Jane Perkins Buried in Hollywood Cemetery is NOT the Soldier Jane Perkins - Here's Why

Like so many women soldiers, Jane Perkins exited the stage of history leaving an impression on soldiers she encountered.  Indeed, a number of men wrote about her, either as fellow prisoners of war at Point Lookout or her Federal captors who described the Irish woman as unruly.  She appears to have been quite an interesting character, one whose story is incomplete as she seems to have disappeared from the records after her she was released from military prison.  Some modern researchers have attempted to fill in the blanks, which I greatly appreciate the effort.  It is quite a chore to document people of the past who didn't want to be found.  I speak from twenty-years experience.  But there are mistakes that have crept into Jane Perkins's story, and I wanted to address them with my most current research.

Elliott Burial Map of Gettysburg

We can't imagine what it was like to find ourselves in the aftermath of a catastrophic battle like Gettysburg.   Death and destruction were all around.  And the stench.  Approximately 7,000 corpses lay rotting in the Pennsylvania sun following the climactic action on the final day, July 3rd, 1863.  Then came the grisly and monumental task of interring the dead, a lengthy endeavor that horrified all involved.  The residents of the town soon found themselves living in a vast cemetery.  And while the citizens just wanted things to go back to normal and likely had no desire to document the location of the graves, others undertook the challenge.  One of whom was Samuel G. Elliott, a California engineer who surveyed the field during a visit in 1864.  

https://www.loc.gov/item/99447500

  

"Legends and Lies in Female Soldier Portraits" Article in Military Images Magazine

 I recently came across this article by Kurt Luther, founder of Civil War Photo Sleuth, an online tool for users to help identify individuals in images.  In his piece in Military Images magazine, he deals with misidentified images of women soldiers.  Among the photos he mentions is allegedly one of Jennie Hodgers in the collection of the Gilder Lehrman Institute.  I was actually going to use it in my book.  Sent the $165 check  and everything.  As you can see, the image is not viewable on their website.  I assumed based on the description that it was the photo below. But when I received the image via Dropbox, it was not what I thought.  And I had serious reservations about whether the soldier depicted was indeed Hodgers.  It didn't look like her to me.  And when I asked them to provide the provenance, they sent me a page from an auction house catalog they bought it from merely claiming the image to be Hodgers based on a resemblance to this photo:

Irving Block Prison

 Known as the "Bastille" of Memphis, Irving Block was originally constructed as office buildings in 1860.  But, like so many structures, it was repurposed as a Confederate hospital after the war broke out.  And then in 1862, when Union forces began their occupation of Memphis, they turned it into a prison for soldiers and Confederate sympathizers.  During its time in Federal possession, the facility became intertwined with corruption and plagued with deplorable conditions.

Irving Block prison, 1864
www.historic-memphis.com

Video: Women Soldiers Brought to Life

 I've been working on this project for a while now and finally got to a point where I could wrap it up and share it.  I took some images of women soldiers, colorized and animated them using AI.  If you have worked with AI, you know it can be fickle.  I can't tell you how many times I had to redo something because it just didn't turn out the way I wanted despite composing very specific prompts.  And I will say that there are some details that still aren't what I wanted.  I'm sure down the road I will still tweak this video, or make a complete new one.  But, until then, here it is:  

 

 

Animated Frances Elizabeth Quinn

 I have enjoyed experimenting with AI and Civil War photos, including the few of women soldiers.  Here is a short one I recently made of Frances Elizabeth Quinn who served as "Frank Miller" in the 90th Illinois Infantry.  I untangled her garbled story and revealed the truth of her troubled past in my book.  Short video of an animated Frances Elizabeth Quinn, alias Frances Hook, who serves as "Frank Miller" in the 90th Illinois Infantry. The photos were taken while she was hospitalized in Nashville in 1864 from a nasty leg wound. Nurses encouraged her to have the images made and sell them in order to raise funds for herself. There are letters written by soldiers who mentioned buying one. And you can find images for auction periodically today. 

At some point, I hope someone will colorize these images.  This is beyond my extremely meager skills.  If that happens, I'll redo the animation and make a new video. 

 

Items Dealing with Women Soldiers up for Auction

Occasionally, I see period images of women soldiers and letters written by male soldiers about them come up for auction.  These items often involve previously undocumented women soldiers or contain valuable information that adds to the narratives of the women researchers like me have already written about.  Regardless, these pieces are tangible and exciting connections to the stories that comprise a small and intriguing part of Civil War history.

Battlefield Trust Aims to Try to Save Pamplin Park

 Named after Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., a businessman and philanthropist based in Oregon, Pamplin Park is a site of of what has been typically referred to as "the Breakthrough."  The Federals were able to successfully break the Confederate lines during this attack occurring April 2nd, 1865.  This concluded the nearly year-long Petersburg Campaign and ultimately the end of the war as Confederates evacuated the capital at Richmond.  Today, Pamplin Park encompasses over 400 acres and multiple museums, trails, and historic homes.   Also today, the park has been in financial trouble, which has led to closures, cancellations, and limited visits to appointment only.  But a month ago, the park announced that walk-in visits would be allowed on the weekends.  I have been to Pamplin Park a couple of times and enjoyed my time.  So the American Battlefield Trust's announcement recently that they were attempting to acquire the campus was welcome news.

There are no woman soldier connection to this site that I am currently aware of.  But back in 2019, Mark gifted me a plaque placed on a bench there in my name.  Here is a picture of it.  I haven't been back, so I don't know if it is even still there.  I certainly hope so!   I also hope the Trust can save this property not only for history's sake but also for the preservation of this thoughtful gift that Mark gave me memorializing the brave women soldiers I have been researching for nearly fifteen years now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battlefield Trust Aims to Preserve Land Women Soldiers Fought On

The Battlefield Trust announced recently an opportunity to purchase over 1,000 acres at Chickasaw Bayou.  This was the North's first major attempt to take the vital city of Vicksburg.  Previous expeditions had failed without truly threatening the city with Holly Springs being the most notable.  

Early War Alabama Woman Soldier?

 I've dabbled with AI to animate photos of woman soldiers, which you can see on my YouTube channel.  I've got others I have not publicized yet but will at some point.  I want to go back and re-work some of them.  But they're neat, and I've used some in my presentations to add to the attendees' experience.  AI is controversial today, but it can certainly serve as a positive tool.  In the case of historical topics, these enhanced photos and videos can humanize the individuals we study and bring them closer to us.

 You can find various AI videos on YouTube.  Some are great.  Others are goofy.  I came across this video I found especially intriguing because it contains a couple of Civil War women soldiers. 

Video: Animated Almeda Hart, alias "James Strong," 127th Illinois Infantry

My latest venture into using AI to try to bring women soldiers of the Civil War to life involves working with Almeda Butler Hart who served as a mounted courier for General David Stuart's brigade during the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.  Almeda and Henry were newlyweds, and she didn't want to be separated from him when he enlisted.

The audio and video are not perfectly synched.  But I think it's still effective in giving life to this extraordinary woman.  The picture I used is of a younger Almeda when she was a teenager before the war.  She was actually around 25 at the time of Chickasaw Bayou.  At the end of the video, I included a picture of her as she was closer to her time of service.  I didn't use it in the video throughout because the quality is rather poor.

Video: Women Soldiers at Lake Providence, Louisiana

In this video, Mark and I talk about Federal efforts to dig canals to facilitate their goal of investing the city of Vicksburg, deemed to be the "key" to a Union victory by President Abraham Lincoln.  A camp was established at Lake Providence to serve as a base while these operations were going on.  Among the soldiers there were at least two women soldiers.  In this video, we talk about this location and the women there.

For more, read this previous blog post [HERE].

Charmed, I'm Sure

I have been to Grand Gulf multiple times.  The last time was three years before I even considered writing a book.   But regardless of how many times you visit a place, it seems you always learn something or notice things that had eluded your attention previously.  Or your research yields new information that has connections to artifacts or locations already familiar to you.  Such revelations then render the milieu of that space fresh and exciting.  Almost like an awakening. This certainly happened during this latest visit to Grand Gulf.   A port on the Mississippi River, it was named for a whirlpool and incorporated in 1833.              

Animated Jennie Hodgers, alias Pvt. Albert Cashier of the 95th Illinois Infantry

 Jennie Hodgers, an illiterate Irish immigrant, enlisted in Co. G of the 95th Illinois Infantry in August 1862. She was 19 years old, 5'3" with red hair and blue eyes. She was a veteran of such battles and campaigns as Vicksburg, Nashville, Red River, Brice's Crossroads, and Mobile. Upon the conclusion of her three-year-enlistment, she mustered out with her secret intact, which she preserved until 1911 when state senator Ira Lish accidentally backed over her with his car, breaking her hip. A doctor discovered her true sex, but those close to her agreed to keep her secret, which was maintained until 1913 when her story was leaked to the press. Soon, people from all over the world would read about Pvt. Albert Cashier of the 95th Illinois Infantry. Hodgers died of an infection from a broken hip in 1915 and is buried in Saunemin, Illinois. She was given a full military funeral and was interred in her uniform. She had been a member of her local GAR post and received a pension for her military service. 

 

Search my blog for multiple articles I have written about her.

 

Animation made by My Heritage using an actual photo of Hodgers. The result is interesting because it shows a softness and femininity to her face.

 

 

Animated Rosetta Wakeman, "Pvt. Lyons Wakeman," 153rd New York Infantry

 It has been an honor to give women soldiers of the Civil War a voice through my research. And now, I am excited to be able to give them life through AI. This short video highlights the story of Rosetta Wakeman. I wrote the script myself and included some of her own words from her letters. I made the video with Deep Story by My Heritage using the actual photo of her. I didn't like the voice generated from the website, so I extracted it and used another AI voice found on Narakeet. Consequently, the sound and animation are not perfectly synched. But I tried my best. This voice isn't perfect either, and if I find one I like better, I'll redo the video. This will suffice for now.   If you search my blog, you will find multiple posts I have written about her.

Meet Private Lyons Wakeman

A German Immigrant Lost Her Life at Resaca 160 Years Ago Today

 Part of the Federal spring offensive in 1864 involved launching a campaign to capture Atlanta, a major manufacturing and railroad hub for the Confederacy.  The first major clash between Union forces led by William T. Sherman and the defensive-minded Joseph E. Johnston occurred at Resaca.

Video: The Grave of Fanny Wilson, Private of the 3rd Illinois Cavalry

Review of "Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman"

 There are a few books about women soldiers geared towards young readers.  Courageous Women of the Civil War by Melinda Cordell comes to mind, as does  I'll Pass for Your Comrade by Anita Silvey.   Both books are suitable for youngsters around ten to twelve years old, and I thought both were well done and include information that adults would find interesting and useful.

Finding Mary Dennis

 

Mary Dennis - the tall, saucy lieutenant of Company B, 1st Minnesota Infantry.  After her discovery in 1861, newspapers carried her brief entrance into history all over the country, like this one.

Recent Discovery of Possible Iron Age Woman Warrior in Bryher Grave

 In a previous post, I discussed the discovery that the remains of a warrior buried in Birka, Sweden actually belonged to a woman.  The Viking grave dated back to the 10th century and was originally excavated in 1878.  Scientists believed the individual was a male due to the array of weapons included in the grave.....at least until 2017 when researchers reanalyzed the remains and determined that the individual was actually a woman.