Frances Clalin

Frances Clalin wearing a dress
Frances Clalin, dressed as a woman. Photographed by Samuel Masury ca. 1865. From the Library of Congress.

Frances Clalin Clayton was a woman who disguised herself as a man named Jack Williams in order to fight for Union forces during the American Civil War.[1] She served in the Missouri artillery and cavalry units for several months.

Frances Clalin, dressed as a man. From the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society.

Early life

Clalin was born in Illinois in the 1830s. She married Ohio-born Elmer L. Clayton, with whom she had three children. They had a farm in Minnesota.

Clalin in a carte de visite

Civil War involvement

Clalin's story was the subject of several newspaper reports, and several contained conflicting information. Most agreed that Clalin, disguised as a man and using the pseudonym "Jack Williams", enlisted with the Union to fight alongside her husband during the fall of 1861. Both Clalin and Elmer were born and lived in the north, but despite living in the state of Minnesota, they enlisted in a Missouri regiment. It is unknown which units specifically they fought in, but Clalin is said to have served in both cavalry and artillery units.[2] Clalin served side-by-side with her husband until he died in battle in 1862. Clalin is known to have fought in the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee, February 13, 1862, where the Union won after three days of fighting. During this battle Clalin was wounded, but even so, was not revealed to be a woman. Clalin was engaged in seventeen battles other than Fort Donelson. Reports say she was wounded a total of three times and taken prisoner once. She was wounded in the Battle of Shiloh and Battle of Stones River.[3] Some sources say that, when her husband died in front of her during the Battle of Stones River (or Murfreesboro) on December 31, 1862, she did not stop fighting - she stepped over his body and charged when the commands came.

Disguise

Clalin was tall, tan, and masculine. To play the part of Jack Williams, she practised manly activities in order to fit in. Some news reports state that Clalin was never discovered to be a woman, but instead was discharged when she confronted her superiors.

Frances Clayton took up all the manly vices. To better conceal her sex, she learned to drink, smoke, chew, and swear. She was especially fond of cigars. She even gambled, and a fellow soldier declared that he had played poker with her on a number of occasions.
— DeAnne Blanton and Lauren M. Cook, They Fought Like Demons

Clalin was also reported to be a good 'horse-man' and 'swordsman', and the way she carried herself in stride was soldierly, erect, and masculine. She was well trained and knew her duties well, but was also a respected person who commanded attention in the way she acted. It was said of Clalin in one report that she did her duties at all times and was considered to be a fighting man.

Discovery

There are two stories about how Clalin was discovered to be a woman. One is that after the battle at Stones River, Clalin decided to let her true identity become known and she was discharged a few days later in Louisville, 1863. The other is that Clalin was wounded in the hip at Stones River, and was discharged after being discovered that way. Clalin corrected the misinformation, but this error creates doubts about what really happened.

After being discharged, Clalin tried to get back to Minnesota, and decided to collect the bounty owed her deceased husband and herself, as well as to get some of Elmer's belongings. It is speculated that she wanted to reenlist, but she was unable to. Her train was attacked by a Confederate guerrilla party, and she was robbed of her papers and her money. Clalin then went from Missouri to Minnesota, then to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and on to Quincy, Illinois. In Quincy, a fund was created by former soldiers and friends to aid her quest for payment. Frances was last reported to be headed for Washington, D.C.

Popularity with the press

Clalin became popular with the newspapers of the time. Her story was published in at least six different papers, with numerous inconsistencies. Some articles reported that Clalin had been wounded and discovered at Stones River where her husband died; others said she was wounded at Fort Donelson, and was able to keep her identity a secret until her husband died and she went to her superiors with her secret.

According to Clalin, she was actually wounded at Donelson and was able to keep her secret unknown; she corrected the misunderstandings in her last interview, but she never said which regiment she had served in. This was probably never asked of Clalin because the reporters were more interested in the story of a devoted wife rather than the actual details of Jack Williams' soldier life.

See also

References

  1. ↑ ["http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USACWclalin.htm" "Francis Clalin"] Check |url= value (help). Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  2. ↑ "Frances L. Clalin 4 mo. heavy artillery Co. I, 13 mo. Cavalry Co. A. 22 months". Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Miss F. L. Clayton, 4th Mis. Arty [i.e. Missouri Artillery]". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 11, 2016.

Further reading

External links

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