The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-05-25
WOMEN FOUGHT
AS SOLDIERS
Pension Records Disclose One in
'76 and One in 81.
BOTH REAL FIGHTING MEN"

The unique records OF two women
serving as private soldiers, one
throughout the Revolutionary war and
another In the Civil war, fighting on
the battleflelds and being wounded
have just been discovered In the pen
sion bureau files.
Both women, one from Illinois, sue
ceeded in hiding their sex from the
other soldiers, and the fact that they
they were awarded pensions. Their
names are Deborah GanAett and cal
bert" D. j. Cashier, or Hodgers, and
they are the only women in American
history who were paid pensions for
actual military service.
The FIRST Of these women warriors
was Deborah Gannett Of Massachu-
sets. She enlisted April, 1871. in 4
Massachusetts, regiment commanded by
Col. Henry Jackson under the assumed
name Of Robert Shurtleff, and served
until November, 1888, ~ 4 private SOL
der, when she was honorably dis
charged.
Fought at Tarrytown.
She fought at Tarrytown, where she
was wounded, and was In the ranks
when Lord Cornw allis was captured.
Her real Identity was revealed after
the war, and in 1888 congress passed a
special bill for the relief Of her heirs,
awarding them a pension In which she
was described as Deborah Gannett, q
soldier Of the revolution"
The second woman was Albert d.
j. Cashier, whose real name was
Rodgers, but whose Christian name
was never revealed. She enlisted as a
private In Company @, Ninety-fifth I'LL
nois infantry, in August. 1885. At the
time she Joined she was nineteen, with
blue eyes and auburn hair. She gave
her occupation as farmer and her
residence at Belvidere, Ill.
She went through the entire cam
paign with the Ninety-ffth Illinois In
fantry, was In the engagements leading
to the fall Of Vicksburg, including
charge against the besieged city. She
also participated In the Jackson and
East Meridian raids, the Red River ex-
petitions, capture Of Fort De Russy,
and the battles Of Old river, Cloutier-
Vile, Mansura and Yellow Bayou.
In Thickest Of Fight.
In April, 1854, she was in the thick
est of the fight Of Guntown, Miss,
where the regiment lost heavily In
killed and wounded. Later she par
in the battle Of Nashville and
the pursuit of General Hoods defeated
army, and was at Franklin, Columbia,
Pulaski, Lawrenceburg and East Port.
After being discharged, she returned
o Illinois and worked on farm herd !
ng cattle. Later she was awarded a
pension and became an inmate Of the !
Soldiers home at Quincy, Ill.,, and re-
NAMED there except for intervals, |
when she engaged in farm labor on
arms in Boone, Kankakee and Liv-
ngston counties in Illinois.
1t was on one Of these occasions, |
while employed by State Senator Lish !
# Saunemin, Ill.,, that she was struck
~ an automobile, and it was while
eceiving surgical attention that her
ecret was discovered. She pleaded
With the physicians not to reveal her
ex. She died at WATERFOWL, ILL.,, In
915.
An investigation of her early life
conducted by the pension bureau re-
ulted in the discovery that she was
'orn In Clogher Head, Ireland, where,
With a twin brother, she herded sheep
nd dressed in male attire because she
ould do her work better.