The Secret Soldiers Of The Civil War

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:16]In the 1860s, when the Civil War tore across the country, the rules were clear about one thing. Women were not supposed to fight. They were expected to stay behind, to wait, to worry. But the war didn't stay in one place, and neither did the people it changed. Across both the north and the south, thousands of men marched off to fight. Farms were left behind, families were split apart, and whole towns emptied out. For some women, standing still wasn't an option.

[00:00:47]Some followed husbands or brothers. Some needed money. Some wanted independence.

[00:00:52]And some simply refused to be told they couldn't go. So, they cut their hair.

[00:00:57]They bound their bodies, lowered their voices, and stepped into a world that was never meant to include them.

[00:01:09]They took on new names, signed enlistment papers, and became soldiers, living side by side with men who never knew who they really were. They slept in camps, marched in the mud, carried rifles, and faced the same hunger, fear, and death as everyone else.

[00:01:27]Discovery could mean disgrace, arrest, or worse, illness was just as dangerous because going to a doctor could expose everything. Historians believe there may have been hundreds. Only a small number were ever discovered. These are the ones whose stories were not lost. Our first story is Sarah Emma Edmunds came into the war already shaped by a life that had forced her to survive in ways most people never saw. She was born in December of 1841 in New Brunswick, Canada, not far from the main border.

[00:02:02]She was the youngest child in her family. Raised on a farm where hard labor was expected. Her father had wanted a son to help with the work, and records describe a difficult home life where she was mistreated. When she was still young, she watched her brother struggle with what was likely epilepsy and at the same time lived under pressure from her father, who eventually tried to arrange a marriage for her. At around 15 years old, she made a decision that would shape everything that followed. She ran. Her mother helped her leave. To avoid being found, she changed her name to Edmunds and tried to build a life of her own. She briefly opened a hatmaking business in Monton, but her father tracked her down again. She fled a second time, this time for good. It was during this time that she fully stepped into a male identity, taking the name Franklin Thompson. Some accounts suggest she had already been made to dress as a boy earlier in life, which may have made the transition easier and more natural for her.

[00:03:08]She crossed into the United States and found work as a traveling Bible salesman for a publishing company in Hartford, Connecticut. She went doortodoor selling books across towns and countryside. Her employer later said she was one of the best salesmen he had ever had. That life, moving constantly, speaking with strangers, carrying herself with confidence, helped her build the identity she would later carry into war.

[00:03:34]When the Civil War began, she enlisted on May 25th, 1861 in Company F of the Second Michigan Infantry known as the Flint Union Grays. She signed her name as Franklin Flint Thompson, possibly taking the middle name from the town of Flint, Michigan. She believed it was her duty to serve her new country. The early months of the war were disorganized, and that worked in her favor. Medical exams were quick. Units were filling fast, and men were more concerned with joining than questioning each other. She went straight into the reality of war. She was present during the first battle of Bull Run, where Union forces collapsed and retreated in confusion. She would go on to serve through multiple campaigns under General Mlelen, including the Peninsula campaign, Antidum, Fredericksburg, and others. She began as a field nurse, working among the wounded and conditions that were overwhelming and often deadly. Hospitals were crowded, supplies were limited, and disease spread quickly through camps and recovery areas. But her story does not stop there. According to her own memoir, her role shifted after a Union spy was captured and executed and after a close friend of hers, James Vi, was killed.

[00:04:52]She wrote that she stepped into that role herself, becoming a spy. There is no official military record confirming those missions, but her account describes traveling into Confederate territory under multiple disguises. She claims she darkened her skin using chemicals and entered the South posing as a black man named Cuff. She described posing as an Irish peddler named Bridget O'Shea, selling goods to soldiers while gathering information. She also wrote about working as a laress near Confederate camps and even taking on the identity of a male detective named Charles Mayberry to uncover Confederate agents. These accounts became widely known, but historians note they come from her own writings and cannot all be independently verified. During her time in service, she was also injured when her mule threw her into a ditch while delivering mail, leaving her hurt, but still able to continue. In 1863, she became seriously ill with malaria.

[00:05:55]Doctors urged her to go to a military hospital, but she refused. Being treated there would have exposed her identity.

[00:06:03]Instead, she left her post and checked into a private hospital under her real identity, intending to recover and return. But when she was well enough, she found something waiting for her.

[00:06:14]Posters, her name Frank Thompson, listed as a deserter. Returning would have meant risking arrest or even execution.

[00:06:22]Rather than take that chance, she chose a different path. She continued serving, this time openly as a woman working as a nurse in a Washington DC hospital, caring for wounded soldiers. There were even suggestions from later records that she may have already been considering leaving before her illness, though that cannot be confirmed fully. What is confirmed is this. Her fellow soldiers spoke highly of her. Even after her identity became known, they described her as a fearless and dependable soldier who had stood with them in every battle her unit faced. After the war, she told her story publicly and worked to clear her name. She succeeded, had the desertion charge removed, and received a pension. She lived the rest of her life recognized for what she had done. She died in 1898. She is buried at Washington Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

[00:07:44]Jenny Hodgers is one of the most well-known cases of a woman who lived and served as a man during the Civil War. Historians have identified hundreds of cases, over 400 documented, of women disguising themselves as men to fight on both sides of the war. Most were discovered, exposed, or disappeared back into civilian life.

[00:08:09]Cashier did neither. She remained Albert Cashier for the rest of her life. She was born on December 25th, 1843 in Cloggerhead County, La Ireland.

[00:08:22]Very little is known about her early years. The only real account comes from statements she gave much later in life when her memory was already failing. At some point, she made her way to the United States and settled in Illinois.

[00:08:36]On August 6th, 1862, Albert Cashier enlisted in the 95th Illinois Infantry out of Belvadier, Illinois.

[00:08:45]She was physically smaller than most of the men around her and kept to herself.

[00:08:49]But that didn't set her apart in a way that raised suspicion. Soldiers came from all backgrounds, and differences in size, voice, and behavior were common enough in camp life. What mattered was whether a soldier could do the job.

[00:09:03]Cashier did. She was accepted fully by the men in her unit and considered a dependable soldier. The 95th Illinois Infantry served in the Western Theater as part of the Army of the Tennessee.

[00:09:17]Over the course of the war, the regiment saw heavy action, taking part in more than 40 engagements. These included the siege of Vixsburg, the Red River campaign, the Battle of Nashville, and fighting at Kennesaw Mountain and Jonesboro in Georgia. These were long campaigns, marching, digging, fighting, and enduring the same conditions as every other soldier in the ranks. Like many Civil War units, the 95th lost a large number of men, not just in combat, but to disease. By the time they were mustered out in August of 1865, nearly 300 men from the regiment had died.

[00:09:55]Cashiers stayed with them through the entire three-year enlistment. There is one story repeated in later accounts that she was captured at some point and managed to escape by overpowering a guard. That story has been passed down, but like many personal war accounts, it does not appear in official battle records and cannot be fully confirmed.

[00:10:17]After the war, she returned to Illinois and settled in Sonman. What makes this story different from almost every other case is what happened next. She did not go back. She continued living as Albert Cashier, working, earning a living, and becoming part of the community. She took on different jobs over the years, including farm work, maintaining cemeteries, working as a janitor, and even lighting street lamps. She voted in elections at a time when women did not have that right. She collected a veteran's pension under her military name. To everyone around her, she was simply a veteran who had gone to war and come home. That remained true for decades. Near the end of her life, everything began to come apart. In 1911, after being struck by an automobile and suffering a broken leg, her sex assault was discovered during treatment. The doctor and nurse involved chose not to make that information public. Instead, she was quietly moved that same year to the soldiers and sailors home in Quincy, Illinois, where the superintendent was informed, but also kept her situation private. For a time, the truth stayed contained. But by 1913, the story reached the press, and it spread quickly. Newspapers began reporting that the soldier known as Albert Cashier had been born as Jenny Hodgers. At the same time, her health was declining. Her mental condition began to worsen and in 1914 she was transferred to a state hospital in Watertown, Illinois.

[00:11:53]The men who had served with her never changed how they saw her. Many of her former comrades from the Grand Army of the Republic spoke up, defended her, and pushed back against the way she was being treated. They recognized her as a soldier. When she died on October 10th, 1915, those same veterans made sure her story ended the way they believed it should. They insisted she be buried in her uniform with full military honors.

[00:12:23]She was laid to rest at Sonman Cemetery in Son Livingston County, Illinois. And long after her death, the men of the 95th Illinois Infantry continued to preserve her memory.

[00:12:37]Thera Rosetta Wakeakeman was one of the many women who took on a man's identity to enter the ranks during the Civil War.

[00:12:44]But her story stands apart because she left behind something most others did not. Her letters survived. They were kept by her family, later discovered and eventually published, giving a rare firstirhand look at what it meant to live that life day after day without being discovered. She was born on January 16th, 1843 in Banebridge, New York. The oldest of nine children in a poor farming family. Her parents, Harvey and Emily Wakeakeman, were raising a large household under constant financial strain, and from a young age, she understood what that meant. By her late teens, she had some formal education and was working as a domestic servant, earning very little. There was no real path forward for her. No steady income, no strong marriage prospects, and a family already weighed down by debt.

[00:13:39]In August of 1862, she made a decision that would separate her from everything she had known. She left home disguised as a man. Her reasons were never written out directly in one place, but they can be seen clearly through what she was facing. limited opportunity, financial pressure, and the chance to earn real money in a way that was otherwise close to her. Taking on a male identity, she went to work as a boatman on a coal barge traveling along the Chenango Canal. It was hard physical labor, but it paid far more than anything she could have earned as a woman. She had barely begun that work when she crossed paths with Army recruiters from the 153rd New York Infantry.

[00:14:25]They were offering a $152 enlistment bounty for someone in her position. That amount was impossible to ignore. On August 30th, 1862, she enlisted under the name Lions Wakeman, claiming to be older than she really was. Her enlistment papers listed her as 21, though she was likely still only 17 or 18 at the time. The regiment left for Washington, DC in October. At first, her service did not involve battle. She was assigned to guard and provis duty in Alexandria, Virginia, and later in Washington, DC, helping protect supplies and maintain order. Life in camp could be long and repetitive. But it also gave her time to write, and she wrote often.

[00:15:12]Her letters home described her work, her pay, and her growing sense of independence. She sent money back whenever she could, trying to help her family and possibly repair whatever distance had grown between them. She also made something clear in those letters. She was proud of what she was doing. She wrote that she liked being a soldier. At one point during her service in Washington, she was assigned a guard duty at Carol Prison. While there, one of the prisoners held inside was a woman arrested for impersonating a man to serve in the army. The same act Wakeakeman herself was carrying out undetected. By early 1864, her regiment was transferred south under Major General Nathaniel Banks to take part in the Red River campaign in Louisiana. The conditions there were far worse than anything she had experienced before. The soldiers were forced to march long distances through swampy bayou country, dealing with heat, poor food, and contaminated water. Illness spread quickly and many men fell sick before ever reaching the battlefield.

[00:16:19]She endured that march. On April 9th, 1864, her regiment finally saw combat at Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. She stood in line with the rest of her company and came under fire, facing the same danger as every man around her. In one of her final letters, she described the battle, how the Union forces were pushed back the first day, then fought again the next with heavy cannon fire and constant rifle fire. She wrote that she was under fire for hours and spent the night on the battlefield. She also wrote that she was thankful to have survived. Her regiment fought again during the retreat, including at Monet's Bluff, holding off Confederate forces as the army moved back toward safety.

[00:17:04]That was the only battle she is known to have fought. Like so many others in that campaign, she did not fall in combat.

[00:17:11]She became sick. On May 3rd, 1864, she reported to the regimental hospital suffering from chronic diarrhea, a condition that killed thousands of soldiers during the war due to contaminated food and water. She was later transferred to a larger hospital in New Orleans, arriving on May 22nd. By then her condition was severe. On June 19th, 1864, she died. There is no record that her identity was ever discovered during her lifetime. She was buried under the name she had lived by in the army. She rests at Chalmet National Cemetery in Chalet, just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, among rows of soldiers who died far from home. Her story did not surface until much later.

[00:17:58]In 1976, her letters were found in a relative's attic along with a photograph and personal items. They revealed who she really was and what she had done.

[00:18:09]Those letters remain one of the clearest firsthand accounts of a woman living as a soldier during the Civil War. In one of them, she wrote plainly that she was not afraid to go into battle, and when the time came, she wasn't.

[00:18:28]Melinda Bllelock was born March 10th, 1839 in Caldwell County, North Carolina, an area that later became part of Avery County in the steep country around Grandfather Mountain. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Pritchard and the sixth of nine children.

[00:18:47]As a child, she lived in what is now Avery County, though then part of Wataga, and attended a one- room schoolhouse. That mountain life shaped her long before the war ever reached it.

[00:18:59]When she was young, she became close to William McKessen Bllelock, known as Keith, a man about 10 years older than her. Their families had been in conflict for over a hundred years, but the two still grew close, meeting in school and becoming childhood sweethearts.

[00:19:17]By 1861, at just 19 years old, she married him, causing tension between both families. When the Civil War began, the mountain communities of western North Carolina were deeply divided.

[00:19:31]People did not fall neatly into one side. Neighbors argued daily, even within the same families. Melinda at first supported secession while Keith and his stepfather Austin Coffee were strong union supporters though Keith himself opposed parts of leadership on both sides. Even with those differences their marriage held.

[00:19:53]When the Confederate 26th North Carolina Infantry led by Zebulun Vance came through the region recruiting Keith began weighing his options. He considered fleeing toward Kentucky or temporarily joining the Confederates with the intention of deserting later once closer to Union lines. He also feared what might happen to Melinda if he left her behind. So he enlisted outwardly going along with the Confederate cause. But when he arrived at the railroad depot to leave with the others, something unexpected happened. A small built recruit appeared beside him, wearing a forage cap pulled low, dressed like the rest. It was Melinda. She had cut her hair, put on men's clothing, and chosen to go with him rather than be left behind. On March 20th, 1862 in Lenoir, North Carolina, she officially enlisted under the name Samuel Sammy Bllelock, listed as Keith's younger brother, supposedly 20 years old. That enlistment record and her discharge papers still survive. One of the rare documented cases of a woman serving in disguise from that region. Military life quickly proved different than they expected. Before they even arrived, the 26 had already fought at Newburn and lost, meaning there would be no movement toward Virginia. Instead, they were stationed near Kinston along the Noose River, far from any chance to cross into Union lines. While keeping her identity hidden, Melinda proved herself. An assistant surgeon later stated plainly that her disguise was never discovered, and that she drilled and carried out her duties just like any other soldier in the company. She adapted quickly, learned the manual of arms, and kept pace with the rest of the unit. Keith rose to Brevitt Sergeant and made sure she stayed close to him. Together, they lived through camp life, sleeping in tents, enduring the rough conditions, and taking part in at least three engagements, all while her identity remained hidden. Then came the moment that changed everything. In April 1862, their unit was sent on a night mission along the Noose River to locate Union forces under General Ambrose Burnside.

[00:22:14]During that mission, a hard skirmish broke out. Most of the men retreated back across the river, but Melinda did not return. When Keith realized she was missing, he went back. He found her clinging to a pine tree, bleeding heavily with a bullet lodged in her left shoulder. He carried her back himself.

[00:22:34]At the infirmary, Dr. Thomas J. Boyin removed the bullet and in doing so discovered the truth. Her identity was exposed. Keith managed to delay the consequences. He secured a promise from the surgeon not to report it immediately. That same night, he went into a patch of poison ivy, stripping down and thrashing through it until his body became inflamed and blistered. By morning, he presented himself to doctors, appearing seriously ill, claiming a contagious disease, and even adding other ailments. Fearing an outbreak of something like smallpox, the doctors quickly discharged him and confined him away from the rest of the men. Melinda, still recovering from her wound, remained behind. She then approached Colonel Vance and first asked to leave by offering to care for Keith on his return home. When he refused and instead told her she would serve as his orderly, she told him the truth. At first, he did not believe her. He called in the surgeon and once it was confirmed she was discharged immediately and required to repay the enlistment bounty she had received, they made it back to Wataga County, but the war did not leave them. Keith was soon ordered to return to Confederate service under new draft laws. Refusing, they fled into the mountains near Grandfather Mountain, joining other deserters. Confederate forces eventually caught up with them there, wounding Keith in the arm. They escaped into Tennessee. From there, they joined Union forces connected to the 10th Michigan Cavalry under Colonel George W. Kirk and later became involved in guerilla operations across the Appalachin region. This was not structured battlefield fighting. This was raids, ambushes, scouting, and guiding escape prisoners through mountain terrain. Keith became one of the leaders guiding Union prisoners out of North Carolina through what became known as the Wataga Underground Railroad, helping men escape from the Confederate prison at Salsbury. Melinda remained with him through it all. Their actions during this time grew harsh.

[00:24:48]Their group raided farms, took supplies, and struck against Confederate supporters. After being targeted themselves, they became known for their retaliation. They were feared throughout the region. Violence came back on them.

[00:25:02]Confederate vigilantes killed Keith's stepfather, Austin Coffee, and one of his brothers. After the war, those responsible were tracked down and killed. They were also involved in raids against the Moore family in Caldwell County, tied to a man who had originally recruited them. During one of those raids, Melinda was wounded again, and during another, Keith was shot in the eye and lost it. Over time, he also lost the use of one hand and was reported to have killed an uncle who had sided with the Confederacy.

[00:25:35]In 1864, Melinda became pregnant. She went to Tennessee and gave birth to their son on April 8th. After a short time, she left the child with relatives and returned again to support their efforts during the war. When the war ended, they returned to Wataga County.

[00:25:53]They lived the rest of their lives as farmers and raised four children. For a time, they struggled to obtain Keith's government pension. Later, they became involved in Republican politics. And in 1870, Keith ran for Congress, though he was not successful. Melinda died on March 9th, 1903, just one day before her 64th birthday. She's buried at Montazuma Cemetery in Avery County, North Carolina in the same mountain region where her life began. Keith later moved to Hickory, North Carolina after her death.

[00:26:29]On April 11th, 1913, he was killed in a railroad accident when his hand car overturned on a curve, crushing him.

[00:26:37]Some later accounts suggests the possibility of retaliation tied to his wartime actions, though that has never been confirmed. He was buried beside her, his stone marking him as a soldier of the 26th North Carolina Infantry.

[00:26:53]Some of these women were discovered, some told their stories, some left behind records that can still be followed, but most didn't. And somewhere between the names we know and the ones we never will. There were many more just like them. I hope you enjoyed this trip back in time. And thank you for watching the Hillbilly Files.