-------- 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