Military Archives - Page 41 of 45

Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson became a hero of the American Revolution when she disguised herself as a man and joined the Patriot forces. She was the only woman to earn a full military pension for participation in the Revolutionary army.

Dr Mary Edwards Walker

In all of United States History, there has only been one woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Honor. Mary Edwards Walker is that woman. As a surgeon, women’s rights advocate, abolitionist, and spy, Walker became the first female U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War. Her legacy has been celebrated across the country, and in 2012 Walker’s hometown unveiled a 900-pound bronze statue in honor of her contributions.

Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture

Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture traveled far and wide to become a registered nurse. Her determination paid off, and she was the first Native Canadian registered nurse. It was illegal for Native Canadians to get a diploma after elementary school, so Monture had to move to the United States for nursing training. Monture found a way to receive an education and served as an Army nurse during the first World War. She is also reported to be the first Native Canadian woman to receive the right to vote in a Canadian federal election.

Margaret Cochran Corbin

A hero of the American Revolution, Margaret Cochran Corbin was the first woman to receive a military pension.

Grace Hopper

At a very young age Grace Murray Hopper showed an interest in engineering. As a child, she would often take apart household goods and put them back together. Little did her family know, her curiosity would eventually gain her recognition from the highest office in the land.

Charity Adams Earley

Educator, soldier, and psychologist, Charity Adams Earley paved the way for African American women in the military, in education, and in her community. Her most prominent role was leading the first African American women unit of the army on a tour of duty overseas during World War II.

Harriet Tubman

Known as the “Moses of her people,” Harriet Tubman was enslaved, escaped, and helped others gain their freedom as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Tubman also served as a scout, spy, guerrilla soldier, and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. She is considered the first African American woman to serve in the military.

Oveta Culp Hobby

Journalist, politician, and civil servant, Oveta Culp Hobby worked to better her community and her country throughout her lifetime. She is best known for serving as the director of the Women’s Army Corps and as the first secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Aileen Cole Stewart

The same year the United States entered the first World War, Aileen Cole Stewart passed her exams to be a nurse in Maryland and Washington, DC. Her dedication and courage helped her climb the ranks to become one of the first African American women to serve in the Army Nursing Corps. She helped establish a field hospital in Cascade, West Virginia. Stewart was also certified by the American Red Cross and served with 17 other African American nurses during the influenza epidemic of 1918.

Albert Cashier

Albert D. J. Cashier was an Irish-born American immigrant who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born Jennie Irene Hodgers, Cashier took on the identity of a man even before enlisting on August 6, 1862, and maintained that identity until their death in 1915. Cashier became famous as one of the more than 250 women soldiers who served as men during the Civil War, but the consistent and long-term commitment to a male identity indicates a strong likelihood that Cashier was a trans man. Cashier’s uncle or stepfather reportedly dressed his charge in male clothing so that the teen could find work in an all-male shoe factory in Illinois, and Cashier had adopted their male identity in order to live independently. During the war, Cashier’s regiment was part of the Army of the Tennessee serving under Ulysses S. Grant and fought in approximately 40 battles, including the siege at Vicksburg. During this campaign, Cashier was captured while performing reconnaissance, but escaped and return to the regiment. Cashier managed to hide their birth gender even when hospitalised and fought with the regiment through the war until they were honorably discharged with all of the other soldiers on August 17, 1865. It was only at age 70, suffering from dementia and living in a veterans’ hspice, that Cashier’s biological sex was revealed and they were forced to wear women’s clothing once again. When they diedthe following year, Albert Cashier was buried in uniform with full military honors and their tombstone inscribed “Albert D. J. Cashier, Co. G, 95 Ill. Inf.”