Women in the Civil War

by Larry G. Eggleston

  Captain De Caulp was later stricken with an illness and sent to the Empire Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, for treatment. Since Lt. Buford’s foot was in need of further treatment he also was sent to the Empire Hospital in Atlanta. While in the hospital, Lt. Buford dropped in, unannounced, to visit with Captain De Caulp.

  While the two old friends were visiting, Captain De Caulp showed Lt. Buford a picture of Loreta and expressed his great love for her. Loreta wanted to reveal herself to him but was afraid he would reject her for disguising herself as a man and fighting as a soldier. She finally decided to tell him about herself. She reached into his shirt pocket and removed the picture and quietly asked him if he was sure he hadn’t seen someone in the three-year period that looked like his love. The captain seemed confused by the question so she asked if he thought the picture looked like his friend Lt. Harry Buford.

  Captain De Caulp was stunned when she revealed her identity. She quickly asked if he despised her for not staying home like other women and for going to war disguised as a man. His reply was the response she was hoping to hear. He said that he did not despise her for what she had done, but loved her more.

  They planned for their wedding to be held as soon as possible. They took two doctors into their confidence, Doctor Benton and Doctor Hammond, to act as witnesses. They also took the post chaplain, Reverend Pinkerton, into their confidence and he consented to perform the wedding ceremony. Loreta was provided with a wedding dress and they were married in the parlor of the Thompson House in Atlanta.

  After a short honeymoon, Captain De Caulp returned to duty. He had convinced Loreta to stay home since she had already done enough for the cause.

  On the way to rejoin his unit, Captain De Caulp had a relapse of his illness and was soon taken prisoner by Union troops. He died in the Federal hospital at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

  After the death of her second husband, Loreta returned to the army as Lt. Harry Buford. The long inactive periods between battles soon began to frustrate Loreta and she began to seek ways of becoming more active. She thought about becoming a spy for the Confederacy. This course of action would keep her in the field of activity for longer periods of time and give her a sense of accomplishment.

  She was accepted as an agent for the Confederacy. Her first adventure as a spy began by paying a Negro washwoman $20 for a dress, sunbonnet, shawl and shoes to replace her Confederate uniform. She planned to disguise herself as a poor woman and work her way north to Washington, D.C.

  As she approached Washington, she began to change her clothes as people along the way took pity on her and offered her better apparel. By the time she reached Washington she was dressed well enough to be able to rent a room at the Brown Hotel.

  From this room, she set out daily, gathering intelligence data for the Confederacy. She reported on troop movements, defenses around Washington, and movement of naval vessels.

  While gathering information she heard about openings for agents in the Pinkerton Federal Detective Corps. Loreta realized that if she could get accepted as a Union agent she would have access to much more critical information which she could pass on to the Confederate authorities.

  She applied and was interviewed by the chief detective of the Washington branch, Mr. Lafayette C. Baker. During this interview she professed her deep loyalty to the Union and her dislike of the Confederacy, whom she claimed had persecuted her for her beliefs. Mr. Baker accepted her and her adventures as a double agent began.

  Her first spy mission for the North was to proceed to Johnson’s Island Prison in Sandusky Bay to gather information needed by the federal government to put down a Confederate planned insurrection. She was to pass herself off as a Confederate operative and gain the confidence of the prisoners in order to gather the needed information. The Confederate authorities used this opportunity to have Loreta transport funds and messages to their operatives in Canada.

  Because Mr. Baker did not completely trust Loreta, he sent an agent to watch her. She was so well disguised, however, that while on the train the agent could not locate her, even though at one time during the train ride he sat down next to her and began asking questions. He showed her a picture of herself during the questioning. Since she could not identify the woman he was seeking, he moved on to question other passengers.

  Madame L.J. Velazquez before General Butler. Courtesy of Leib Image Archives.

  Upon her arrival in Canada she was able to distribute all funds and messages to the Confederate agents prior to crossing over to Johnson’s Island. The prisoners at Johnson’s Island honored her disguise and she set out to help the planned insurrection and escape of the Confederate soldiers.

  The plan was to release all Confederate prisoners on Johnson’s Island and organize them into a force to operate in the area between Canada and the United States. The plan involved capture of the Federal gunboat Michigan. One Confederate agent named Charles H. Cole was placed aboard the Michigan as a Union sailor. Another Confederate agent, Captain John Yates Beall, was to commandeer two boats to assist in the prison escape, which he successfully accomplished on September 19, 1864. Loreta would work in the prison stockade.

  The escape was planned for September 19, 1864. However, a few hours before the plan went into effect, a disgruntled Confederate prisoner named Langhorn informed the Union authorities about the plan. It was quickly put down and the leaders arrested. Confederate agent Charles H. Cole was arrested aboard the gunboat Michigan. The other Confederate agent escaped. Loreta was not arrested or even suspected.

  Loreta Janeta Velazquez. From her memoir, The Woman in Battle (1876).

  Returning to Washington, she continued her work as a double agent. She worked as Loreta Velazquez, Lt. Harry T. Buford, and Mrs. Williams. During her career as a spy she gathered information, smuggled much-needed drugs from Cuba to the Confederate soldiers at the front, transported materials, and performed many other needed services for the Confederacy.

  During several of these missions between the Union and Confederate lines, she was caught and arrested but somehow always managed to escape back to the safety of the Confederate lines.

  Mr. Baker was aware of a double agent in his organization and assigned one of his best agents to find the mole. He assigned Loreta to catch herself. This was her last mission as a spy and a mission she never accomplished.

  When the Civil War ended, Loreta fled to Europe to escape federal prosecution. She reportedly took $100,000 in cash with her. Once it was safe she returned to the United States and married a third time to a Confederate officer named Major Wasson.

  The newlywed couple moved to Caracas, Venezuela, to investigate the 1866 colonization plan for Confederate soldiers. They soon became disenchanted with the plan since it was not what they were promised or expected. They made plans to return to the United States but were delayed when Major Wasson caught black fever. He died in Caracas a few weeks later.

  By 1868 Loreta had re-settled in Nevada and married a fourth time to a miner. She bore him a son and shortly thereafter the family settled in California where she wrote a book about her four years of service to the Confederacy. The book was titled The Woman in Battle and was published in 1876.

  Loreta Janeta Velazquez died in 1897 at the age of 55. She had lived life on her own terms and followed her beliefs. She always served faithfully and without regard for her own safety. She went far beyond the call of duty, and is worthy to be remembered for her courageous spirit.

   6

  Frances Louisa Clayton: Woman Soldier

  Some women soldiers who joined the military to be with their husbands also had a deep craving for adventure and excitement. This desire, coupled with their loyalty to their beliefs, made them excellent soldiers. These women fought hard and excelled in all aspects of army life. Never complaining about the hardships they endured, they served with honor.

  Such a heroic soldier was a woman from Minnesota named Frances Louisa Clayton, who joined the Union army with her husband.

  In Apr
il 1861, when the Civil War began, Frances Louisa Clayton and her husband were living in Minnesota. When President Lincoln issued his call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion and reunite the nation, Frances and her husband decided to enlist and do their part in this historic effort. Frances cropped her hair short (just below the ears), dressed as a man and, with her husband, enlisted in the Minnesota State Militia Cavalry. The photographs in this chapter show Frances Louisa Clayton in the uniform of the State Militia Cavalry.

  Frances was tall, masculine looking, and had a bronze complexion. In an effort to maintain her disguise as a man she learned to chew tobacco, spit, smoke, drink, cuss, walk and act like a soldier. She became very good in her deception. She stood guard duty rain or shine with the rest of the soldiers, and she was considered a good fighting soldier by the members of her regiment.

  The enlistment in the cavalry must have been up after the initial 90 days, because the further accounts of Frances Clayton and her husband indicate that they were fighting with the infantry or light artillery. They fought side by side in many battles including the Battle of Stone’s River. Since the only unit from Minnesota which fought at Stone’s River was the 2nd Minnesota Battery, one can conclude that this was the regiment they joined after the cavalry enlistment expired.

  Frances Clayton. Courtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library.

  The regiment to which Frances and her husband belonged was assigned to General Rosencrans’ army in Tennessee. On December 31, 1862, they met General Bragg’s Confederate forces at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Battle of Stone’s River commenced at dawn on December 31, 1862, with an attack by General Bragg’s Confederate troops. The battle lasted through January 3, 1863.

  By noon on December 31, the Confederates were on the defensive as the Union forces halted the attack and began advancing. During the four days of fighting there were several attacks and counter attacks. During one of the early offensives against the Confederate forces, Frances was positioned on the rear line of the assault while her husband was on the front line. The regiment was making a bayonet assault on the Confederate forces. During the assault, her husband was killed a few feet in front of her. Filled with grief and rage, she charged over his body with the other soldiers and drove the Confederates back.

  As the assault was ending, Frances was struck in the hip with a minié ball and required medical attention. She was taken to the regimental hospital for treatment. The wound was not life threatening and no bones had been broken.

  During Frances’ treatment, the surgeon discovered that she was a woman. After a short period of recovery, she was discharged from the regiment on January 3, 1863.

  The Battle of Stone’s River was called a bloody draw with the loss of 12,906 Union soldiers out of the total of 41,400 and 11,379 Confederate soldiers out of the total of 34,737. These two armies would meet again in battle at Chickamauga.

  On her way back to Minnesota, while riding between Nashville and Louisville, guerillas attacked and robbed Frances’ train. They took all of her money, papers, and valuables. After reaching home and recovering from her wound, she headed back to her regiment under the guise of retrieving her husband’s belongings. Her true motive was to plead with the commander to let her return to the regiment.

  Frances Clayton in uniform. Courtesy of Buddy Hughes, Pound, Virginia.

  Frances did not make it back to her regiment. She was stopped in Louisville by the Provost Marshal and ordered to turn around and return home. She was put on a train routed to Chicago and then on to Minnesota. Somehow the reservations became confused and she ended up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and then went on to Grand Rapids. After getting her reservations corrected in Grand Rapids, she was walking away from the Provost Marshal’s office when a group of young half intoxicated soldiers began to follow her. When they got too close and too aggressive, she drew her pistols and turned on them. They quickly changed their minds about assaulting her and fled.

  Continuing her walk through the town, she was recognized as an old acquaintance by the owner of a local restaurant on Monroe Street. He knew her before she was married and was aware of her disappearance after her husband enlisted in the army.

  The restaurant owner provided her with shelter for the night. The next morning she boarded the train for Minnesota and disappeared from the pages of history.

  With such resolve to continue to serve her country one wonders if she re-enlisted with some other regiment and re-entered the war. If so, she served undetected.

  The desire to continue with the regiment after her husband’s death as well as the hardships and suffering she had already confronted shows her deep loyalty and dedication to her country and reflects the hearty spirit of such heroic women of the time.

  Frances Clayton. Courtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library.

  Among historical accounts of Frances Clayton, there exists some confusion as to the proper spelling of her last name. Different accounts show her name as Clayton, Clalin, Clatin or Claytin. The original photograph of Frances sitting in a chair holding her sword has the signature of Mrs. F. S. Claytin on the front and back. It is not known if she signed her name on the picture or if someone simply labeled it for his or her files. The article “Women Who Wore the Blue and the Gray” in the Time-Life book The Civil War shows her name as Clalin. The Grand Rapids Daily Eagle article of November 19, 1863, titled “Eventful History of a Soldier Woman,” shows her name as Mrs. Frances Louisa Clayton. An article in the New Orleans Daily Picayune, November 22, 1863, also shows her name as Mrs. Frances Louisa Clayton. Patriots in Disguise by Richard Hall shows her name as Clayton. In researching the records of the Minnesota regiments one can only find the name Clayton. Further research of the regiments who fought at Stone’s River, reveals only the name Clayton. It seems most likely that the correct spelling of her name is Clayton.

   7

  Frances Hook: Woman Soldier

  Incredible as it may seem, one woman soldier’s heroism was so impressive that the Confederacy offered her a commission to switch sides. This amazing 14-year-old female was Frances Hook, who disguised herself as a man and joined the Union army.

  Frances Hook was born in Illinois in 1847. She is described as having dark hazel eyes, dark brown hair, medium height and rounded features. When she was three, both her parents died, leaving her to be raised by her older brother.

  Frances and her brother were living in Chicago, Illinois, when the Civil War began. She was 14 years old when her brother announced that he was going to enlist in the Union army in answer to President Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers.

  Since her brother was her only living relative, and she did not want to be left alone, she decided to disguise herself as a man and accompany him into the army. She cut her hair short, upped her age to 22, dressed in men’s clothing and on April 30, 1861, enlisted with her brother in the 11th Illinois Infantry Regiment as Private Frank Miller.

  They served in the 11th Infantry for the full 90-day enlistment without incident and without Pvt. Miller’s gender being discovered. Upon discharge from their three-month enlistment on July 30, they re-enlisted in the 11th Illinois Infantry Regiment for three years. The three-year regiment was mustered into Federal service on July 30, 1861.

  Some of the major battles fought by the 11th Illinois Infantry were Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh. Frances lost her brother during the Battle of Shiloh. The death of her brother had such a devastating effect on her that she could not continue serving with the 11th Illinois Infantry. It is not known how she managed to get out of her enlistment. She may have revealed her age or gender in order to be released or perhaps she deserted.

  Although she was not able to serve with the 11th Infantry, she was still determined to continue her service with the Union army. She assumed a new alias and enlisted in the 33rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, which had been in existence since September 3, 1861. She enlisted under the name Frank Henderson and served only a few months before she was woun
ded in battle. The two major battles she fought while with the 33rd Illinois Infantry were Big River Bridge on October 15, 1862, and Frederickstown on October 21, 1862. She was wounded at the Battle of Frederickstown. The wound was not life threatening but did require immediate attention. While she was being treated in the regimental hospital the attending doctor discovered her gender.

  She was discharged from the 33rd Illinois Infantry and asked to promise to go home. She replied that she had no home or family. Frances was not discouraged and soon began seeking another regiment to continue her service. She soon found the newly formed 90th Illinois Infantry Regiment, which had been mustered into Federal service at Chicago, Illinois, on September 7, 1862.

  The 90th Illinois Infantry had served as guards at Camp Douglas until November 27, 1862. They had not yet seen battle. While Frances served with the 90th Illinois Infantry, they fought many battles such as Holly Springs, Coldwater, the Siege of Vicksburg, the Siege of Jackson, and Mission Ridge.

  In the late summer of 1863 while passing through Florence, Alabama, Frances obtained permission to enter an empty house to forage for food and medicine as the regiment moved forward. She located several items of food and supplies and began to pack them in her bag. Suddenly two Confederate soldiers came out of hiding and took her prisoner. She was taken to Atlanta, Georgia, to be imprisoned.