Existing comment:
Alonzo D. Pratt to John Woolley
September 12, 1864:
This letter sheds light on an unusual, though not uncommon, event during the Civil War. Capt. Alonzo Pratt reports the arrest of two women, Kate and Eliza Frances, who were dressed in US Army uniforms and claiming to belong to the 1st West Virginia Cavalry (USA). Were they there to fight for the Union, or were they following husbands or sweethearts into the army? Unfortunately, the document does not reveal the answer. |