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I'll Pass for Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War
The Civil War has been studied, written about, even sun about for generations. Most people know that it was a conflict between North and South, Unionists and rebels, blue and gray. We recognize the names of Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee. Many people know about Clara Barton, the nurse who did so much to save soldiers' lives. But few have heard of Sarah Emma Edmonds, Rosetta Wakeman, or Mary Galloway. They were among the hundreds of women who assumed male identities, put on uniforms, enlisted in the Union or Confederate Army, and went into battle alongside their male comrades. In this compelling book, Anita Silvey explores the fascinating secret world of women soldiers: who they were, why they went to war, how they managed their masquerade. A few left memoirs, diaries, or letters. Newspaper stories, pension records, and regimental accounts yielded additional information, as did the writings of male soldiers who became aware of the women in the ranks. Undoubtedly, there were women soldiers whose true identity was never discovered or revealed. Accessible, accurate, and engaging, I'll Pass for Your Comrade invites readers to view the Civil War from an uncommon perspective and explores an often overlooked aspect of our history.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published December 29, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 3, 2022
I'll tie back my hair, man's clothing I'll put on / and I'll pass for your comrade, as we march along... -- Cruel War, a Civil War Ballad
As a child I loved singing this song -- I'd learned it at Girl Scout camp -- of a woman convincing her man to allow her to go to battle with him -- and often imagined myself becoming a soldier. (I didn't.) Although this account was maybe a bit disjointed, I learned so much about the many, many reasons women went to war -- usually, but not always, in disguise -- and what became of them. Some accompanied husbands, lovers, brothers. Some went to avenge their slaughtered husbands, vowing to kill as many of the enemy as possible. Some just wanted to fight -- many were already amazing markswomen before the war. In Virginia, a group of twenty women organized themselves into a regiment, only to have their services rejected by the military authorities. However, some women did serve openly as "daughters of the regiment" - a role that involved wearing a uniform, carrying a weapon, and sometimes using it, although they weren't officially soldiers. I'd love now to read one of the only full-length memoirs of one of those women soldiers, The Woman in Battle by Loreta Janeta Velazquez, aka Harry T. Buford, a young woman who imagined herself as the next Joan of Arc and wrote vivid, stunning narratives of battle scenes. (I hadn't even thought of that source of inspiration!) Her book was a bestseller after the war. Interestingly, during and immediately after the war many women warriors were written about in newspapers and books. Some received military pensions, vouched for by their commanding officers and fellow soldiers even after their sex was known. (Of those who survived, some went back to living as women and some continued to live as men.) But by the late nineteen hundreds, their stories had been almost completely suppressed, and through most of the twentieth century they were hardly known.
This book is full of fantastic photographs.
In my father's family I had a Civil War era (I think) ancestor who "became" a man at the urging of her father, who needed a son to help him on the farm but had only daughters. My impression of that branch of the family is that they encouraged women to do whatever they wanted, so I imagine that the father noticed that the daughter wanted to do it and encouraged her. She dressed as a man and was known by a man's name, Johnnie Walker. I've always wondered whether she went to war, whether she continued when she was older to live as a man or went back to living as a woman ... I'll probably never know.
As a child I loved singing this song -- I'd learned it at Girl Scout camp -- of a woman convincing her man to allow her to go to battle with him -- and often imagined myself becoming a soldier. (I didn't.) Although this account was maybe a bit disjointed, I learned so much about the many, many reasons women went to war -- usually, but not always, in disguise -- and what became of them. Some accompanied husbands, lovers, brothers. Some went to avenge their slaughtered husbands, vowing to kill as many of the enemy as possible. Some just wanted to fight -- many were already amazing markswomen before the war. In Virginia, a group of twenty women organized themselves into a regiment, only to have their services rejected by the military authorities. However, some women did serve openly as "daughters of the regiment" - a role that involved wearing a uniform, carrying a weapon, and sometimes using it, although they weren't officially soldiers. I'd love now to read one of the only full-length memoirs of one of those women soldiers, The Woman in Battle by Loreta Janeta Velazquez, aka Harry T. Buford, a young woman who imagined herself as the next Joan of Arc and wrote vivid, stunning narratives of battle scenes. (I hadn't even thought of that source of inspiration!) Her book was a bestseller after the war. Interestingly, during and immediately after the war many women warriors were written about in newspapers and books. Some received military pensions, vouched for by their commanding officers and fellow soldiers even after their sex was known. (Of those who survived, some went back to living as women and some continued to live as men.) But by the late nineteen hundreds, their stories had been almost completely suppressed, and through most of the twentieth century they were hardly known.
This book is full of fantastic photographs.
In my father's family I had a Civil War era (I think) ancestor who "became" a man at the urging of her father, who needed a son to help him on the farm but had only daughters. My impression of that branch of the family is that they encouraged women to do whatever they wanted, so I imagine that the father noticed that the daughter wanted to do it and encouraged her. She dressed as a man and was known by a man's name, Johnnie Walker. I've always wondered whether she went to war, whether she continued when she was older to live as a man or went back to living as a woman ... I'll probably never know.
June 6, 2012
Relates the stories of several women who fought in the Civil War, with excerpts from their own letters, photographs, and background information on women Civil War soldiers in general.
Clearly the author put in an immense amount of research, and tried diligently to let the women and their stories speak for themselves. I think in the end, though, there just wasn't enough information about any one of the women to really connect with them on an emotional level, which left me feeling a bit detached from the whole thing. I think if the author had put more of herself into the book--her reasons for writing it, her reactions to the stories--it would have had more life. So, interesting, but it could have been more.
Clearly the author put in an immense amount of research, and tried diligently to let the women and their stories speak for themselves. I think in the end, though, there just wasn't enough information about any one of the women to really connect with them on an emotional level, which left me feeling a bit detached from the whole thing. I think if the author had put more of herself into the book--her reasons for writing it, her reactions to the stories--it would have had more life. So, interesting, but it could have been more.
May 17, 2014
Interesting to read about women who disguised themselves as men in order to fight in the Civil War. There were a lot of them, perhaps hundreds -- who knew? The book is short on personal anecdotes of the women, making it a bit dry and more of a list than memorable stories, but with only 2 known memoirs of survivors of the war, there may not have been much to work with.
June 3, 2015
Silvey, Anita. I’ll Pass for your Comrade. New York: Clarion Books, 2008 (nonfiction)
Silvey takes the reader through the linear journey of women’s involvement in the Civil War. Starting with an explanation of motives (money, kinship, sense of duty) to preparation to combat and finally to the aftermath of the war. Silvey highlights the journey of a few specific women using authentic materials such as journals, dismissal papers, and post-war interviews for those who came forward as women soldiers. I’ll Pass for your Comrade includes photographs, lithographs, and paintings of the Civil War pieces with captions.
Students were intrigued by the concept of female soldier (despite Nobi’s inappropriate situation) will look to this as somewhat of an origin story for women in the military. It can be read as a whole text, but is easily broken up into pieces either to look at the journey of one specific woman in comparison to Nobi or to look at one feature of life for women in the Civil War such as disguise or dismissal. It is easily read by 5th and 6th graders studying Virginia history and into 10th grade as they look at women’s movement and the United States history in the 19th century.
Accuracy – Silvey uses authentic pieces from the time including newspaper articles, interview, journals, and letters. She includes a bibliography of her research.
Authority – Silvey has written other books on Civil War soldiers and edits the 100 Best books for teens anthologies published by Houghton Mifflin.
Relevance – Perfect in conjunction with Civil War history and looking at historical narratives.
Appropriateness – The issues of death, pregnancy, and injury is discussed, but nothing in uncomfortable detail. The stories and details would be interesting to the middle school reader, focusing on disguise, deceit, and getting caught.
Scope – The story takes a focused look at an often overlooked topic. Several facets of sneaking into the army are discussed.
Literary Merit – The tone is conversational.
Value – A solid contribution to the civil war books from the women’s perspective.
Silvey takes the reader through the linear journey of women’s involvement in the Civil War. Starting with an explanation of motives (money, kinship, sense of duty) to preparation to combat and finally to the aftermath of the war. Silvey highlights the journey of a few specific women using authentic materials such as journals, dismissal papers, and post-war interviews for those who came forward as women soldiers. I’ll Pass for your Comrade includes photographs, lithographs, and paintings of the Civil War pieces with captions.
Students were intrigued by the concept of female soldier (despite Nobi’s inappropriate situation) will look to this as somewhat of an origin story for women in the military. It can be read as a whole text, but is easily broken up into pieces either to look at the journey of one specific woman in comparison to Nobi or to look at one feature of life for women in the Civil War such as disguise or dismissal. It is easily read by 5th and 6th graders studying Virginia history and into 10th grade as they look at women’s movement and the United States history in the 19th century.
Accuracy – Silvey uses authentic pieces from the time including newspaper articles, interview, journals, and letters. She includes a bibliography of her research.
Authority – Silvey has written other books on Civil War soldiers and edits the 100 Best books for teens anthologies published by Houghton Mifflin.
Relevance – Perfect in conjunction with Civil War history and looking at historical narratives.
Appropriateness – The issues of death, pregnancy, and injury is discussed, but nothing in uncomfortable detail. The stories and details would be interesting to the middle school reader, focusing on disguise, deceit, and getting caught.
Scope – The story takes a focused look at an often overlooked topic. Several facets of sneaking into the army are discussed.
Literary Merit – The tone is conversational.
Value – A solid contribution to the civil war books from the women’s perspective.
January 5, 2012
This turned out to be rather a thin book, it was written primarily for young adults, it would be a good book to give to a young girl. It's about women who dressed as men and fought in the Civil War for both the Union and the Confederate Armies. During a time when women couldn't vote or own property, many of them had different reasons for disguising themselves as men, some of them followed their lover or husbands, some women served legally, like Clara Barton who is well known to this day as a nurse, a woman called French Mary worked as a "sutler" traveled with the Pennsylvania 27th and 114th supplying special provisions and often washing, cleaning and sewing, she also aided wounded soldiers, a slave named Susie Baker was freed by Union soldiers and became a laundress for the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, Kady Brownwell was a daughter of the regiment for the 1st Rhode Island Infantry.Martha Parks Lindley and Julianna Parker Monroe and accompanied their husbands, they took new names and dressed as men went to the recruiter and joined the Army. For some women it was for the money, what few jobs were available to women didn't pay well about $8 a month. As the conflict continued and not as many men were joining, the recruiters were offering a monetary reward called a bounty, so $13 to $16 a month army wages seemed high.
Sarah Rosetta Wakeman lived on a farm in New York, she couldn't find work as a woman and so dressed up as a man, she found employment on a river barge. She met soldiers from the 153rd New York Infantry and decided to join them, she received a bounty of $152 and during her time in the Army sent money home to her family. These are just a few of the woman mentioned in the book, all of these are true, included are photos, some of the stories have come from old diaries. If you love history, or herstory as the Women's community call it, you'll enjoy this book. Fast read.
Sarah Rosetta Wakeman lived on a farm in New York, she couldn't find work as a woman and so dressed up as a man, she found employment on a river barge. She met soldiers from the 153rd New York Infantry and decided to join them, she received a bounty of $152 and during her time in the Army sent money home to her family. These are just a few of the woman mentioned in the book, all of these are true, included are photos, some of the stories have come from old diaries. If you love history, or herstory as the Women's community call it, you'll enjoy this book. Fast read.
June 5, 2011
Did you know that women enlisted and fought in the Civil War, on both sides? Some of them were just plain tough, like Lucy Gauss, who "served as sharpshooter Bill Thompson for the 18th North Carolina unit... She always lived by her motto: "Hold your head up and die hard." Lucy came back from the war and lived into her seventies. Several hundred women dressed as men and enlisted, many to be near husbands or brothers, and many more simply because they believed in the causes they fought for. Anita Silvey presents the stories of real women in the Civil War, some of whom were decorated officers, several of whom were known to have died in battle, and two of whom wrote memoirs of their experiences in battle. Why did they enlist in the armies? How did they keep their disguises intact? What did the other soldiers think, and what happened if they were discovered? Most importantly, why did they stay? Especially appropriate for 8th grade since we study the Civil War, but good for all who like nonfiction and history.
September 4, 2013
Spotted this in the Kids' Non-Fiction section of the library and decided to pick it up on the back of reading the novel 'Disobedience' by Jane Hamilton, a fantastic read which featured a teenage girl who is a Civil War reenactment devotee who hides her gender in order to have a more authentic experience.
One of the most compelling reasons women had for going to war was that it provided them with an opportunity to earn good money and to gain valuable work experience in areas which their gender would generally have excluded them from at the time. Others wanted just to stay close and stand alongside their husbands, fathers or brothers on the battlefields, some even managing to hide pregnancies beneath their uniforms.
Also interesting to read that the strongly held views on gender roles played to the women's advantage in terms of flying below the radar - men simply did not expect to see women in the army, and so didn't 'see' them right in front of their noses. The fact that soldiers rarely bathed and usually slept in their clothes was also helpful!
One of the most compelling reasons women had for going to war was that it provided them with an opportunity to earn good money and to gain valuable work experience in areas which their gender would generally have excluded them from at the time. Others wanted just to stay close and stand alongside their husbands, fathers or brothers on the battlefields, some even managing to hide pregnancies beneath their uniforms.
Also interesting to read that the strongly held views on gender roles played to the women's advantage in terms of flying below the radar - men simply did not expect to see women in the army, and so didn't 'see' them right in front of their noses. The fact that soldiers rarely bathed and usually slept in their clothes was also helpful!
September 1, 2008
This is a well documented, well researched and well written book that pays tribute to the women who masqueraded as men to fight in the Civil War. Anita Silvey packs a lot of information into this brief (less than 100 pages ) book that will appeal to reluctant readers as well as more serious ones. There's plenty to learn too both in terms of big issues (all the things women couldn't do legally, like own land, appear in court) and small ones( with hoops in skirts sometimes ladies' dresses caught fire because they couldn't control just where those skirts went). As often as possible Silvey gives specific examples of individual women and their roles, and includes, when she can, what happened to them after the war. A winning book in all respects.
November 5, 2008
Interesting, but a little too didactic for me in the way modern sensibilities informed the authorial voice and commentary. Also, the prose was fairly dry and often awkward. Still, it fills a sore gap in children's nonfiction, and Silvey cites a veritable wealth of primary sources to bring immediacy to their account.
October 4, 2022
This was an exciting and informative read. The author provided detailed accounts of numerous women who served as soilders in the civil war. I had heard of a few but had no idea how many brave, creative and fearless women served.
It was more than chopping off hair and finding a uniform. And thanks to the lax requirements and grave need to fill ranks, some doctors only looked at height and teeth. If the recruit was 5 feet and had two teeth to pull open the muster powder, they fit the army's need.
It appears that most women successfully entered and served along side brothers, fathers, boyfriends, and husbands. A few got caught after being injured, killed, or making a “feminine error”. Some were found out and allowed to stay. Others took off their uniforms and nursed or cooked.
Some not only word their uniforms in battle but into military prisons. There were at least 6 accounts of soldiers giving birth. I had a few chuckles, and I was happy to see that some received promotions and pension.
I googled some of the women mention for more information. Their history and pictures showed up on various historical sites. These honorable women left legends and saved lives. This is a fantastic book for history lovers.
It was more than chopping off hair and finding a uniform. And thanks to the lax requirements and grave need to fill ranks, some doctors only looked at height and teeth. If the recruit was 5 feet and had two teeth to pull open the muster powder, they fit the army's need.
It appears that most women successfully entered and served along side brothers, fathers, boyfriends, and husbands. A few got caught after being injured, killed, or making a “feminine error”. Some were found out and allowed to stay. Others took off their uniforms and nursed or cooked.
Some not only word their uniforms in battle but into military prisons. There were at least 6 accounts of soldiers giving birth. I had a few chuckles, and I was happy to see that some received promotions and pension.
I googled some of the women mention for more information. Their history and pictures showed up on various historical sites. These honorable women left legends and saved lives. This is a fantastic book for history lovers.
October 21, 2019
There were a lot more female soldiers in the Civil War than I ever heard about! It makes sense, though; in days of poor record sharing, it would have been easy to assume another identity.
January 28, 2022
A little known history of women soldiers in the Civil War.
December 3, 2023
Interesting & surprising read.
May 6, 2024
A pretty elementary telling of women soldiers in the civil war. To be fair I’m sure there isn’t a ton of sources for this kind of thing but still wasn’t great.
August 4, 2025
While there are some of the soldiers who might actually be trans, the book doesn't address it in any way.
November 3, 2025
super accessible, fab pictures, but imo erases a lot of the queer undertones of these people
May 22, 2013
I'll Pass For Your Comrade gives a brief, introductory look at the women soldiers in the Civil War. It talks about a few examples on either side and goes through what a woman had to do to enlist, to maintain a disguise, and to fight in the war. There are also chapters that briefly discuss war prisons and hospitals and what women would do once discovered.
This book is very introductory when it comes to the topic of women in the Civil War. It was also a little confusing it would jump around to different women in different places and it would also refer to the same woman at times by her real name and also by her alias. This made it a little confusing to keep track of who the author was talking about at a given time. This book mostly goes about giving a few examples of how and why the women got to the war. There is less information on what the women did when they got there. There are of course a few detailed examples, the Battle of Antietam is discussed in particular, but there is a lot of information that the book leaves out. This is why it is a book for maybe introducing a subject but it wouldn't be my overall choice if I was teaching it. The book does have some decent pictures. Photographs of the women and the war itself and also pictures of the war after the fact.
The reviews of this book are much more complimentary than mine. Kirkus Reviews calls it a "valuable resource" and Library Media Connection's has a review that states "Library media centers will want this to support Civil War and women's studies research." This has me feeling a little concerned that their may be a gap in the information that is out there on the subject.
This book is very introductory when it comes to the topic of women in the Civil War. It was also a little confusing it would jump around to different women in different places and it would also refer to the same woman at times by her real name and also by her alias. This made it a little confusing to keep track of who the author was talking about at a given time. This book mostly goes about giving a few examples of how and why the women got to the war. There is less information on what the women did when they got there. There are of course a few detailed examples, the Battle of Antietam is discussed in particular, but there is a lot of information that the book leaves out. This is why it is a book for maybe introducing a subject but it wouldn't be my overall choice if I was teaching it. The book does have some decent pictures. Photographs of the women and the war itself and also pictures of the war after the fact.
The reviews of this book are much more complimentary than mine. Kirkus Reviews calls it a "valuable resource" and Library Media Connection's has a review that states "Library media centers will want this to support Civil War and women's studies research." This has me feeling a little concerned that their may be a gap in the information that is out there on the subject.
March 5, 2013
Maybe I'm uninformed, but I really didn't know there were so many female soldiers in the Civil War. I don't recall them being mentioned at all in the famous Ken Burns documentary (although I didn't watch the entire thing, either.) The only female soldier I remember learning about was Molly Pitcher, in the Revolutionary War, and I guess I assumed she was the only female soldier ever in America up until modern times. The book is for grammar-school kids and is too basic for adults, really, so the four-star rating is for that age group. But it was informative. (According to the author, this book is the first to trace the whereabouts on the battlefield of the eight women known to have fought in the battle of Antietam, so that could be of interest to military history buffs.) I definitely will seek out books on this topic written for an adult audience.
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July 29, 2011Finished this children's book about woment fighting in the Civil War. Well written for a subject that doesn't have a lot of documentation to it. The women had to hide the fact that they were women. The secrets continued after they completed their duty. Some fought so they could be with their husbands, or other relatives. Some fought for the adventure as did many of the young men did. Others believed in the cause and fought to defend their beliefs. The author had to do a lot of digging to get her information. The chapter about Antietam was very good. Seven women for the North and 1 for the South are known to have fought in this bloody battle. Only a few women petitioned the government after the Civil War for a pension. Most of the women soldiers didn't tell their stories for many, many years after the war if they told their stories at all.
February 25, 2009
Anita Silvey's first book for young people is an engaging and meticulously researched account of women who fought alongside men in the Civil War. Silvey outlines the many and varied reasons women went to war, the difficulties of hiding their identities in the field, and their struggle for acceptance after people realized they had fought. I especially loved the detailed description of how women had to change their appearances and habits - no more hoop skirts, walk like a man, spit like a man, swear and drink like a man and so on. She includes accounts that some of the women wrote down so we can hear their own voices. The archival material is especially fantastic; photographs, outlines of battlefields, and government documents.
May 8, 2009
I picked this up because it looked interesting and reminded me of the historical fiction My Last Skirt by Lynda Durant (the main character in that title, Jennie Hodgers, is actually referenced in this book). The subject matter is quite interesting, as it details a number of different women who fought alongside men in the Civil War, for a variety of reasons -- a topic that has little coverage in any of books about the era. My main quibble with the book is its organization. The flow is awkward and the period photos and maps in each chapter are often add-ons that are never mentioned in the text. Overall, I think it's an important book for most collections because it showcases a little known part of U.S. history, but I really hope additional books with better organization will be written.
March 14, 2009
Did you know that many women disguised themselves as men and fought in the Civil War? They all had different reasons - some followed their husbands or brothers, some wanted the bounty that soldiers received, and others believed so passionately in the cause that they felt compelled to fight. I'll Pass for Your Comrade explores many of the women who fought in the Civil War - why they joined, how they kept their secret, what they did in the war, and what happened to them if they were found out. The text is very readable and the book has lots and lots of great photos that bring these women to life. Highly recommended for history buffs and units on women's history.
March 21, 2009
Picked this up at the children's section of the library while I had my youngest at storytime. The photos intrigued me so I decided I might as well read the book. Short easy read that would be appropriate for tweens. Nicely brings together facts known about women serving as soldiers during the Civil War. Thought it was brave of the author to mention the obvious -- that Ken Burns screwed up by not giving time to this subject in his documentary on the Civil War. Good inspiring read.
March 13, 2011
Love the topic, love the ladies, not sold on the execution. I was hoping for a bit more Civil War tidbit-ery. I know that's kind of hard, that lady soldiers did not keep diaries for fear of being discovered, or write letters for the same reason, but, I mean - NO MENTION OF GETTYSBERG? This is not a Civil War book!
Still, you know how I like my ladies. Dressed as men so they can fight in the war.
Sex role! Best Library of Congress subject category ever!
Still, you know how I like my ladies. Dressed as men so they can fight in the war.
Sex role! Best Library of Congress subject category ever!
October 16, 2012
The idea behind this books intrigued me. I was very interested to read about women and their role in the Civial War.
This book did not disappoint. It introduced many women and their stories. I did find the organization a bit free. It was difficult to get to know any woman very well because there were so many and the text jumped around a little. Pictures were often not on the same page as text about the woman.
Overall, I liked it, but organization could be better.
This book did not disappoint. It introduced many women and their stories. I did find the organization a bit free. It was difficult to get to know any woman very well because there were so many and the text jumped around a little. Pictures were often not on the same page as text about the woman.
Overall, I liked it, but organization could be better.
December 25, 2011
This book is a short read, less than two hours. the author has written a lot of books of young people. The information on each woman is very short. There was a lot of research listed in the back of the book. I would have liked more information myself, but this could easily be read in intallmants as abed time story of unconventional women for ther time of the Civil War.
February 2, 2009
A very interesting topic. The book is a great intro to women soldiers and to the US Civil War (of which I had forgotten a lot of my history). I love the first hand accounts and photos. I heard the author speak about the book recently and her talk whetted my appetite. The book did not disappoint.
July 24, 2010
This book was very interesting and gave me a new perspective on the Civil War. Not only does it give detailed insight on women in the war, but shed new light for me on all the soldiers in the war as well. I think it would really appeal to students.
February 19, 2009
Interesting history of women fighting in the American Civil War. Contains photographs and primary sources. It explores why women joined the war effort and how they concealed their gender.
May 30, 2017
Didn't realize I'd already read it - not changing my rating from 2009.
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