What a great story! How brave they must have been! Thank you for sharing. > [Original Message] > From: bzbee <bzbee@bellsouth.net> > To: <TNMONTGO-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: 5/24/03 5:37:06 AM > Subject: [TNMONTGO-L] [Fwd: [IGW] ACW -- Petticoat Cavalry of Rhea County TN] > > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [IGW] ACW -- Petticoat Cavalry of Rhea County TN > Resent-Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 22:51:28 -0600 > Resent-From: IrelandGenWeb-L@rootsweb.com > Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 21:52:24 -0700 > From: "Jean Rice" <jeanrice@cet.com> > To: IrelandGenWeb-L@rootsweb.com > > SNIPPET: Many Irish settled in TN and fought on both sides of the > American Civil War. What begun as a lark, the all-girl Rhea County, TN > Spartans soon attracted the attention of unamused Union officers in the > American Civil War. Unbelievable as it might seem, most of these > carefree young ladies would one day be captured by the Union Army and > find themselves held as full-fledged prisoners of war. The Rhea Co. > Girls' Company was created in the summer of 1862 through a combination > of boredom and the desire to be a part of the war for Southern > independence. Almost all of the "sidesaddle soldiers" had fathers or > brothers in the Confederate military, and the young ladies evidently > felt frustrated because their gender prevented them from enlisting. > Since they could not actually join the Confederate Army, they did the > next best thing: They created an army of their own. > > Rhea County, located on the northern bank of the Tennessee River in east > TN was one of the most pro-Confederate counties in the politically > divided mountain region. The county provided seven companies for the > Southern army against only one for the Union. When their fathers and > brothers marched off to war, the young ladies refused to be left out and > they formed an all-girl company. Mary McDONALD, one of the oldest of > the group, was duly elected captain. Caroline McDONALD, evidently her > sister-in-law, became first lieutenant. Anne PAINE was picked for > second lieutenant, while Rhoda Tennessee THOMISON (daughter of William > P. THOMISON) completed the commissioned list as a third lieutenant. > Named as noncommissioned officers were Jane KEITH, first sergeant; > Rachel HOWARD, second sergeant; Sallie MITCHELL, third sergeant; and > Minerva TUCKER, fourth sergeant. The girls elected no corporals, and > the remaining members of the company had to be content with the rank of > private. T! > hese included Barbare ALLEN, Josephine ALLEN, Martha BELL, Mary > CRAWFORD, Kate DUNWOODY, Martha EARLY, Ann GILLESPIE, Jennie HOYAL, Kate > HOYAL, Maggie KEITH, Jane LOCKE, Louisa McDONALD, Mary Ann McDONALD, > Sidney McDONALD, Mary PAINE, Mary ROBINSON, Sarah RUDD and Margaret > SYKES. All the young women came from prominent local families. The > average age was 18, although the 1860 U. S. Census lists Mary McDONALD > and Caroline McDONALD as both being 25, which would have made them about > 27 when the company was formed. > > At first the Rhea County Spartan contented themselves with simply > visiting their soldier sweethearts and relatives among the three > companies stationed in the area, presenting them with gifts of food and > clothing. In mid-1863, however, Union troops entered the area. The > lady soldiers continued to hold clandestine meetings, if only to keep up > their spirits and to exchange news of the war. Rural churches in the > Washington area were their most common rendezvous. Almost certainly, > the ladies must have engaged in at least a small amount of spying and > information-gathering for the Confederate army. > > While the Spartans never had any official connection with either the > Confederate Army or the state of Tennessee - Sixteen "sidesaddle > soldiers" of the Rhea Co. Spartans cavalry company were "captured" in > the Spring of 1865. In part to "teach them a lesson," they were forced > (while Union horse soldiers rode) to tramp along on a long march to the > Tennessee River and Bell's landing. It was dark and rainy, and the > women frequently stumbled through puddles. Clammy mud oozed into their > shoes. Their transportation arrived - a crude little steam boat called > USS "Chattanooga," one of the first of a series of vessels built by the > Union Army at Bridgeport, AL, to supply the besieged Union garrison at > Chattanooga. Armed guards guarded the "prisoners of war," and they > were forced to sleep on the floor although were not mistreated. Upon > their arrival in Chattanooga, the decision was made to feed them send > them back home. When the Spartans arrived back home in Rhea County, the > wa! > r was nearly over, and they soon returned to the conventional role of > 19th-century women. > > By the time William G. ALLEN wrote an account for "Confederate Veteran" > magazine in 1911, the girl's company had been all but forgotten. Only > three of the Spartans were then still living: Mary McDONALD, Mary Ann > McDONALD and Rhoda THOMISON. Aging male veterans, North & South, often > met to relive their youth, but the Rhea County Spartans never held a > reunion. That is regrettable, for the ladies had a fascinating story to > tell and had done their patriotic duty as they saw fit. > > For details on the soldiers involved in the incident -- Capt. John P. > WALKER, a 38-year-old Rhea Co. farmer, and typical Tennessee Unionist, > his commander, Lt. Col. George A. GOWIN of Hamilton Co., and First > Lieutenant William B. GOTHARD, see "American's Civil War" magazine July > 1996. > > > ==== IrelandGenWeb Mailing List ==== > To contact the list administrator, please send an email to > admin-irelandgenweb@rootsweb.com