Elizabeth Quinn ("Frances Hook") and Ella Reno: Myths, Misconceptions, and Mistakes

 I felt I needed to make this video sorting out all the garbled mess surrounding the accounts of Elizabeth Quinn, a.k.a. "Frances Hook," and Ella Reno. It ended up being longer than I originally planned, and even then I still didn't discuss all of the discrepancies in their stories.

(Not sure if I will ever be comfortable making videos!)

 

My blog posts I referenced in the video: 

Finding Frances: My Quest to Discover the True Frances Hook 

A Monument to a Civil War Woman Soldier? .

 

I created a couple of documents which I hope will provide a helpful, organized summary of the information I discussed in the video.  

Comparison between Quinn and Reno by topic:

 

 

 

Timeline:

 

Video: Holly Springs and Frances "Hook" Quinn at Coldwater Station, December 1862

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 7 - And They Lived Happily Ever After

In previous articles in this series, I introduced  Éowyn, discussed possible historical and mythological women who may have influenced Tolkien to create her, her background, motivational factors that led her to ride to war disguised as "Dernhelm," and her experiences on the battlefield.  I also provided historical context for her character by illustrating how she relates to women soldiers of the Civil War.

In this final installment, I am going to conclude Éowyn's story along with other women soldiers I have previously discussed.

J.R.R. Tolkiens' Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 6 - Men's Reactions to Women Serving as Soldiers

Previously in my series analyzing Éowyn in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in light of historical counterparts, I discussed the experiences of women soldiers.  Click [HERE] for that post.  In this part, I will share a few examples of how men reacted to women fighting on a battlefield.

Victorian women went to great lengths to disguise themselves in order to serve in the military, an endeavor that was off limits to them.  They cut their hair short in order to assume a male appearance   They enlisted under male names.  And they imitated male mannerisms as well as engaged in masculine interests in order to fit in with their male comrades.   Yet, despite the care some of these women put into developing and maintaining their disguise, many nevertheless fell victims to the poor fortunes of war — along with other means — which exposed their true identities.  Men privy to this revelation always exhibited some sort of reaction, which varied   Some were sympathetic.  Some were complimentary.  Yet others did not hesitate to voice their opposition to women stepping outside their traditional gender roles and serving on the battlefield.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 5 - Experiences as a Soldier

In my previous posts, I discussed the backgrounds of Éowyn and her historical counterparts.  Research reveals a life of trauma and torment for many of these women that they escaped by joining the military.   Click [HERE] for the prior installment.  In this article, I am going to detail their experiences as soldiers.

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.

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].

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.

A Monument to a Civil War Woman Soldier?

There aren't many monuments to women soldiers in our country.  There's a statue of Deborah Sampson that stands outside the public library in Sharon, Massachusetts.

https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-98-an-infantryman-named-robert/

What's in a Name?

The very first thing we often learn about a person is his or her name. Our name is an intimate part of who we are.   It comprises our identity, and we make connections between our name and identity every day.   As for people long gone who we are researching, it will all we will ever be able to learn about them.  In some cases, we uncover enough information to develop some sort of perception of their personality.  But it's not the same as actually getting to know them.  So we have to rely on names.  I've been researching women soldiers for over ten years now and have encountered lots of names.