The Woman in Battle: A Narrative of the Exploits, Adventures, and Travels of Madame Loreta Janeta Velazquez, Otherwise Known as Lieutenant Harry T. Buford, Confederate States Army

Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography

by Janeta Velazquez, C. J. Worthington (Editor)

Loreta Janeta Velazquez was the daughter of a Spanish official living in Cuba. As a young girl she was sent to school in New Orleans, where she ran away and married a U.S. Army officer. After the outbreak of the war, she persuaded her husband to renounce his commission and to join the Confederate forces. After he was killed in battle, Velazquez disguised herself as a man so that she could serve, eventually doing so as an officer, a spy, and a blockade runner. The Woman in Battle tells the amazing story of Velazquez's experiences in a male-dominated world, offering a unique perspective on life as a soldier and detailing her many adventures, including fighting in the First Battle of Bull Run and Shiloh, where she was allegedly wounded. Upon the book's publication in 1876, its veracity was questioned, and it continues to be debated by contemporary historians to this day.

A DOCSOUTH BOOK. This collaboration between UNC Press and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library brings selected classic works from the digital library of Documenting the American South back into print. DocSouth Books uses the latest digital technologies to make these works available as downloadable e-books or print-on-demand publications. DocSouth Books are unaltered from the original publication, providing affordable and easily accessible editions to a new generation of scholars, students, and general readers.

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, Autobiography, American History, American Civil War, War

630 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1876

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had learned much concerning some of the very weak points of human nature...great names are not always worthily borne by great men, and that a spirit of petty jealousy is even more prevalent in a camp than it is in a girl’s boarding-school.

3.5/5

This book was a trip to read: partly because of the sheer combination of non-white non-male non-typical narrative of 'progress' aspects involved in the context, partly because of the aggravating circumstances by which I gained access to the material. I am not an eBook person when it comes to pleasure reading, and the fact that reading this required I download 50 or so individual PDF docs, one for every chapter, off of a mainframe that had to be logged into every time I sat down committed to progress a tad further in the narrative would have tried even the most fervent lover of their Kindle. Still, there is no denying the extraordinary value of this document, and the fact that a recently published "biography" that claims to completely eradicate this narrative's credibility has received almost no GR coverage, even when compared to the smidgen of ratings the original work has received, is heartening to say the least. As a person, I doubt very much that Loreta Janeta Velázquez aka Harry T. Bufford and I would have gotten along. However, the length and depth of this work of hers is extraordinary enough for me to focus less on her politics and more on appreciating how this work, outlandish as it is at first glance, is comprehensive and eloquent enough to at least be worthy of cross reference, as the conflict over its credibility well demonstrates today.

The first half of this work was definitely the more interesting part, as this is where the motivations build and the scene is set for the future crescendo of (in)famous cross-dressing that is accompanied by a non negligible of flirtation with the purported both of the sexes (a treasure trove for the interest queer theorist). True, there was fighting and spying and all sorts of derring-dos, but its the subversion that always interests me the most in any sort of historical situation, especially back in the 1860s when heterosexuality was first being hammered out in the Euro/Neo-Euro world and the gender dichotomy started being more crystallized in its relations than it ever had been previous to this. The second half got away from the war and started to look a little like a hastily put together A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, and this would have been interesting if it didn't feel so simultaneously smashed together and padded out. In terms of the veracity, it's admittedly amazing to me how many friends, allies, and general well wishers Velázquez named without managing to latch onto a sufficient number who's collective testimony could clear up once and for all the truth of the matter. As such, unlike how I am with most autobiographies, I'd be interesting in reading a proper biography of this woman, as what's out currently seems to largely be vitriolic negation and general self-satisfied androcentricity, and it would be wonderful if some scholarly Cuban woman looked back at this person of her country's past and discovered what she could of a figure whose status is borderline mythical despite the weight of a 600-700 page memoir, depending on one's edition.

All in all, this was a trek of a work to get through in many ways, but it was more than fortuitous that I found myself able to access this through my paying of tuition during the year that I was most interested in reading it, and I am not one to pass up academic library access in any form. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who didn't have a liking for history, as it is long and arduous, especially during the second half, and the author's viewpoints towards black people and other minorities, for all that she'd be considered Latinx today, do not compare favorably to that of her more popularly historically represented compatriots. Until a less vindictive biographer with a non-masculinist point to prove comes along, this work is your best bet of getting a sense of the story at hand, with the added bonus of history if you're any sort of self proclaimed US Civil War buff. As for me, I'm glad to be done, although I wouldn't mind engaging with more Velázquez-centered media in the future. A bio at the very least, if not a multi-episode biopic or dramatization à la 'Gentleman Jack' for Anne Lister, even a musical if someone is so inclined. There's a ripe amount of dramatic potential here, as long as the nastier aspects of the history are rather balanced.

I was getting out of the notion of subjecting myself to the liability of being locked up by every local magistrate within whose jurisdiction I happened to find myself, simply because I did not elect to dress according to his notions of propriety.

P.S. If anyone's willing to read this work in the fashion that I did, you can find this on JSTOR if you or an institution of yours has a subscription.

[Tamatha Picolla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very sad to learn she died penniless and branded a liar. Fortunately she was vindicated when a researcher found documents verifying she was paid as a spy for the Union.

[Kayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loretta Valasquez was a Cuban woman that impersonated a soldier during the Civil War. She defied gender roles from a very young age, and she risked her life to prove that she could defend the nation alongside any man. This is her underappreciated memoir, and I would suggest it to history buffs and feminists. Quite an interesting read!

[ػᶈᶏϾӗ]

"I'm Finished!" - finished enough, that is. This is a rich book and will deserve a second, more thorough read. I feel like you could analyze the entire center of the 19th century through this book alone.

[Horner Cammons]

A Cuban woman who moved to New Orleans in the 1850s and eloped with her American lover, Loreta Janeta Velazquez fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy as the cross-dressing Harry T. Buford. As Buford, she single-handedly organized an Arkansas regiment; participated in the historic battles of Bull Run, Balls Bluff, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh; romanced men and women; and eventually decided that spying as a woman better suited her Confederate cause than fighting

[Bobby Keeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I was interested in the story of a woman dressed as a man, and with a beard and mustache going into the civil war. The further I got into the story the less realistic it seemed. Most of the actual battles presented were without information. Her activities outside of battle seemed unrealistic. Such as her ability to present “himself” as an independent soldier who was self funded. After more reading I decided to find a better book. I personally do not recommend this novel.

[Daniel Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historical biography of a spy during the civil war. Bland.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bizaar look into one of the best spies of the confederacy. At times though it tends to be repetitive on some details of her ventures. A good gread anyways. Very historically interesting.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cuban woman who moved to New Orleans in the 1850s, Loreta Valazquez fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy as Harry T. Buford. As Buford, she organized an Arkansas regiment, participated in the battles of Blue Run, Balls Bluff, Fort Donelson and Shiloh.

This seemingly impossible autobiographical account has been

[Alexina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A woman with a very large ego. Found it very difficult to accept this book as a work of non-fiction.