Laundresses: Warriors of the Washboard

In my last blog post, click [HERE], I talked about orderlies or servants, in which capacity some women served while disguised as men.  Others, however, provided support services while in their true feminine identities.  These women were employed by the military as nurses, cooks, and laundresses. This article will focus on laundresses, also called washerwomen.

Elizabeth Finnern

Grave of Elizabeth Finnern in the military section of South Park Cemetery, Greensburg, Indiana. She was a German immigrant who enlisted in the 81st Ohio Infantry with her husband, John.  Their last name was spelled in a variety of ways on muster rolls and newspaper articles.  The inscription at the bottom says "She served in male attire until her sex was detected when she was detailed as a nurse serving 3 years."

Photo by Mark Hidlebaugh

 Though she is commonly cited as a woman soldier, the author of this blog points out that it is doubtful as to whether she actually saw combat:

 http://decaturcountyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/03/elizabeth-finnern-woman-in-civil-war.html


Her service records confirm that she was mustered in as a laundress and not a soldier.

Fold3

However, her obituary records that "In times of danger she carried a musket just as did the soldiers and in all respects shared the rough life of the men about her.”  She also wore male clothing.  So she may have intended to serve as a soldier with her husband, but perhaps she was discovered early on and decided to enlist as a laundress instead.

In addition to serving as a laundress, she also assisted the surgeons.  Though she was not on the firing line, she did face danger while performing her duties and ended up suffering an injury when a mule kicked her while she was caring for a wounded soldier at Shiloh.  It was an ailment from which she never fully recovered. 

Until next formation...rest.