Lizzie Compton

Elizabeth Compton (born c.1848) was a soldier assigned female at birth fighting for the Union in the American Civil War. They enlisted at the age of 14, and served in seven different regiments until the conclusion of the war, thus holding the record for reenlisting in the most regiments. Compton fought at Mill Springs, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Gettysburg until the conclusion of the Civil War before moving to Ontario, Canada.

Early life

Little is definitively known of Lizzie Compton's early life, as they gave different details of their life each time they were discovered. When wounded and discovered on the battlefield at Green River Bridge, they claimed that they traveled from their hometown of London, Ontario to enlist in the Union.[1]: 36  On another occasion, they had also claimed that their hometown was in Pennsylvania.[2]: 35 

The most complete account of their early life starts in a rural area near Nashville, Tennessee in 1848, where they were born. After the death of their parents in their infancy, Compton was left in the care of people whom they described as "unfeeling wretches."[3]: 62–63  In another case, they said that their guardians were secessionists, and were the reason of their escape.[2]: 35  At an early age, they worked in the fields. During that time, they had not received an education, had never been in full women's clothing, and was never taught the duties associated with running the household, unusual for a girl in the mid 19th century.[4] To escape their life, they left at the age of thirteen, dressed as a boy,[3]: 62–63  when they got a job on a steamboat that established their identity as male.[2]: 56–57 advantage

Civil War

Lizzie Compton was thirteen years old when the Civil War began. At the age of fourteen, they enlisted in the army, falsifying their age and changing their name.[3]: 62–63  Two of their known aliases were "Jack" and "Johnny".

Compton saw considerable action during the war, serving in seven different regiments, holding the record for the most reenlistments.[3]: 62–63  They transferred many times, either due to their sex being revealed or their fear of being detected. Their first reveal was when they were dared by their comrades to ride an unruly horse. While being treated for injuries sustained during the dare, the doctor revealed them to have been assigned female at birth, and they were thus discharged.[3]: 62–63 

In the 18 months Compton was in the army,[5]: 198 [6]: 80  they served in the 11th Kentucky Cavalry, 125th Michigan Cavalry,[5]: 198 [5]: 202  21st Minnesota Infantry, the 8th, 17th, and 28th Michigan Infantry and the 3rd New York Cavalry.[3]: 62–63  Their first battle was the Battle of Mill Springs on January 19, 1862, where they watched the fall of General Felix Zollicoffer.[3]: 62–63  Compton fought and was wounded by shrapnel at the Battle of Antietam during the Union's uphill charge. After being wounded at Fredericksburg and being transferred out, they immediately headed west to rejoin the army as part of the 25th Michigan Infantry. While fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg, they were wounded and discharged again.[3]: 62–63  They were subsequently shot in the shoulder in a squabble outside of Green River, Kentucky, at the Battle of Tebbs Bend. While they were being treated by the surgeon, their sex was discovered. Undeterred, they returned to Green River after their recovery to join a regiment that was encamped there.[2]: 94–95  They also fought in the Battle of Fort Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, and the Battle of Antietam.[3]: 62–63 

Compton was also occasionally drawn out of their regiment to remove or tend to the wounded on the field, a job that they were commended for.[2]: 66 

Later life

On February 20, 1864, Compton was arrested under charges of disorderliness in Rochester, New York for trying to enlist in another regiment. When told that it was against the law to dress as a man, they replied that they would never be a lady. They said that they could be a gentleman, but they would rather die than be a lady. When taken to the Chief Magistrate, they told him of their story and was let go. Their bail was entered on account of their good behavior and cooperation, after which they boarded a train and left town. They went off to join the 11th Kentucky Cavalry, their last service, and was almost immediately detected. Their last known whereabouts were Ontario, Canada, where they made their home.[5]: 161 

Physical Appearance

Lizzie Compton stood little over 5 feet tall and was slight of build. They were of stout build, had light brown hair, and a fair complexion.[3]: 62–63  One contemporary said that they appeared a "rosy boy of fifteen", and another vowed that they weren't above seventeen.[2]: 50–51  As with many soldiers assigned female at birth, they relished the freedom that menswear gave them, both physically and socially.

See also

References
  1. Middleton, Lee (1993). Hearts of fire-- : soldier women of the Civil War : with an addendum on female reenactors (Author's ed.). Franklin, NC: Genealogy Pub. Service. ISBN 1-882755-00-6.
  2. Blanton, DeAnne; Cook, Lauren M. (2002). They fought like demons : women soldiers in the American Civil War (1. print. ed.). Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Univ. Press. ISBN 0-8071-2806-6.
  3. Eggleston, Larry G. (2003). Women in the Civil War : extraordinary stories of soldiers, spies, nurses, doctors, crusaders, and others. Jefferson, NC [u.a.]: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-1493-6.
  4. Truth Stranger than Fiction. New Orleans, LA [u.a.]: Rochester Union. 1864.
  5. Hall, Richard (1993). Patriots in disguise : women warriors of the Civil War (1. ed.). New York: Paragon House. ISBN 1-55778-438-8.
  6. Massey, Mary Elizabeth; Berlin, Jean V. (1994). Women in the Civil War (Bison Book ed.). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-8213-3.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.