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 Jennie Hodgers
Civil War Soldier
Albert seized
the gun from the Confederate guard, knocked him to the ground and
fled back to his Union encampment. What makes this so unusual is
that Albert was really Jennie Hodgers.
Nineteen-year-
old Jennie had arrived in the United States as a stowaway from
Ireland. In the summer of 1862, she found her way to Illinois.
President Lincoln’s urgent call for more volunteers appealed to
Jennie’s sense of adventure. Eager to do her part, she enlisted.
Jennie could
neither read nor write. That was no problem as an enlistee could
use an X for their name. The Army’s physical consisted primarily
of a tap or two on the chest and a quick look at the eyes. There
was no spot on the recruitment form to mark male, or female. And
so, Jenny, an uneducated immigrant, became Albert Cashier, Private
First Class, Company 6, 95th Illinois.
Women enlisted
in the Civil War for a number of reasons. If a woman posed as a
man, she could make twice as much money as a woman. She would even
be able to vote in an era when women had no vote. Some sought
adventure, the need to make a living, or just to follow their
husbands. Most were found out and quickly dismissed.
After a month
of basic training, Jennie’s company set off for Kentucky where
they joined the army under General Grant. During the three years
of Jennie’s enlistment, she traveled some 10,000 miles with the 95th.
Throughout, her true identify remained a secret. Fellow soldiers
just assumed Albert was shy and wanted to be by himself. Even
though she was only five feet tall and the smallest man in the
Company, Jenny held her own in some forty battles. Notable among
them were, Vicksburg, and the Red River Campaign.
None of Jenny’s
regiment knew that they were fighting alongside a woman. Bathing
was infrequent and the men sleep in the same clothing they had
worn all day. Some went for weeks without changing clothes. This
all worked in Jennie’s favor. The reason for her deception was
never known.
The war was
over and Jennie was mustered out of service in August, 1865.with
an honorable discharge. After a public reception, each soldier
went their own way. Jennie still held on to Albert’s identity and
collected his pension. She continued to participated in various
veterans’ gatherings…wearing her uniform.
In the years
following, Jennie did odd jobs at a hardware store in Saunemin,
Illinois. Her employer built her a tiny one room house. Jennie,
always wary of strangers, would change her door locks frequently.
If she were to be absent overnight, she nailed the windows shut.
For the next
forty years…still keeping her identity a secret… she held a
variety of jobs: lamplighter and janitor among them. Often
children would taunt her and declare that her house was haunted.
In 1911, while
picking up sticks in a driveway, 68-year old Albert was struck by
a car. Jennie’s true identity was discovered at the hospital.
Although the doctors kept their patient’s secret, Jennie began to
lose ground mentally and was finally committed to Watertown State
Hospital in East Moline, Illinois. She died on October 10, 1915.
The fact that
Jennie had been masquerading as a man was met with shock and
laughter. However, fellow vets saw to it that she was buried in
the uniform of which she was so proud. Her casket was covered with
the American flag and she was laid to rest with full military
honors. The grave was simply marked: Albert Cashier, born Jennie
Hodgers Co 6, 95 Ill. Inf.
The residents
of Saunemin place flowers at the grave each Memorial Day. In 1977
a larger monument was created to mark the site. In 2006, Saunemin
residents have developed plans to save her broken-down house as a
memorial.
~*~
Wynne Crombie is a freelance writer and ESL teacher at Harper
College. She met her husband, Kent, 40 years ago while teaching
for the Departments of Defense
in Berlin and she and her husband
are about to become first time grandparents.
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