Hidden, and Forgotten: Women Soldiers of the Civil War

7th Mississippi Infantry

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Location
Southwest Mississippi
Over the last few years, a friend of mine has become somewhat of a local celebrity.

Ms. Shelby Harriel has been instrumental in bringing the often overlooked topic of women fighting (disguised as men) to the general public. Shelby has been invited to speak at National Park Service events, Civil War Round Tables, and Historical Societies around the nation.

Shelby has uncovered many previously unknown women that posed as men . . . along with new details about the more famous cases that are well documented.

I invite everyone to visit her blog "Hidden, and Forgotten: Women Soldiers of the Civil War"

http://forbiddenhiddenforgotten.blogspot.com

BTW, when she's not sharing her research about this little known topic, she’s reenacting with her boyfriend. Her impression is, a woman posing as a man . . . she’s very good at that as well.
 
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Shelby has a great presentation. I expect big things from her during the next few years. I believe she has enough new documentation to possibly publish a book before too long.

She can morph from a pretty lady giving a presentation into a battled hardened Civil War infantryman within 30 minutes.

Her transformation is amazing.
 
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I believe this is an image of Shelby Harriel.

http://www.mshumanities.org/index.p...nd_forgotten_women_soldiers_of_the_civil_war/

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In the video posted above by @Legion Para, Shelby Harriel also shares her research about immigrant women that attempted to pass as men in Union units.

I'm wondering if @Pat Young has any info about these women within the New York units that Shelby has uncovered ?

This is a fascinating topic that appears to have been much more common than previously thought.
 
In the video posted above by @Legion Para, Shelby Harriel also shares her research about immigrant women that attempted to pass as men in Union units.

I'm wondering if @Pat Young has any info about these women within the New York units that Shelby has uncovered ?

This is a fascinating topic that appears to have been much more common than previously thought.
I'll look at the video next week.
 
Shelby has done some incredible research. It's hard to imagine a pregnant female soldier serving in battle. Or the women who maintained their disguise while at Andersonville. I would have liked to meet some of these women.

Even after 150 years and WW II there is much debate about women serving in combat. The following is someone I have first hand knowledge of.

Madame Ho Thi Que, The Tiger Lady of the Delta:

"19 Jurn 1965 --- serves as a combat master sergeant under the command of her husband, Major Le Van Dan (rear, with glasses), in the crack 44th South Vietnamese Ranger Battalion. The unit has never lost a battle or a gun- to the Red Viet Cong Guerrillas. The major and his fighting wife have seven children."

She was decorated three times for bravery and was one tough hombre.


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That's so cool, thank you! I keep collecting ' female soldier ' stories from era newspapers as I find them. Love seeing all this research and photos! If anything collected in these old papers is helpful, well, who knows? It's amazing when someone like your friend gets deeper than just ' female soldier'. That is so hard.

Will post in case there's anything helpful? I think you'll find a lot of Frank Martin, will try to weed out too mnay.

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6th Louisiana

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Frank Martin

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Charlie Freeman/Mary Francis Searbury 52nd Ohio

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Mollie Bear 47th North Carolina

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Mary Jane Johnson, 16th Maine

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Confederate Mrs. Amy Clark

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Mary E. Wise, 34th Indiana







 
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It's hard to imagine a pregnant female soldier serving in battle.
I know of one British solder who gave birth 2 weeks after she returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and of another who gave birth in Camp Bastion in the Helman provins.

None of them even knew they where pregnant and both had put the physical effect down to the stress of deployment and warfare.

Denmark have allowed females everywhere including as infantry and in tanks since 1988.
The latest change is that conscripts of both sexes share rooms on bases in Denmark.
(only conscripts live on base where 4 soldiers share a room with a bathroom. So they don't have bath together... so basically just like when other people share an apartment.
Everyone else live like the rest of the population)
When deployed to frontlines it have been the norm for years.


Thanks for the link to the lecture.
 
Shelby has done some incredible research. It's hard to imagine a pregnant female soldier serving in battle. Or the women who maintained their disguise while at Andersonville. I would have liked to meet some of these women.

Even after 150 years and WW II there is much debate about women serving in combat. The following is someone I have first hand knowledge of.

Madame Ho Thi Que, The Tiger Lady of the Delta:

"19 Jurn 1965 --- serves as a combat master sergeant under the command of her husband, Major Le Van Dan (rear, with glasses), in the crack 44th South Vietnamese Ranger Battalion. The unit has never lost a battle or a gun- to the Red Viet Cong Guerrillas. The major and his fighting wife have seven children."

She was decorated three times for bravery and was one tough hombre.


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Reminds me of the Viet Cong female 'Apache' - Carlos Hathcock helped to make her 'famous', haha.
 
I'll look at the video next week.
Thanks.

I just realized Shelby mentioned Jennie Hodgers from Ireland, right after she discussed Sara Rosetta Wakeman from New York ( @ about 30 minutes into @Legion Para 's video). Actually, when I first watched the video I had both ladies confused.

You've already mentioned the more famous case of Jennie Hodgers a couple of years ago:
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/the...civil-war-book-out-in-u-s.101145/#post-898375

Anyway, I hope you do watch Shelby's presentation next week.
She has some interesting stories.
 
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Over the last few years, a friend of mine has become somewhat of a local celebrity.

Ms. Shelby Harriel has been instrumental in bringing the often overlooked topic of women fighting (disguised as men) to the general public. Shelby has been invited to speak at National Park Service events, Civil War Round Tables, and Historical Societies around the nation.

Shelby has uncovered many previously unknown women that posed as men . . . along with new details about the more famous cases that are well documented.

I invite everyone to visit her blog "Hidden, and Forgotten: Women Soldiers of the Civil War"

http://forbiddenhiddenforgotten.blogspot.com

BTW, when she's not sharing her research about this little known topic, she’s reenacting with her boyfriend. Her impression is, a woman posing as a man . . . she’s very good at that as well.


This is good stuff! I always enjoy learning about the often overlooked aspects of the war.
 
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