nathanial Banks' Red River Campaign.   During the ill-fated venture, Federal troops experienced bad water, bad food and fatigue from hundreds of miles of hard marching in the burning heat and suffocating humidity of Louisiana's subtropical climate.  The stress of dealing with all of these hardships took its toll as soldiers began to succumb to a variety of diseases.  Private Wakeman was one of them.


After fighting at Pleasant Hill on April 9th, 1864, which was the 153rd's baptism of fire, and then Monett's Ferry on April 23rd, Rosetta fell ill with chronic diarrhea, a very debilitating disease that claimed more lives in the Civil War than anything else.  When the unit reached Alexandria at the conclusion of the campaign, Rosetta was admitted to the regimental hospital on May 3rd.  Her condition worsened and four days later, she was transferred to the Marine U.S. General Hospital in New Orleans where she arrived on May 22nd.  Due to the destruction of three river transports by Confederates down from Alexandria, Rosetta was taken 350 miles over land.  A trip that would normally take five days via waterway was stretched to a tormenting fifteen by wagon.  Once at New Orleans Barracks, she lingered for nearly a month before she died on June 19th, 1864, at the age of 21. (Uncommon Soldier, p. 81-82)

Troops first arrived at New Orleans Barracks in February 1837.  When the Mexican War broke out in 1846, it served as a port of embarkation for soldiers.  A year into the war, part of the barracks began to be used as a hospital.  By 1849 a separate hospital was constructed next to the west side of the barracks that consisted of four two-story buildings which faced each other.  In the center was a courtyard where there was an octagonal-shaped structure which served as the medical dispensary.

After Louisiana seceded in 1861, the barracks were used as a training grounds for troops.  When New Orleans fell in 1862, it was used as a garrison by Federal troops from that point forward into Reconstruction.  In 1866, it was renamed Jackson Barracks after Andrew Jackson.  In 1893, the hospital was torn down.   Today, Jackson Barracks serve as the headquarters for the Louisiana National Guard.

Jackson Barracks in 2011 from Wikipedia

You can read more by clicking (HERE).

Visitors to Jackson Barracks can tour a military museum there.  The address is 6400 St. Claude Avenue.  You can also take a riverboat tour aboard the Natchez during which you can view the barracks from the river as well as the battlefield at Chalmette, site of the Battle of New Orleans.

http://www.steamboatnatchez.com/ 

Jackson Barracks

Jackson Barracks

Chalmette Battlefield Visitor Center and Obelisk

 You can also take a riverboat cruise aboard the Creole Queen and disembark at the Chalmette battlefield for a tour. 

http://www.creolequeen.com/chalmette-battlefield-river-cruise.html

As for Chalmette, that is Rosetta's final resting place, not too far from a relative of mine who died of small pox on January 4th, 1865, while serving with the 1st New Orleans Infantry.  He was 6'2" at the time of his death at age 18!   And while my relative is buried under his given name, it is Private Wakeman's alias, "Lyons Wakeman," that is carved on her headstone.  It is not known whether her gender was discovered during her hospital stays.  No accounts have come to light so far mentioning it.

Here is a video Mark and I made at Rosetta's grave:

Photos by Mark Hidlebaugh

Until next formation.....rest.