Women in Wartime: From Cotillion Balls to Cannon Balls
- Paul Campbell
- Mar 26
- 13 min read
In my previous blog post, I discussed the reality of black Confederates, and why mainstream historians appear so reluctant to admit their existence. While black men could not enlist in the Confederate army, per se, they did, at times, take up arms for the Confederacy, and many served the war effort in supporting roles such as cooks, laborers, and musicians. Others served—in their own words—as personal bodyguards for officers, including General John S. Marmeduke. Mainstream historians can claim whatever they want about these men and the roles they served, but these men were proud of their service, were treated as veterans, and considered themselves such, and we have their own words to prove it. Part of the reason for the modern resistance to the reality of black Confederates stems from the belief that the war was fought primarily over slavery, but a careful investigation indicates that slavery was not the main reason for the war, and that the Confederacy was already taking steps to end slavery long before Lincoln's Gettysburg address. You can read more about that topic here, on my previous post.
While mainstream historians are often reluctant to admit the existence of black Confederates, the existence of female soldiers is an undisputed historical fact. Perhaps it is more readily accepted because it is less controversial and fits better into the modern mainstream cultural worldview. Whatever the case, documented cases of women soldiers garner much more focus from modern historians.
Victorian Rebels
Victorian ideas about femininity were vastly different than they are today. Without delving into the topic of which ideas have improved since then and which have degraded, we can simply say that in the 19th century, women were expected to serve the home. Soldiering was strictly a man's profession. Modern feminists act as if war service is some right which has been denied them, but in the 19th century, it was recognized to be more of a terrible duty which men felt compelled to perform, and equally compelled to defend women against the necessity of performing such a terrible duty. Modern feminists often also assume that men of the time considered women to be inferior to their male counterparts. This was simply not the case. While male chauvinists certainly did exist then, just as they do today, it did not define the average man.
The 19th century person recognized that men and women had differing roles. One of the greatest duties of man was the defense and protection of women. Women were valued for the roles they performed—roles which men were not designed to do.
It is no surprise then, that stories of women soldiers were regarded with such fascination at the time—fascination which equaled the fascination we still have today. By their more more typical female peers, these warrior women were considered curious outliers, and many women were eager to know what reasons could exist for a woman to throw off her femininity and don the guise of a man.
In truth, the reasons were as varied as the women themselves. Most women joined for the same reasons that men did: patriotism, a sense of duty, or a thirst for adventure. Some—especially on the Union side—joined for a reliable income. Finding work as a woman was difficult in the 19th century, especially with decent wages. Women were often paid half the salary of men, but a woman masquerading as a man in the army would make the same wage as any other soldier—so long as none discovered her secret. Most women who joined were from the same economic background as most male volunteers; poor families and rural farmers. Many preferred to stay with their husbands, brothers, or sons, rather than to remain behind and struggle to maintain a farm alone. Life in the army was no picnic, but for a woman alone, a life of danger on the front lines was preferable to the danger which a woman might face while all alone, surrounded by unscrupulous neighbors and invading armies.
Life as a Soldier
Whatever their reasons for joining, every woman who became a soldier in the War Between the States faced the same difficulty: they must pass as a man. This was often far less difficult than we might imagine. Though physical examinations were required, they were often superficial. A soldier was required to have two matching teeth—so that he could tear open the paper cartridge—and enough working limbs to handle a rifle or shovel and keep pace with the marching army. Beyond this, unless there was some obvious disease or malady, the enlisted man was considered physically fit. As many volunteers were young men, often in their teenage years, the sight of a smooth-faced soldier in an ill-fitting uniform was no surprise, and women were often no less experienced in weapons and combat than the young boys beside them. Loreta Velazquez, who had money at her disposal, glued a fake mustache on her face and raised volunteers for her own regiment. Others used more simple means to enhance their ruggedness, such as coal dust or dirt, disguising their shape by wrapping their chests and padding their waists.
The most necessary change, however, was one which we might not think about today. She must cut her hair. Today, short hairstyles are common, but in the 19th century, women all wore their hair long. Except for a brief French trend in the early 1800's, it was unthinkable for a woman to cut her hair without some dire reason, such as sickness. It was the final act that could not be undone, and was part of the reason why they were not found out more often. For a woman to cut her hair and exchange a quiet life at home for the difficulties of army life was simply unthinkable. Men wore trousers and had short hair, and women wore dresses and had long hair, and that was that.
Any man who saw a person with short hair, wearing a pair of trousers, would naturally assume that said person was a man, without some glaringly obvious proof to the contrary. Most women remained undiscovered until serious injury or sickness required a more thorough physical examination. Some were discovered only after their death in battle, while others were not found out until after the war had ended. There are over 400 documented cases of women who fought in secret during the War Between the States, but the exact number is impossible to know for sure. Today, we will take a brief look at three of these women.
The Cross-dressing Bible Salesman—er, saleswoman
Born as Sarah Edmondson, she is perhaps one of the most well-documented female soldiers of the War Between the States. After running away from home to escape an arranged marriage. at only fifteen, Sarah quickly realized that life for a single woman with no money was practically impossible. With extremely limited options, and realizing that she could earn more money while masquerading as a young man, she took on the name of Frank Thompson and began work as a traveling Bible salesman. When the war broke out, Sarah was living in Flint, Michigan.
Sarah felt the call, and decided to help with the war effort. Now nineteen years old, she was already established in her life as a man, and had no trouble enlisting as a volunteer in the 2nd Michigan Infantry. Sarah, aka Frank Thompson, was assigned to the Regimental Field Hospital, where she worked to save the lives of her fellow soldiers in several battles, including the First Battle of Manassas and Blackburn's Ford. She served in various roles between her enlistment, including as an aide to Colonel Orlando Poe during Fredericksburg.
Sometimes the easiest secrets to keep are the most convincing ones, and in a daring application of reverse psychology—long before the term was coined—Sarah Edmondson—aka 'Frank Thompson'—volunteered for spy missions behind Confederate lines on at least two occasions while 'disguised' as a woman. If there were any doubts among her comrades regarding her masculinity before this, one can only assume that such an unexpected and bold test of her true disguise would have only reinforced their belief in her manhood. After all, what woman in her right mind would put on a dress while trying to pass herself off as a man?
It is possible that she went too far. In April of 1863, Sarah deserted the army. Her reasons are unknown. At the time, the 2nd Michigan was in Kentucky. Whether the strain of war became too much, her disguise was discovered, or she simply felt threatened by one or several men who were becoming suspicious, or for some other reason entirely, we will likely never know for sure.
After the war, Sarah returned to life as a woman under the name of Sarah Edmonds, and took a job with the United States Christian Commission as a nurse. While there, she met her future husband, Linus Seelye. They married in 1867, shortly after the release of an embellished autobiography which she wrote, inspired by her service. Over the next fifteen years, Sarah and her husband moved multiple times. By 1882, they were living in Kansas, and Sarah began hunting down her old comrades in arms, looking for affidavits to confirm her service in the Union army under the name of Frank Thompson.
Her endeavor proved to be a success. She applied for a veteran's pension and, in 1884, the petition was granted. She was now in her forties. She died in 1898 at the age of 57, but shortly before her death, she earned the right of being the only female member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans group for Union soldiers that formed in 1866 and lasted for 90 years.
The Self-made Soldier
While more records exist for the Union army, the Confederate army was not without their women warriors. One of the most remarkable was Loreta Janeta Velázquez, who not only disguised herself as a soldier, but raised her own army.
Loreta was the sixth and last child of her parents. No records exist of her early life outside of her own personal testimony, and much of her later history is known only through her autobiography. If it is true, it is truly a remarkable story. Her father was a wealthy Cuban politician who moved his family to Northern Mexico shortly before the Mexican-American War. Her father enlisted in the Mexican army and sent his family to the West Indies for their safety. This ultimately proved to be a wise decision, for his home was destroyed in the war, and his property ceded to the United States in what would become the state of Texas. Though he retained ownership of the now-destroyed property, he refused to live within the United States, and instead moved to Puerto de Palmas, further south in Mexico. He regained all of his fortunes here by the lucrative trades of sugar, tobacco, and coffee.
Loreta, as the daughter of a wealthy man, was given an excellent education, but she had little interest in the refinement expected of her, and was eventually sent to live with her aunt in Louisiana. At the age of fourteen, her father arranged a marriage with a man of respect, but Loreta had no interest in the retiring life of a kept woman. Choosing to carve her own path, she eloped in 1856 with a U.S. Army officer from Texas she identifies only by the name 'William.'
Over the next four years, Loreta followed her husband to his various postings as a faithful wife. It is unsurprising that a girl who idolized Joan of Arc would adapt well to military life. During this time, she conceived three children, but lost them all in infancy. When the war broke out, her husband joined the Confederate army, and Loreta greatly desired to fight beside him. During times of peace, her husband was happy to have her with him, but with the threat of war on the horizon, he refused to allow her to accompany him.
Undaunted, Loreta had two Confederate uniforms made, specially designed to pad her shoulders and waist, then purchased a fake mustache to finish her disguise. Learning that her husband was in Pensacola, Florida, she went after him. Four years as an army wife coupled with an innate fascination for all things martial, Loreta had all the experience she needed to fake a commission and raise an army.
Raise an army, she did. While passing through Arkansas, 'Lieutenant Henry T. Buford' mustered 256 men to join her ranks in fighting for the Confederacy. She arrived in Florida with this formidable force as proof of her muster. Her husband was surprised, to say the least, but did not expose her ruse, perhaps because the two-hundred and fifty men were badly needed, or perhaps because he feared that exposing her would be embarrassing for himself as well. Perhaps he simply admired his wife's courage, and respected her passion.
Whatever his reasons, he not only kept silent about her disguise, but agreed to let her fight.
Unfortunately, her husband was killed only a few days later by an accidental discharge during a training exercise. Leaving her mustered troops under another command, Loreta joined a group of her husband's friends as an independent soldier, possibly in search of some familiar solace for a woman who found herself so suddenly and alarmingly alone.
After fighting in the first Battle of Manassas and then again at Ball's Bluff, she discovered that war was not the glorious enterprise that stories of Joan of Arc and other such heroes indicated. She needed a respite from the carnage and left the alias of Henry Buford behind to become a spy for the Confederacy under her genuine gender. She excelled at this profession—it is no wonder—and after her return from Washington D.C., she became an official member of the detective corps.
Yet, she found herself again wanting the thrill of battle. She rejoined the Confederate army, where she was wounded in the foot during the Battle of Fort Donaldson. Fearing that the injury might expose her true identity, she deserted. Her plan backfired, however, and she was arrested in New Orleans for desertion and the suspicion of being a Union spy. It was simple enough for her to prove why she had deserted, and after being fined for impersonating a man, she was released.
Unwilling to admit defeat, Loreta promptly hunted down her original Arkansas unit, which she had herself recruited, and rejoined them, secure in the knowledge that they would never doubt the masculinity of 'Lieutenant Harry Buford,' who had recruited them. Her service was to last only until the end of the Battle of Shiloh, for she was wounded in the side by an exploding shell while on burial duty. The wound was impossible to treat without exposing her true identity, and Loreta finally quit the soldiering life for good.
She did not quit the war entirely, however, and returned to the detective corps, finishing out the war as a spy, sometimes as a woman, sometimes disguised as a man. After the war, and in need of money, she published her memoirs in 'The Woman in Battle.' While some thought the story too fantastic to believe, historical research has confirmed enough of her account to make the rest plausible—even if some of the events were somewhat embellished, Loreta Velázquez certainly did fight for the Confederacy, and remains one of the most fascinating stories of the era.
From Slave to Soldier
Though less is known about Maria Lewis, her story is unique, and worthy of mention. Neither women nor black Americans were allowed to enlist in the regular army and fight as soldiers. Maria Lewis was both, and yet managed the impossible. Born in slavery in northern Virginia, Maria Lewis was likely of mixed heritage. Her true ethnic ancestry is unknown, and no known photographs exist of her. She is often referred to as a black woman, but her skin was light enough to pass for a darkly-tanned Caucasian. After the Emancipation Proclamation, Maria fled Virginia to enlist in the army and earn her freedom in the North. She enlisted as a white man in the 8th New York Cavalry under General Sheridan, with the name of George Harris; taken from a similar character in Uncle Tom's Cabin who disguises himself as a Spanish man.
Wikipedia claims that she was later taken in by an abolitionist family in New York, where she was given a formal education. Wikipedia goes on to say that this is where she likely learned to read, as slaves were barred from learning to read and write. I find this strikingly odd, since she had already taken her pseudonym from Uncle Tom's Cabin. Either she had read the book herself or some friend or family member had read it to her. I will leave it up to the reader to decide if it is more plausible to believe that she learned to read as a slave, was taught to read by either a fellow slave or someone in her master's family, or that someone in her master's family would have read the book to her. Personally, I find it far more likely that she knew how to read, as an educated slave was far more useful and valuable than one who could not, especially those slaves which were not intended for fieldwork. But I digress.
Maria aka George Harris distinguished herself on the battlefield and fought in multiple battles, including Waynesboro, Antietam, and Gettysburg. After the war, she chose to return to New York with one of her fellow soldiers, Lieutenant Lewis Griffin. It is suspected that Lewis had discovered her secret, but had agreed to keep it. So far as history knows, she lived out the remainder of her days in New York with Lewis Griffin's sister, Julia Wilbur, and her family. The Wilbur family helped her return to life as a woman, and helped her experience life as a free woman for the first time. In reference to Maria, Julia Wilbur is recorded as saying this:
“She knows Mr. Griffin. She wore a uniform, rode a horse and carried a sword and carbine just like a man. The officers protected her and she was with them mostly. The regiment didn’t know that she was a woman. She was called Geo. Harris, but her real name is Maria Lewis. She is from Albermarle Co. Va. and escaped to the Union army.”
Chloe Washington, fact or fiction?
While my character, Chloe Washington, is pure fiction, her character is designed to combine some of the least-remembered men and women from American History. While no specific records exist of a black, female Confederate soldier, women did fight in the War Between the States on both sides, and black men did as well, serving as servants, cooks, musicians, and laborers, but also serving as trusted bodyguards and occasionally taking up arms to defend their friends and companions. There were many men and women who followed masters, friends, and family into battle and helped with the daily life and labor of the army. With this in mind, it would have been rare to find a black woman fighting for the Confederacy, but it is not entirely impossible. We can imagine a young slave and her master's only son becoming loyal friends, playing together, studying together, and working together, and that when one felt the call of duty, the other might follow him into battle, disguised as a man, in order to stay near her dearest friend. On his part, such devotion would also keep the young man from betraying her secret, or from sending her back alone. Such bonds would last long after the war, and if the young man ever became the captain of a steamboat, well, who better to be his first mate than his oldest and most trusted friend? It is, perhaps, a story which one day ought to be told, don't you think?
These blogs are designed to give you a brief look at the true history which plays a part in my novels, The Callahan Chronicles.
For more information on Women in the War Between the States or the Callahan Chronicles, check out these links:
The Callahan Chronicles - by Paul Campbell
Gray Matter - buy on Amazon
List of known female American Civil War Soldiers - Wikipedia
Sarah Edmonds-Seelye Biography - Encyclopedia Britannica
Loreta Velazquez - NY History
The Real Life Civil War Mulan (Maria Lewis article) - by Blake Stilwell
Maria Lewis - Wikipedia
Female Soldiers in the American Civil War - by Tera Atterberry
Women in the Civil War - by DeAnne Blanton
The Women who fought in the Civil War - by Jess Righthand
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