Among the heroes of the U.S. Civil War – from Generals Ulysses S. Grant, to Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Frederick Douglass – there’s another hero’s name you may not recognize.
Who Was Sarah Edomonds?
Sarah Emma Edmonds, a Canadian woman who moved to the U.S. and settled in Flint, Michigan, just before the Civil War of the 1800's, served in the Union Army during the war as a member of the 2nd Michigan infantry volunteers.
But she didn’t fight on the front lines as a woman.
“Women weren’t allowed to serve as soldiers. Disguising herself was the only option for her if she was going to seek active military service,” said Sarah Kay Bierle, education coordinator with the American Battlefield Trust, in an interview with Military.com. “She was partly motivated by patriotism, somewhat by financial need. But Edmonds was definitely among hundreds of women who were disguised as men while enlisted.”
And her fight wasn’t only on the battlefield. Edmonds enlisted in the 2nd Michigan Infantry Regiment, serving as a foot soldier in Company F from 1861 until 1863. The entire time, she had to fight for acceptance in disguise, and later became one of the first women to successfully petition Congress for a military pension.
“She was absolutely brave in making a decision to join the Union Army as a woman disguised as a man, and she was able to serve in that capacity for a number of months,” said Bierle. “In her memoir, there are some parts that are quite difficult to confirm and other areas where she possibly expanded or embellished. But she definitely served; we have good records of that.”
Records reviewed by the American Battlefield Trust show Edmonds used the name "Frank Thompson" and was there when Confederate soldiers stormed Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, in April 1861, marking the beginning of the stateside war.
President Abraham Lincoln called for an army of 75,000 men to combat the rebels of the South, making no mention of women who wanted to enlist.
Edmonds, inspired by American patriotism while also deeply opposed to slavery, found herself in need of employment at the start of the war. But the barrier Edmonds faced was a daunting one – fighting as a woman in an Army where only male troops were allowed.
“I think it’s really remarkable how she chooses to tell her own story,” said Bierle. ”The obstacles she faced, the dangers of war, and the fear of being found out. Edmonds faced it all."
Not Her First Disguise
Turns out Edmonds had grown used to disguising herself. The best Civil War era employment opportunities were for men, and Edmonds knew it – having already secured a job as a traveling salesperson by hiding her womanhood.
“In pictures we obtained, she has short curly hair, is wearing male clothing, and obviously no facial hair,” said Bierle. “At that time, the military uniform was not very form fitting, and civilian Women wore big dresses with multiple petticoats. So a man wouldn’t necessarily know what a woman’s body would look like in men's clothing.”
In her 1864 memoir, published before the war ended, Edmonds acknowledged she wasn’t an American and could have returned to her native Canada. But she wrote that she was less interested in being comfortable and more interested in helping to make a difference amid the war.
“Also, the enlistment process back then did not involve a medical evaluation. It was very cursory, very basic. It was not an undressed physical or a very precise physical,” said Bierle. “And that’s how Edmonds was able to get through as far as we know.”
Plus, her comrades believed her.
Military documents reviewed by the American Battlefield Trust show Edmonds actively provided medical care to troops. After leaving the Army, she resumed wearing women’s clothing and volunteered as a nurse in Washington, D.C. hospitals.
“She adapted, and did what she had to do to find employment,” Bierle added. “How she spoke, how she acted to fit in around all of these men while serving, and then resuming her life as a woman after leaving the Army was remarkable.”
Others In Disguise
According to the American Battlefield Trust, Edmonds wasn’t alone in sidelining her birth gender during the war. Researchers estimate between 600 and 1,000 women served in disguise. Those who served honorably but were eventually discovered typically faced dismissal but earned respect from their male comrades.
“Edmonds would get several members of her company to attest to her service, her courage,” said Bierle. Instead of being offended or feeling tricked, her comrades recognized her valor.
“The men considered her to be a good soldier as 'Frank Thompson'. That is a big part of it. She fought well in battle and that was recognized,” Bierle noted. “She was part of that comradeship in difficult circumstances of war. The men were willing to officially attest to that, to help Edmonds clear her name and her military record.”
Years after the war, Edmonds was recognized by the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans organization, and attended many veteran reunions. She was married in 1867 and had three children, eventually moving to Texas.
“She’s listed as a deserter because she left her post to get out of medical treatment, and that definitely was the case among other women who served at that time,” said Bierle. “In 1863, Edmonds became ill, probably with Malaria, and was advised to go to a military hospital for treatment. That would have required her to remove her clothing and reveal her true identity and gender. She would have been found out. So she slipped away and took the deserter route.”
In the 1880s, Edmonds petitioned Congress to remove the desertion charge from her military record and to receive a pension. Former members of her company wrote letters supporting her claims, while Edmonds went on speaking tours and sold books about her military experience as a woman serving in secrecy.
“She could definitely be considered a trailblazer,” Bierle said. “There were a few women in the American Revolution who did the same thing. But to see that women are now allowed to serve as they are, and have been able to serve for decades, shows the impact she and others had.”
In 1884, Congress awarded Edmonds a pension of $12 per month. The desertion charge was cleared in 1886, and she received an honorable discharge certificate in 1887.
