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.

Christmas Gift Ideas!

If you're looking for a Christmas gift for the history enthusiast on your list, consider items on my reading list.  Most center around women soldiers, of course, but I do have a section at the bottom that includes books published by my friends that deal with other topics.

Check it out by clicking [HERE].

The true gift:  John 3:16.

If At First You Don't "Secede": The Republic of West Florida

You probably recall learning about the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 in school.  But what you may not know is that the deal wasn't as straight forward as you may think.  A dispute arose over whether the agreement included territory called West Florida.  Despite the name, this region did not include any part of Florida we know today.  Rather, it stretched from the Mississippi River in the west, across the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts, and over to the Perdido River, which forms the boundary between present-day Alabama and Florida.  The 31st parallel was the northern boundary.

This area was ruled by the Spanish, claimed by the United States, and inhabited by French, British, and others.  It was quite an interesting place filled with diverse individuals and unsavory characters.  Indeed, West Florida attracted buccaneers, thieves, malcontents, misfits, political refugees, and ruffians, among others.  William C. C. Claiborne, the only governor of Orleans Territory and later the first governor of the state of Louisiana, described the people of Louisiana West Florida by noting that “a more heterogeneous mass of good and evil was never before met in the same extent of territory.”  And with the political unrest, the region was prime for tension, drama, confrontations, and clashes.

Video: A Woman Soldier Who Occupied Natchez With Her Unit in 1863

In 1863, the 95th Illinois Infantry disembarked at Natchez Under the Hill to occupy the city.  One of the soldiers in this regiment during this time frame was a woman named Jennie Hodgers who served as Albert D.J. Cashier.  In this video, I show you the areas she would have seen as she entered Natchez.

Hodgers was not the only woman soldier with a connection to Natchez, Mississippi.  Click [HERE] to watch another video I previously shared about "William Bradley" of Miles' Legion, whom I discuss in more detail in my book, Behind the Rifle.

Until next formation....rest.

Illinois Congressman Mentions Women Soldiers on the Floor of US Senate

William Richardson served in various political offices in Illinois beginning in 1836.  Ten years later, he enlisted in the military and fought in the Mexican War as a captain before earning a promotion to major.  After the war, he settled in Quincy, Illinois and then headed west to serve as governor of the Nebraska Territory in 1858.  Following his resignation, Richardson - a Democrat - went to Washington DC to serve in the US Congress.  In 1863, he was elected to fill the Senate seat previously held by Stephen Douglas.

William Richardson

How Many Women Soldiers Were There? Solving for X.

I address this topic in my book as well as in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section found in the menu at the top of my blog.  But I wanted to expand on it here.   First of all, as a mathematics instructor, I can tell you that you can make numbers say pretty much anything you want.  Trust me.  I have had some rather innovative students, and I have marveled at their creations.  Now, some of them were wrong, but creative nevertheless.

So what do the numbers say regarding women soldiers of the Civil War? 

Battle of Allatoona Pass - 155 Years Later

A woman soldier lost her life in a horrifying manner 155 years ago during a nasty little fight just north of Atlanta. She and a few other of her sister soldiers fell in the Battle of Allatoona Pass, which can be viewed as a footnote to the Atlanta Campaign or an introduction to the ill-fated Franklin-Nashville venture.

Atlanta fell to the Federals a month prior, on September 1st.  However, John Bell Hood continued to lurk in the area and decided to attack the Federal supply base at Allatoona, located along Western and Atlantic railroad.  William T. Sherman ordered Brigadier General John Corse stationed in Rome to defend the pass and the stores at Allatoona.  There, on October 5th, 1864, he clashed with Confederate troops commanded by New Jersey native Major General Samuel French.

Samuel French's map of Allatoona
From Two Wars:  The Autobiography of Samuel G. French (1901)

Battle of Port Gibson

The Battle of Port Gibson was a delaying action undertaken by Confederates to show General Ulysses S. Grant's advance to Vicksburg.   Outnumbered approximately three to one, General John S. Bowen commanded Confederate forces consisting of a few brigades that faced two Federal corps under John McClernand and James McPherson.

battlefields.org