Civil War Soldiers: Loreta Janeta Velázquez

 

Historians estimate that between 400 and 1,000 women—on both Union and Confederate sides—disguised themselves as men to enlist and fight in the American Civil War.

Many served undetected for months or years, participating in major battles, enduring camp life, and facing the same risks as their male comrades.

On the Confederate side, Loreta Janeta Velázquez  (1842 to 1897), a Cuban-born woman, served as Lieutenant Harry Buford. She raised a company at her own expense, fought at First Bull Run and Shiloh, and worked as a spy. Her 1876 memoir, The Woman in Battle, is colorful but debated for exaggerations.

The Confederate Woman: Soldier and Spy

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War