Women in the Civil War

When the Civil War erupted, women answered the call for help. They left their traditional roles and served in many capacities, some even disguising themselves as men to enlist in the army. Estimates of these women range from 400 to 700, with records indicating that some 60 women soldiers were killed or wounded. Featured in this work are the more than sixty women who fought or otherwise served the Union or Confederacy. Among them are Sarah Thompson, the Union spy and nurse who brought down the famous raider John Hunt Morgan; Elizabeth Van Lew, the Union spy instrumental in the Civil War’s largest prison break; Sarah Malinda Blalock, who fought for the Confederacy as a soldier and then for the Union as a guerrilla raider; and Dr. Mary Walker, a Union doctor and the only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for Civil War service. This entry refers to the LARGE PRINT edition. For the standard edition please see ISBN 978-0-7864-1493-2.

Now retired, Larry G. Eggleston worked for the Department of Defense for thirty years and is currently a freelance writer specializing in Civil War stories. He lives in Wanatah, Indiana.

Larry G. Eggleston
Format: softcover (7 x 10), large print
Pages: 325
Bibliographic Info: 43 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009 [2003]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4370-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v
Preface      1

1. Women POWs at Andersonville Prison      5
2. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman: Woman Soldier      15
3. Jennie Hodgers: Woman Soldier      20
4. Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds: Woman Soldier, Spy and Nurse      31
5. Loreta Janeta Velazquez: Woman Soldier and Spy      44
6. Frances Louisa Clayton: Woman Soldier      53
7. Frances Hook: Woman Soldier      58
8. Charlotte Hatfield: Woman Soldier      61
9. Sarah Malinda Pritchard Blalock: Woman Soldier and Guerrilla Raider      66
10. Fanny Wilson and Nellie Graves: Women Soldiers      73
11. Amy Clarke: Woman Soldier      76
12. Frank Martin: Woman Soldier      79
13. Lizzie Compton: Woman Soldier      81
14. Charles H. Williams: Woman Soldier      85
15. Marian McKenzie: Woman Soldier      87
16. Molly and Mary Bell: Women Soldiers      90
17. Notable Women Soldiers      93
18. Elizabeth Van Lew: Union Spy      107
19. Rose O’Neal Greenhow: Confederate Spy      116
20. Maria Isabella Boyd: Confederate Spy      125
21. Antonia Ford: Confederate Spy      133
22. Charlotte and Virginia Moon: Confederate Spies      139
23. Olivia Floyd: Confederate Spy      146
24. Mrs. E. H. Baker: Union Spy      150
25. Rebecca Wright: Union Spy      153
26. Notable Women Spies      159
27. Harriet Tubman: Abolitionist, Scout, Nurse and Spy      165
28. Pauline Cushman: Union Scout and Spy      170
29. Kady Brownell: Daughter of the Regiment and Nurse      176
30. Anna Blair Etheridge: Daughter of the Regiment      181
31. Marie Tepe: Vivandiere and Nurse      186
32. Notable Daughters of the Regiment      190
33. Emma Sansom: Southern Patriot      196
34. Anna Ella Carroll: Union Pamphleteer and Spy      200
35. Barbara Frietchie: Legendary Union Patriot      204
36. Civil War Heroines      209
37. Sarah E. Thompson: Union Spy and Nurse      216
38. Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke: Union Nurse      222
39. Clara Barton: Union Nurse and Humanitarian      227
40. Civil War Nurses      234
41. Women Doctors in the Civil War      243
42. Women Crusaders      248

Bibliography      257
Index      305

“superb…meticulous detail…a powerful research tool in an easy-to-use format…a must have”—The Civil War News; “lively prose…engaging and easily read…allows the reader to understand the many ways in which women served their country on both sides of this war”—Blue & Gray; “carefully researched”—Counterpoise; “nicely illustrated”—The Civil War Courier; “a suitable reference”—Feminist Collections; “great…a gem”—Colorado Libraries.