Married Women Soldiers of the Civil War

In this video, I share brief accounts of a few of the women soldiers who went to war with their husbands.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 4 - Escape

In my previous articles, I introduced Éowyn and examined possible bases for her character and background while illustrating how these concepts parallel those involving women soldiers of the Civil War.  In this piece, I will discuss how these women's dire need for escape from their tumultuous lives ultimately led them to serve clandestinely in military roles.

The Battle of Ezra Church and Women Soldiers

Part of the Atlanta campaign, the Battle of Ezra Church was a nasty affair fought on July 28th, 1864.  And I was excited to learn recently that a previously undocumented woman soldier fought in it.

Finding "William Bradley": Black Woman Soldier of Miles' Legion

I shared new information regarding the remarkable account of "William Bradley" in my book.  In this article, I'd like to explain the sources I used and how I arrived at the conclusions I did.

To summarize, Pvt. Bradley enlisted in what would become Company G of Miles' Legion and served briefly in April 1862.  All of the infantry units that comprised this legion originated from south Louisiana except for Company G, which was raised in the Natchez, Mississippi area.

"Mustered in through mistake,
was of female sex."
Fold3

Video: A Woman Soldier at Camp Strong, Iowa

In this video shot last year, Mark and I talk about Camp Strong, a training camp in Muscatine, Iowa, and a woman soldier who mustered in there.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 3b - A Background of Cages - Unrequited Love

In my previous article in this series (click HERE), I discussed Éowyn's familial dynamics and how the challenges she faced at home mirrored those that several women soldiers of the Civil War endured.  These trials included growing up without one or both parents and coping with abusive family members.   This blog post reveals another element that pushed these women deeper into despair and ultimately on a path to war:  unrequited love.

She Sleeps Upon Her Field of Fame

With Memorial Day weekend approaching, I thought it appropriate to briefly share the account of one particular woman soldier who lost her life on May 17, 1863, during the Battle of Big Black River Bridge.  This was the last action before the Confederates retreated into Vicksburg.  I'll have to compose a more detailed account of the engagement itself at a later time.

Yesterday, I visited the site and reflected on this Confederate woman's death and others who shared a similar fate.  Like her sister soldiers who perished, her dead body was discovered by her foes.  And thus, we don't know anything about her.   The scant information available is courtesy Henry Clinton Parkhurst, an Iowa soldier who told of her discovery in his memoirs.  She was a "young woman," he said, and that the incident so moved him, that he composed a poem about it.

They buried her, Clint noted, in a grave "upon her field of fame."   And thus, she may still be resting there on the other side of this bridge where Confederates took up a defensive position.  (This isn't the Big Black River Bridge, by the way.)  I wasn't able to get a good picture, so I had to rely on Google Maps.

But just after crossing the bridge, I snapped this one:

It's just trees and brush — a common sight in any rural area — but it shows the location of the Confederate works, now overgrown.

......and perhaps the final resting place of a woman soldier.

I talk about this woman in my book and shared Parkhurst's poem in full in a previous blog post, which you can read [HERE].  I highly recommend that you do.  The ending is quite poignant:

Her woes unknown, unknown her name

She sleeps upon her field of fame

No storied page her deeds will tell

But calm she sleeps

And all is well.

Until next formation....rest.

Female Gladiators: We Salute You

Can you believe that the movie Gladiator came out twenty years ago today?  What's even more astonishing is that, for whatever reason over all those years, I have not once pondered whether there were female gladiators.  Well, now I have.  And after doing some research, I found that yes, they did exist.

Women Soldiers at Old Capitol Prison

My friend, Aaron, recently pointed me to a website which includes a virtual recreation of the Old Capitol Prison.  He recalled me mentioning that women soldiers were held there and thought I would be interested in seeing these images.   Indeed I would.  And you probably would, too.  First, let's start with a period photograph.

Old Capitol Prison, Library of Congress

Old Capitol Prison, virtually recreated

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 3a - A Background of Cages - Family Dynamics

In my previous articles, I introduced Éowyn and discussed possible bases for her character in The Lord of the Rings.  In this post, I will continue my examination of J.R.R. Tolkien's warrior woman by exploring her background while illustrating similarities that several women soldiers of the Civil War shared.  This concept is important because life history often dictates decision making.  The first post in this series can be found [HERE].

Video: Women Soldiers at Spanish Fort - Mobile Campaign - 155th Anniversary

Today, March 26th, marks the 155th anniversary of the opening action that would culminate in the Siege of Spanish Fort and Battle of Fort Blakeley.  Also in this initial clash that occurred south of Spanish Fort, the Federals captured a Confederate woman soldier.  She was not the only female fighter involved in the Mobile Campaign.  On the Federal side was Jennie Hodgers, "Pvt. Albert Cashier," of the 95th Illinois Infantry.

In this video, fellow author Paul Brueske and I talk about the Mobile Campaign and these women soldiers.

Read previous blog posts I wrote about this topic [HERE] and [HERE].

Until next formation.....rest.

Finding Frances: My Quest to Discover the True Frances Hook

It's hard to believe my book has been out for a year now.  And as with anyone who completes a major project, I came to realize regrets.  There was even a sense of helplessness.  I can't tell you how many times I and others read over my manuscript....only to miss a typo on the first page of Chapter 1.  We missed it......every....single....time during the editing process.  I thought we had caught everything, but of course when I took that nice, crisp, sweet-smelling brand new book out of the box for the very first time and opened it, there it was.  Indeed, I happened to open right to it, and there was that glaring typo, staring back at me with its mocking grin.  &*#%$#!!!!!

As for regrets, perhaps that is too strong of a word.  It's more like a desire to offer more detail and insight into my research process, whether in the main text itself or in the notes section.  I did indeed cite every account I shared.  They are in parenthetical form because I had to condense down my citations from over 500 to 250 in order to have hyperlinked notes in the ebook format.  But they are all there  And if a reader has a question, the individual can simply follow my sources.  However, upon further reflection, I wish I would have offered a more detailed explanation as to how I arrived at some of my conclusions.  One involved the discovery of Frances Hook's true identity, Elizabeth Quinn.

My Article in Mississippi History Now - With a Lesson Plan for Teachers

I was approached some time ago to submit an article based on my book for the Mississippi History Now website, which is a part of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.  It was incredibly difficult to condense down my entire book to a 1500-word article, but I managed to do so with my hair intact!  It is geared towards students in grades seven through nine and includes a lesson plan teachers can access at the bottom of the article.

Mississippi's Forgotten Soldiers: Women in the Ranks During the Civil War

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 2b - The Basis for Her Character

In previous installments in my series on Éowyn, I introduced her (click HERE) and provided examples of women from mythology and history that may have inspired Tolkien to create her (click HERE).  In this article, I continue discussing women warriors the British  author may have also been aware of since they were from his homeland.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 2a - The Basis for Her Character

In my previous installment, I provided an introduction to my series where I will discuss Éowyn — Tolkien's fictional warrior woman in his masterpiece, Lord of the Rings — as she relates to women who served as soldiers in the Civil War.  Click [HERE] for part one.  Following is the second installment.

Are These Women Soldiers? Part 4!

For the previous parts of this series, click [HERE].

What about these?

They are courtesy Mr. Frank Vattelena.

Signal Tower at Point of Rocks
Library of Congress photo

Individual on the left

I think this individual is a guy with thick hair.

What about the individual with hands crossed in the middle of the photo below?  Woman or young boy?

Sailors of the USS Choctaw

Unfortunately, we'll likely never know for sure.  But it's still a fun mental exercise.  What do you think?

Until next formation.....rest.

My Article in Gettysburg Magazine

I am pleased to announce that I have an article in the recent issue of Gettysburg Magazine, issue #62, January 2020. This magazine is a peer-reviewed periodical published bi-annually by the University of Nebraska Press. My piece deals with two female casualties of Pickett's charge. You will already find parts of it scattered in my book and in a previous blog post, but this article has all the details and most recent research – complete with footnotes — in one comprehensive piece.
Click [HERE] to order a copy.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 1 - Introduction

I first met Éowyn after wandering into Middle-earth in the early 90's when I was in high school.  Enthralled, I consumed J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.  In its most basic form, the work is a tale of good and evil.  But as a reader journeys through its three volumes — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King — complex layers emerge as characters confront not only the darkness that is trying to "rule them all" through the one ring, but also the demons within themselves.  Indeed, we struggle alongside  Men, Elves, Dwarves, and others as they cope with fear, greed, weakness, temptation, tragedy, pride, despair, sorrow, betrayal, grief, and dysfunctional familial dynamics as they attempt to make the right decision amidst chaotic and stressful situations.  We agonize and weep when they fail, celebrate when they triumph, and rejoice when hope is restored.  Their strength and perseverance inspire us.

Thus it was regarding Éowyn. And what is ironic is that she captured my attention before I discovered women soldiers of the Civil War.  Indeed, my interest in these two topics developed mutually exclusive of each other at different times.  But in this multi-part article, I am going to merge them by illustrating how the characteristics, motivations, and experiences of women soldiers of the Civil War are mirrored by those of Éowyn.  I am also going to explain how Professor Tolkien molded and shaped Éowyn's character into the woman who appears in the books today.  Readers will undoubtedly find the changes interesting.