Although Civil War era law and customs dictated that armies were male-only spaces, hundreds of female soldiers joined up and fought in both the Union and Confederate armies by presenting as men. In this talk by Thalia Chysanthis, doctoral candidate in history at William & Mary, learn what the public knew about female soldiers from contemporary newspaper accounts, and what these accounts and public perception of them reveal about nineteenth-century attitudes toward gender. 

[image caption:] "T.J Merritt's National Portrait Gallery, photographer. Frances Hook, also known as Private Frank Miller, Frank Henderson, and Frank Fuller of Co. G, 90th Illinois Infantry Regiment, 33rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, and 11th Illinois Infantry Regiment in uniform / T.J. Merritt's National Portrait Gallery, 42 and 44 Union Street, Nashville, Tenn. United States. [Nashville, tenn.: t.j. merritt's national portrait gallery, 42 and 44 union street, between 1861 and 1865]. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2016649648/." 

The Emerging Scholars Series is offered in partnership between the Graduate Center at William & Mary and the Williamsburg Regional Library. The series features W&M graduate students in talks hosted by the WRL intended to bring cutting-edge research to the local community. View the complete 25-26 Series schedule on the William & Mary website.