When Jennie Comes Marching Home Again...

Jennie Hodgers joined the Union Army

using the name Albert Cashier. She

continued living as male following the war.

This past Monday, July 1st, was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The carnage dragged on for three bloody days and was fought in sweltering heat. Gettysburg was the Civil War’s deadliest skirmish. The number of dead, wounded, and missing soldiers totaled 46,286. Among the slain were two women disguised as men. Hold-up, what? 

Yeah, apparently these women weren’t anomalous; during the Civil War it’s guesstimated roughly 400 women disguised themselves as men and served the Union and Confederate armies. They signed-up for the same reasons as men-love of country, upholding a cause, searching for adventure, or looking to earn money. Because women weren’t permitted to enlist, they had to pose as men; luckily, the physical exam pretty much consisted of, “Can you hold a musket? Good.” After joining they kept to themselves, and many female soldiers’ gender was never exposed.

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