The Women

During the American Civil War, it was illegal for a woman to join the military. But then, why would they want to? There was a variety of reasons.

Some, like ‘Sam Blalock’ (whose real name was Malinda Pritchard Blalock), wanted to be near boyfriends and husbands; Malinda disguised herself as a young man and enlisted along with her husband.

Other women joined because they had no place to go without a man to provide for them. A soldier named Albert Cashier served with the 95th Illinois for the duration of the war. Afterwards, he drew his pension and lived quietly until 1911, when he was struck by a car and taken to the hospital. That was when it was discovered that Albert Cashier was really Jennie Hodgers. It is uncertain why Hodgers chose to live as a man. His name, Albert Cashier, is listed inside the Illinois monument at Vicksburg National Battlefield Park, along with the rest of his unit.

Some women followed their men openly by working as laundresses and accompanying the soldiers from camp to camp. But not all were actually doing the wash; the word laundress became known as a polite term for prostitutes who plied their trade amongst the soldiers. Some commanding officers had such women sent away. Others felt that it was good for morale. One such officer was General Joseph Hooker, and the women who followed his soldiers became known as ‘Hooker’s girls’.

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Federal soldiers are cared for by Anne Bell, a nurse during the American Civil War

Other women found ways to serve as well. Although doctors objected, women came to the military hospitals to help tend the wounded. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was a nurse during the war. Dorothea Dix was appointed superintendent of the Union army nurses and was well remembered in the South for her unbiased treatment of Union and Confederate soldiers alike.

Harriet Tubman, a conductor on the Underground Railroad (an unofficial movement which supported slaves on the run) before the war, turned her hand to nursing during the conflict. She also became a scout for Union forces and a spy. Going into battle with all the information regarding your enemy as possible was crucial and both the North and the South had spy networks that included women.

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Rose O’Neal Greenhow, spy, in prison, photograph by Mathew Brady

One of the South’s most renowned female spies was Rose O’Neal Greenhow (pictured above). A Washington DC socialite, Greenhow was discovered and arrested soon after the war began. And yet she continued her espionage activities from her prison cell. Messages were smuggled out with visitors. From her window, one of her conspirators could receive a message by reading the meaning of the arrangement of candles and blinds on her prison window.

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