Vivandieres

Often times we look back on the Civil War and think of women as the doormouse housewives that sat bent over their needle point, in restrictive corsets, doing the chores and longing for their men to return. But this was not the case. The Civil War was a type of "womans lib". Women were forced to break free from the tradional role of housewife and mother, and had to become the head of the household, as their husbands and sons went off to fight the lions of injustice. The had to takeover the farms and the family businesses. They became the backbone of the war effort at home. Working long hours on the farm, or in the shop, just to come home and roll bandages and sew uniforms.

This was a new and oftend times scary thing for the women to deal with. But for some, it was not enough to stay behind and help. Some women pulled up their family, and joined the ranks as vivandieres. Vivandiere was a development of the 18th century French military. Since the French had the reputation of being the finest soldiers in the world, some Civil War units, made up mostly of foreigners, adopted what was in effect a camp follower on the rolls of their regiments. The women were paid by the regiment and their duties were being a den mother, nurse and mascot of the soldiers, but retaining eminent respectability because they were frequently the wife or daughter of one of the men.

The vivandiere paid little heed to her non-combat job description and was frequently found on the firing line in some of the toughest battles of the war. If she was not tending to the wounds of her comrades, she could be found loading, aiming and firing rifles at her enemy, either Yanks or Rebels because both sides had vivandieres.

Take Kady Brownell for instance. Born in Africa, the 19-year-old was the daughter of a British soldier and wife of a member of the 1st Rhode Island. She carried the colors at the First Bull Run and when her husband re-enlisted in the 5th Rhode Island, Kady went along, but not on the rolls. She continued carrying the colors and once again saved the regiment by running ahead of the firing line and rallying the troops.

Annie Etheridge was a nurse-vivandiere in the 2nd Michigan, the 3rd Michigan and the 5th Michigan. She was known as "Gentle Annie" and "Michigan Annie," and was in the thick of Gettysburg fighting. At Spottsylvania she rallied retreating troops in the face of the enemy. General Phil Kearny planned to make her a sergeant-major, but was killed. His successor, Daniel Butterfield, awarded her a Kearny Cross.

Bridgett Divers, lovingly called "Irish Biddy," was the wife of a 1st Michigan Cavalry member. On two occasions, she rallied her regiment under fire, and on a number of others was seen on the line firing her musket. Twice she was almost captured. After the war, her husband joined the Regular Army and she became regimental laundress for many years on the frontier.

But there were also those women who would rather conceal their true gender, and enlist as men. Take Lorretta Valazquez for example. Disguised as a man, she joined the Confederate Army, and took on the alias of Harry T. Buford. Lorretta was born in Havana, Cuba in June 1824. Her family settled in New Orleans, and there she married a U.S. Army officer. Together they had three children, all of whom died when she was only eighteen years old. After that, her husband joined the Confederacy and left for the war. Soon afterwards, she too joined, traveling to Arkansas to raise a battalion for the Southern Cause. Her husband died durning the war, from an accidental gunshot wound.

In Tennesee, she arrived at Fort Donelson just in time to see it's surrendor. Soon after that she was wounded in the foot, and faced the chance of being discovered when it was examined. She left from there, and decided to travel to New Orleans, where she was ironically arrested under suspcion of being a woman in disguise. She was released after she told the officer she only enlisted to escape the city. In April 1862, she fought in the battle of Shiloh, her greatest military triumph, even though the Union won the battle. When she was burying the dead bodies, she got wounded with a shell, and an army doctor discovered her identity. She went again to New Orleans, believing that her military career was ended. She gave up her uniform.

After that she became drug smuggler, blockade runner and double agent. She was hired in Richmond to serve in the Secret Services Corps and began to travel freely. She frequently operated in Washington, D.C. and Canada. She remarried to Captain Thomas De Caulp and traveled around South America. He died later. She wrote a book about her memories in the Civil War named The Woman in Battle: A Narrative of the Exploits, Adventures and Travels of Madame Loretta Janeta Velazquez, Otherwise Known as Lieutenant Harry T. Buford, Confederate States Army.