December 1841 – September 5, 1898
At 15 years old, Sarah Emma Edmonds, a.k.a. Private Franklin Flint Thompson, fled home to escape an arranged marriage. Disguising herself as a man, Edmonds immigrated from Canada to the United States, where she eventually enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As Franklin Thompson, she served as a soldier, nurse, and spy, undertaking dangerous missions behind enemy lines.
After the war, she published Memoirs of a Soldier, Nurse, and Spy, detailing her extraordinary experiences. She later became one of the first women to receive a military pension for her service. Edmonds’ story is a testament to bravery, perseverance, and the lengths women went to in pursuit of freedom and equality.
Sources:
Break Barriers for Women- Civil War Medicine Museum – National Museum of Civil War Medicine
Sarah Emma Edmonds – Wikipedia
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