Vivia Thomas Vivia Thomas is an American folk figure . The Legend . Legend states that as the sun came up on a bitterly cold morning in January 1870 , a sentry patrolling the grounds around Fort Gibson in the Indian Territory discovered the body of one of the fort ' s troopers , young private Thomas , lying dead across a grave in the cemetery near the fort . The body was taken to the fort ' s infirmary and as the doctor tried to discover the cause of death , an unusual discovery was made : . Private Thomas , who had enlisted only a few weeks before , was a woman . As the doctor and the fort ' s commanding officer pondered just how she had managed to pass herself off as a man and get into the Army , the old priest at the fort came forward with one of the strangest stories in American military history . Thomas had given her secret to the old priest just a few days before her death . The priest ' s story was the beginning of the legend of Vivia , which has been told by the people of eastern Oklahoma ever since . Love Blossoms . Vivia Thomas was the daughter of a wealthy family from Boston . She had been educated at the finest schools and attended the finest affairs of Boston society . It was during one of these elegant parties following the Civil War that Vivia met and fell in love with a handsome Army officer . After several months of courtship , their engagement and wedding plans were announced , but then suddenly , shortly before their wedding day , the young officer disappeared . He left Vivia an apologetic note and explained that he was going out west in search of adventure . A Broken Heart . Brokenhearted and seeking revenge for the embarrassment that the young man had caused her , Vivia left home in search of the man who had betrayed her . When she learned that he had been stationed at Fort Gibson , in the Indian Territory , her journey began . The trip was extremely difficult but the fury in her heart pushed her onward . A Disguise . During the several months of her journey , Vivia cut off all of her long , flowing hair and started dressing in men ' s clothing . At first , her motive had simply been to disguise herself for protection while traveling through rough country , but the disguise proved so successful that she decided to use it to get close to the young officer by enlisting in the Army at Fort Gibson . In the months that followed , she somehow avoided detection and she carefully stayed away from her former lover , watching him closely and wondering how she would go about exacting her revenge upon him . The young officer had taken up with an Indian woman who lived a short distance from the fort and he visited her each evening . Vivia followed him through the darkness on may occasions , each time growing more bitter . Revenge . On a cold winter evening in late December 1869 , Vivia followed the officer on his trip . She waited for him behind an outcropping of stone and when he rode by on his horse , she shot him with her rifle , hitting him in the chest and knocking him off his horse . She left him there on the ground and the next morning , his body was discovered by a passerby and brought to the fort . The soldiers at the fort assumed that he had been killed by Indians . Guilt . At first , Vivia was happy that her quest for revenge had been satisfied , but then after a few days , she realized what she had done and became deeply grieved . She began leaving her quarters every night and going to the young man ' s grave , where she wept uncontrollably and would pray for hours for forgiveness . Then , one night , she froze to death on the grave and she was found the next morning . Many believe that she has not found peace and it is said that her spirit still haunts the national cemetery which is located near the fort . People claim to have seen an apparition of a young soldier there , pacing about and weeping loudly . Regardless , the story of this young woman touched the commanding officers at the fort . In the Fort Gibson National Cemetery stands a large circle called the Circle of Honor , which was set aside for soldiers who had distinguished themselves in service . Among the graves here is one stone that seems out of place . It simply reads " Vivia Thomas , January 7 , 1870 " . References . Steele , Phillip W . Ozark Tales and Superstitions , Pelican Publishing Co . , 1983 . ISBN 0 - 88289 - 404 - 8