Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of women disguised themselves as men and served in the Civil War. I present research, both previously published along with new discoveries, to document the lives and trials of these extraordinary women.
With so many men marching off to war, women found themselves in charge of their homes and hearths. Among the unconventional roles they assumed in the absence of their male loved ones included managing farms and hunting for food. In addition to these undertakings which provided for their families, they also formed home guard units in order to protect them. I mentioned a couple of these in my book, Behind the Rifle. One unit existed in Chickasaw County, Mississippi:
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Here is a video Mark and I did at Big Black about this unknown woman:
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:
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.
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.
