Hidden Soldiers: Trans Lives in the Civil War

During the Civil War, hundreds of people assigned female at birth served in male disguise. Some did it out of patriotism, some for love, and for others, it was about living as the gender they knew themselves to be. In this episode, we uncover the stories of Albert D.J. Cashier, Lyons Wakeman, Frank Thompson, Samuel Blalock, Mollie “Melvin” Bean, and Mary “John” Burns — individuals who challenged 19th-century gender norms and risked everything to serve as the men they truly were. Then we chat with Comedian, Kitty Long. Did you know The Internet Says It’s True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Let’s start this story on a bit of a side road. When we think about people disguising themselves for military service, we might think of Shakespeare’s plays — Viola dressing as a man in Twelfth Night, for example. Or maybe we picture Mulan, the legendary Chinese figure who took her father’s place in the army, concealing her gender and becoming a folk hero. Stories like these endure because they feel larger than life — a person defying expectations, proving themselves in battle while hiding who they really are.

Now imagine not a legend or a play, but actual people in America’s bloodiest conflict — the Civil War. Estimates vary, but historians believe that hundreds of people assigned female at birth enlisted in the Union and Confederate armies while presenting as men. Some did it out of patriotism, some for economic survival, some to follow loved ones, and some because it was the way they identified. Today, we would understand many of these soldiers as transgender men. Others may not have used that label, but they lived and fought as men in a time when doing so carried immense risk.

The Civil War was uniquely suited to this kind of hidden enlistment. Recruitment offices were overwhelmed, paperwork was inconsistent, and medical examinations were cursory at best. A person who dressed convincingly as a man could often walk right into a regiment and be accepted. Once on the battlefield, if they fought bravely, few comrades asked questions.

But when we dig into the stories of individuals, the history becomes far richer — and more complicated. So today, let’s meet some of the best-documented examples: Albert D.J. Cashier, Lyons Wakeman, Frank Thompson, Samuel Blalock, Mollie “Melvin” Bean, and Mary “John” Burns.

Before we get to them, let’s talk context. The Civil War killed more than 600,000 soldiers. Disease alone took two-thirds of those lives. With so much chaos, people were slipping through the cracks all the time. Desertion was rampant. Spies posed as soldiers. Civilians sometimes grabbed rifles and joined skirmishes. Against that backdrop, the idea of soldiers secretly living under another name isn’t as implausible as it sounds.

Take, for instance, Albert D.J. Cashier. Born in Ireland in 1843 as Jennie Hodgers, Cashier immigrated to the United States and enlisted in the 95th Illinois Infantry in 1862. He lived the rest of his life as a man, long after the war ended. Cashier fought bravely in dozens of battles, was captured once and escaped, and later worked as a janitor and handyman. What makes Cashier’s story remarkable is that he maintained his male identity consistently until old age, when dementia and medical examinations in the 1910s revealed the truth. Even then, many of his comrades defended him, saying his service as a soldier should stand on its own. Cashier collected a veteran’s pension and is buried under his male name.

Another story comes from Lyons Wakeman, born Sarah Rosetta Wakeman in upstate New York. Wakeman enlisted in the 153rd New York Volunteer Infantry in 1862, writing letters home that provide some of the clearest firsthand testimony we have from a trans soldier of that era. In those letters, Wakeman explained the decision to live as a man and fight as a soldier, saying things like, “I am as independent as a hog on ice.” Wakeman fought at the Battle of Pleasant Hill in Louisiana and later died of dysentery in 1864, buried under the name Lyons Wakeman. The letters survive today in the collections of the New York State Library, making Wakeman’s story one of the best documented.

Then there’s Frank Thompson, who enlisted in the 2nd Michigan Infantry. Thompson’s story is unusual: born Sarah Emma Edmonds, Thompson not only served as a soldier but also as a spy and a nurse. Edmonds later published a memoir, Nurse and Spy in the Union Army, detailing exploits that included disguises, intelligence gathering, and treating the wounded. After the war, Edmonds petitioned for — and received — a veteran’s pension, one of the only women of that era to successfully do so. Whether we understand Thompson as a trans soldier or as a woman cross-dressing for the sake of service, the story still highlights how fluid identity could be in wartime.

On the Confederate side, we have Samuel Blalock. Blalock and his wife, Malinda, lived in North Carolina. Both opposed secession, but when Samuel was conscripted into the Confederate army, Malinda disguised herself as “Samuel’s brother” and enlisted alongside him. For a time, the Blalocks fought together, hiding her identity from the regiment. Eventually, Malinda’s sex was discovered and she was discharged, but their story shows how far people would go to resist separation — and how disguises were used not only for gender identity but also for survival and love.

Now we come to Mollie “Melvin” Bean. This story is less fleshed out but still compelling. In 1865, Confederate authorities arrested a person named Melvin Bean near Richmond, Virginia, who had served in the 47th North Carolina. Newspaper reports described Bean as having fought for two years and been wounded twice. When officials realized Bean was assigned female at birth, they suspected espionage and imprisoned Bean at Castle Thunder, a notorious Confederate prison. Beyond those press accounts, records are scarce, but the story underscores the risks of discovery.

Finally, there’s Mary “John” Burns. In 1863, newspapers reported that Burns enlisted in the 7th Michigan Cavalry under the name John Burns, motivated by love — she wanted to remain with her partner. The ruse didn’t last; Burns was discovered before the regiment left Detroit, arrested, and sent home. Though her military career ended quickly, her attempt was part of a larger pattern of people who bent or broke gender norms to be part of the fight.

Together, these six figures show us a cross-section of experiences. Some lived as men their whole lives. Some returned to female presentation after the war. Some were celebrated; others were punished. All of them complicate our understanding of the Civil War. It wasn’t just a conflict of North and South, slavery and union — it was also a time when individuals pushed against the rigid gender roles of the 19th century.

When we return to Albert Cashier’s story, it’s striking just how much acceptance he received from his fellow veterans. In 1913, Cashier was moved to a hospital after breaking a leg. There, doctors discovered his birth-assigned sex. Some officials wanted to revoke his pension, but comrades from the 95th Illinois rallied to his defense. They testified that Cashier had been a brave soldier, and that should be enough. In a time when gender roles were rigid, this defense is remarkable. Cashier died in 1915 and was buried in a uniform, under his chosen name, with full military honors.

Lyons Wakeman’s letters, rediscovered decades later, give us something rare: a voice from the past that speaks directly to us. Wakeman wasn’t hiding from family — the letters use the male name and describe the pride of soldiering. In them, we hear a person embracing an identity that felt right, even if it meant living far from home and risking discovery. Wakeman’s grave, like Cashier’s, still bears the male name.

Frank Thompson’s case is different because Edmonds later lived as a woman again, married, and raised children. Some historians frame Thompson’s service as a temporary disguise, others as an expression of identity. Either way, Edmonds was proud enough of the service to publish a memoir, which became a bestseller during the war. And decades later, veterans rallied to help Edmonds secure a pension, showing a measure of respect that complicates our assumptions about 19th-century attitudes.

Samuel and Malinda Blalock, meanwhile, left the Confederate army altogether and joined pro-Union guerrilla forces in North Carolina. Their story illustrates the complexity of loyalties in the Civil War South, where neighbors could be bitterly divided. For Malinda, passing as a man was a way to fight alongside her husband and resist a cause she despised.

Mollie Bean’s fate is harder to track. Being discovered late in the war meant harsher suspicion. Confederate officials treated Bean as a possible spy, though evidence is thin. After the Richmond press reports, the trail largely vanishes. That silence itself is telling: for every well-documented case like Cashier, there were likely many whose stories were lost to time.

And Mary Burns? Her attempt failed before she saw combat, but her determination to serve alongside her partner adds to the diverse motives behind these disguises. Some soldiers sought independence. Some sought love. Some sought to live authentically.

Historians estimate that between 400 and 750 people assigned female at birth served in male disguise during the Civil War. Not all were trans men as we’d define the term today, but some clearly were. These stories remind us that trans history isn’t new — it stretches back centuries. What’s different now is the language and recognition.

If there’s a moral here, it’s that people have always found ways to live authentically, even under the harshest conditions. War may have forced their hand, but identity was at the heart of many of these choices. These soldiers risked everything for their country, and for themselves. The internet says it’s true.

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