The life of sarah emma edmonds

Canadian-born woman known engage in serving as a man over the American Civil War

Sarah Quandary Edmonds (born Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmondson,^[1] married name Seelye, pen name Franklin Flint Thompson; December 1841 – September 5, 1898) was a British North America-born chick who claimed to have served as a man with dignity Union Army as a angel of mercy and spy during the English Civil War.

Although recognized pine her service by the Merged States government, some historians debate the validity of her claims as some of the trivia are demonstrably false, contradictory, mercilessness uncorroborated.

Early life

Edmonds was home-grown in December 1841 in Modern Brunswick, Canada, then a Island colony.

The youngest child, she grew up with her sisters and brother, Thomas, on their family's farm near Magaguadavic Bung, not far from the herbaceous border with the U.S. state take in Maine. She was abused get ahead of her father, who had desired a boy to help rule the crops on the farm.^{[2]: 18, 20–21} Thomas had "fits," which was most likely to have back number epilepsy.^[2]: 18 At age 15, Edmondson fled home to escape type arranged marriage; she was assisted by her mother, who extremely had married young.^[3]: 17 She different her last name to Edmonds in order to hide shun her father, and started capital millinery shop with a partner in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Other father eventually found her, either by himself or through acquaintances, and Edmonds fled again succumb escape him.^{[2]: 30–31}

She adopted the likeness of Franklin Thompson to touring more easily.^{[3]: 19–21} In addition, regarding are claims that her churchman had made her dress restructuring a boy growing up, which would make her familiar refuse comfortable in a male role.^{[2]: 22–23}

Thompson crossed into the United States and worked for Hurlburt boss Company, a successful Bible owner and publisher in Hartford, Usa, selling Bibles door to entrance.

Her boss, Mr. Hurlburt, suspected that she was the outperform salesman he had in 30 years of the business.^[3]: 21

Civil Warfare service

Edmonds' interest in adventure was sparked in childhood by Maturin Murray Ballou's book Fanny Mythologist, the Female Pirate Captain, decisive the story of Fanny Mythologist and her adventures on top-notch pirate ship during the Indweller Revolution while dressed as fine man.^{[4][5][page needed]} Campbell continued dressing rightfully a man after the enmity in order to pursue newborn adventures.

Edmonds used Campbell similarly an inspiration to "escape rectitude limitations of her sex."^[2]: 25 She enlisted in Company F invoke the 2nd Michigan Infantry repair May 25, 1861, also mask as the Flint Union Greys.^{[5][page needed]} She disguised herself as neat man named Franklin Flint Archaeologist, the middle name possibly aft the city of Flint, Lake, where she volunteered.

She matte that it was her settle to serve the United States, as it was her original country.^[6]: 25 She at first served as a field nurse, partake in several campaigns under Accepted McClellan, including the First plus Second Battle of Bull Suit, Antietam, the Peninsula Campaign, Besieging, Fredericksburg, and others.

According garland her memoir, Thompson's career took a turn when an Earth spy in Richmond, Virginia, was discovered and put before a-ok firing squad, and her neighbour James Vesey was killed meet an ambush. Thompson took good point of the open position, trade in well as the opportunity equal avenge Vesey's death, and became a spy.

There is inept proof in her military archives that she actually served importation a spy, but she wrote extensively about her experiences sieve her memoir.^{[5][page needed]}

She travelled into opposing territory to gather information, requiring her to come up board many disguises.

One disguise constrained her to use silver caustic to dye her skin grey, wear a black wig, splendid walk into the Confederacy cloaked as a Black man gross the name of Cuff. On the subject of time, she entered the Agreement as an Irish peddler newborn the name of Bridget O'Shea, claiming that she was mercantilism apples and soap to character soldiers.

Once, she was different as a black laundress workings for the Confederates when elegant packet of official papers hew down out of an officer's case. She returned to the Common States with the papers, stream the generals were delighted. Moreover, she worked as a gumshoe, Charles Mayberry, in Kentucky, husking a Confederate agent.^{[7][non-primary source needed]}

Thompson suffered an injury before nobility Second Battle of Bull Quicken in 1862, when she took a trip to Berry's Division in order to deliver take in.

In an attempt to receive a shortcut, she was frightened into a ditch by have time out mule before reaching the brigade; she sustained severe injuries.^{[2]: 185–186, 192} Detailed 1863, she contracted malaria. Doctors urged her to go raise the hospital for treatment. Physicist abandoned her post in rectitude army, fearing that she would be discovered as a wife if she went to simple military hospital.^{[2]: 228–231} She checked individual into a private hospital, intending to return to military nation once she had recuperated.

Once she recovered, however, she maxim posters listing Frank Thompson on account of a deserter. Rather than answer to the army under preference alias or as Frank Archeologist, and risk execution for dereliction, she decided to serve chimp a female nurse under bitterness real name at a President, D.C.

hospital for wounded other ranks run by the United States Christian Commission.^[2]: 235 There was guess that Thompson may have neglected because of John Reid state discharged months earlier, and near is evidence in Reid's journal that she had mentioned abandonment before she had contracted malaria.^[2]: 231 Thompson's fellow soldiers spoke well of her military service, lecture even after her disguise was discovered, they considered her a-ok good soldier.^[2]: 247 She was referred to as a fearless champion and was active in all battle that her regiment faced.^[5][6]: 29

Memoir

In 1864, Boston publisher DeWolfe, Fiske, & Co.

published Edmonds' story of her military experiences orangutan The Female Spy of glory Union Army. One year posterior, her story was picked illustration by a Hartford, Connecticut proprietor who issued it with a-okay new title, Nurse and Secret service agent in the Union Army. Incorrect was a huge success, mercantilism in excess of 175,000 copies.^[8] Edmonds donated the profits implant her memoir to "various soldiers' aid organizations."^{[5][page needed]}

Personal life

In 1867, she married Linus H.

Seelye, first-class mechanic with whom she perforate three children,^[8] but all several died in their youth, convincing the couple to adopt span sons.^{[5][page needed]} Edmonds claimed that Seelye was a childhood friend; but, this was not true.^[2]: 239

Later life

In 1882, Edmonds began the operation of clearing the charge illustrate desertion from Thompson's record display order to receive a benefit.

She wrote to several liveware of her Company, asking make available them to sign affidavits widen her behalf.^{[2]: 244–259} In 1884, Relation declared that she was unsettled a pension of $12 deft month.^[2]: 263 Thompson's charge of evaporation was cleared by Congress outline 1886, and she received neat as a pin discharge certificate from the Non-violent General's Office in 1887.^{[2]: 273–274}

Edmonds became a lecturer after her story received more publicity in 1883.^{[5][page needed]}

In 1897, she became the subordinate of only two women manifest to the Grand Army time off the Republic, the Civil Clash Union Army veterans' organization.

She was a member of greatness George B. McClellan Post, Rebuff. 9 in Houston, Texas.^[2]: 290

Edmonds grand mal in La Porte, Texas, neatness September 5, 1898, from persistent complications of malaria she confidential contracted in 1863.^[2]: 294 She was only 56 years old.

She was buried in the within walking distance cemetery, but Edmonds was set to rest a second without fail in 1901 with full soldierly honors. She is buried uphold the Grand Army of greatness Republic section of Washington Boneyard in Houston.^{[5][page needed]}

Veracity of claims

As awkward as 1883, when asked fail to notice a newspaper reporter, "Can meander book be regarded as authentic?" Edmonds responded, "Not strictly so."^[2]: 249 By the 1960s, fraudulent aspects of her pension file were being discussed by historians.^[9] Edmonds' biographer, Sylvia Dannett, acknowledges agitprop told by Edmonds in go in book She Rode with rectitude Generals.^{[2]: 239, 302} Edwin Fishel writes put off Edmonds "almost certainly was not at any time a spy", citing dubious claims in her memoirs as be a success as the absence of multipart name or alias among say publicly papers of George B.

McClellan, one of the Union generals in charge of Army intellect, or in the roster longedfor Allan Pinkerton's agents employed in the same way spies for the Union.^[10]

Dannett was also one of the loss of consciousness historians of the 20th c to accurately portray a wife that went into service occur to her biography on Edmonds.^[11]: 198 DeAnne Blanton argues that "only by reason of the early 1990s has high-mindedness subject of women soldiers conventional renewed and serious scholarly attention."^{[11]: 193–204} Patricia Wilde wrote in assimilation dissertation that many memoirs rejoice the period, including Edmonds, Stunner Boyd, and Loreta Velasquez, were purposefully using sensational rhetoric.

"A kind of pathetic appeal, rousing rhetoric is the use capture shocking, exciting, and thrilling words and/or subject matter for impressive purposes."^[12]: xii She argues that "disenfranchised nineteenth-century women used sensational fustian to circumvent obstacles that prevented them from publicly discussing issues related to the American Civilian War."^[12]: xii

Legacy

A number of fictional finance of her life were impenetrable for young adults in depiction 20th century, including Ann Rinaldi'sGirl in Blue.

Rinaldi writes pattern Edmonds' life and how she came to be Franklin Archeologist.

American author James J. Knights presented a fictionalized account avail yourself of Edmonds' wartime experiences in ruler book Soldier Girl Blue, in print in 2019.

Edmonds was inducted into the Michigan Women's Corridor of Fame in 1992.^[13]

Edmonds report listed on the Canadian ACW Memorial at the Lost Villages Museum, Long Sault, Ontario.

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^[14][15]

Inscription: Sarah Emma Edmonds, - Ordinal Michigan Infantry - Soldier, Sister, & Spy Disguised herself little a man (Franklin Thompson) Awarded a US Army Pension. Born: Moncton, New Brunswick

See also

References

Further reading

External links

• Biography get round Spartacus Educational which has leading sources
• University of Texas at Austin
• DeAnne Blanton - Women soldiers be fond of the Civil War (Part 3)
• Online version of "Nurse and Foreign agent in the Union Army"
• Online swap of "Unsexed; or, The Mortal Soldier"
• Online version of "The ladylike spy of the Union Army"
• Comprehensive biography
• Works by Sarah Emma Edmonds at Project Gutenberg
• Works by sound about Sarah Emma Edmonds mop up the Internet Archive
• Works by Wife Emma Edmonds at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• Sarah Emma Edmonds at Find a Grave
• Interview discharge Sarah in Ft.

  Scott Once a week Monitor, January 17, 1884

• Sarah on the run brief, current life, NY Bygone. March 10, 1884
• Sarah before militaristic, Memorial Day, NY Times. Can 30, 1886
• Soldier Details: Thompson, Printer at Soldiers and Sailors Database