Review
TItle : Women of the Blue & Gray True Civil War Stores of Mothers, Medics, Soldiers, and Spies
Author: Marianne Monson
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Historical/Biographical
Year Published: 2018
Number of Pages: 230
ISBN13: 9781629724157
Price: $19.99
Reviewed by Trudy Thompson for the Association For Mormon Letters
When I was growing up, my Mother would often tell me ancestral stories from her side of the family. One of the most enduring of these tales was about her great-grandfather from New York, Cornelius Smith. He had fought in the Revolutionary War. But the real story was how his wife, Rachel, would carry muskets, in her apron to the troops on the front lines. She ran through enemy fire many times, and for her bravery and heroism she was awarded a pension from the government.
I also heard stories of how both Mom and Dad had direct ancestors who fought in the Civil War. Both sets of Civil War soldiers fought for the same side. Years later, I learned that my husband’s ancestors had fought for the South. My Civil War ancestors had all fought for the North.
Suffice it to say, I have always been interested in the wars that the United States has been involved in, and have had many relatives and friends who fought for our country That is why as soon as I heard about this new book, I jumped at the chance to read it.
The author states that in the process of doing research for the book, she was often asked if she was writing from the perspective of the North or the South. She answered the same each time: “I am telling it from the women’s perspective…”
Because there was a deliberate attempt by the military to surpress the stories of women in the Civil War, accurate figures were not kept. Historians estimate that between 400 -1,000 female Civil War Soldiers fought in those battles.
Women would dress in men’s clothing, paste on a false mustache and/or a goatee, and lower their voices in order to enlist. Because the armies were desperate for recruits, doctors’ physicals often consisted of nothing more than a brief visual appraisal. If you could walk, you were probably accepted. The lack of communication made it easy for women to join up; if she was discovered in one unit, she could easily enlist in another one at a different location.
The reasons these women had for joining the fight were as varied as the women themselves. Some left abusive husbands or prostitution; others were drawn by financial necessity. Factory wages in the North were a nere $4.00 a month. The the promise of $13.00 a month plus Army rations was too appealing to resist. Many women found it exhilarting to earn a solid and dependable income, and stayed in because of the independance and freedom it gave them, along with a livable wage.
Patriotism and love of country compelled others to join, while the desire to remain near beloved family members motivated others. One woman used an alias and enlisted with her father, and fought beside him until he was killed in battle. She stayed in for a total of three years. Another woman fought side by side with her twin brother at the age of 16, and after he was wounded, she rescued him and escorted him to a field hospital, where she nursed him to to a full recovery.
The bravery, determination, fortitude, resilience, endurance, mettle and grit of these
remarkable women is second to none. Newlywed Lucy Gauss chose to go to war with her husband over a long uncertain separation from him. They fought together at the First Battle of Bull Run, where Lucy was wounded in the head. She made a full recovery and returned to the battle field two months later. Years later, when her husband was killed in Richmond, she informed her commanding officer that she was pregnant, obtained a hasty discharge, and took her husband’s body home for burial.
Keith and Malinda Blalock of the Confederate state of North Carolina, were staunch
Unionists, and though he did not want to join the Army, he knew he would face persecution if he didn’t enlist. Malinda posed as Keith’s younger brother “Sam,” and the couple drilled, marched, fought and dug fortifications. Eager to desert and join the North, Keith rolled around in poison ivy, and was able to convince the physician he might have smallpox or swamp fever. Malinda revealed her gender, and the couple took off for Union lines. The couple served as scouts and guides, leading raids and destroying railroads and bridges to hasten the Confederate defeat. Malinda stopped these activities to have a baby. Two weeks later, she left the child with relatives and returned to the field. After the war, the couple picked up their child and returned to farming and shopkeeping.
Many times the secret of a soldier’s identity was revealed when she was wounded in battle or died. After one battle, a Union soldier recorded that they had “found several women in men’s clothes also among the killed.”
Eight known women fought in the battle of Antietam, including one from New Jersey wwho earned a promotion for her performance despite being in the second trimester of pregnancy! She was recognized as ” a real soldierly, thoroughly military fellow.” Not long after earning this honor, her commanding officer wrote a shocked letter explaining to his superior that the ” corporal was promoted to sergeant for gallant conduct at Fredricksburg-since which time the sergeant has become the mother of a child.”
The fear of discovery compounded the trauma of injury for female soldiers like Mary
Galloway, who was shot in the neck while fighting in the battle of Antietam. She lay in a ditch for thirty six hours before being transferred to a field hospital. When a male surgeon tried to assist her, every time he approached she would cry out in distress and refuse to allow him to touch her. The Doctor summoned Clara Barton who calmed her before surgery. Mary confided to Barton her identity and said she had joined at the age of sixteen when her sweetheart and all male members of her family had enlisted. Barton kept her secret and located her sweetheart, and the couple were later reunited and married and named their first child Clara Barton Barnard.
There are many other stories of the brave women who chose to be involved in the Civil War. There were spies, smugglers, strategists, and political advisers among their ranks. This even includes an unofficial adviser to President Abraham Lincoln. They included diarists, slaves, doctors, nurses and battlefield medics. There were also activists, abolitionists, rebels, revolutionaries, authors and orators.
These women were from all walks of life, and included not only white women, but
African Americans, both free and enslaved, and Native American Indian women. They were true pioneers who defied the socially acceptable roles of women in Victorian times and contributed to the success of keeping our nation together.
This engaging, well documented and researched book includes photos of many of the women of the Civil War, some even in disguise. Copies of actual letters and passages from diaries are included. At the end of each chapter is a list of suggested further reading materials and notes.
I appreciate the effort it took the author to pull together so much material from such a vast array of sources. This delightful book is inspiring, very informative and reads more like an excellent novel than a history book. If you are interested in the Civil War, or American history in general, or have just a casual curiosity about this period, this volume entertains, educates and enlightens the reader. The author’s writing style is vivid, and easily accessible. Truly, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Marianne Monson has successfully and skillfully brought together the heroic true stories of these brave women, and the history of the states at a time when our country was bitterly divided. The over-riding theme of this wonderful work is one of the compelling nature of dedicated women who were unafraid to take a stand and make a difference. What an incredible legacy they have left for all of us.