She Went to the Field : Women Soldiers of the Civil War

"Women Soldiers of the Civil War" profiles several substantiated cases of female soldiers during the American Civil War, including Sarah Rosetta Wakeman (aka Private Lyons Wakeman, Union); Sarah Emma Edmonds (aka Private Frank Thompson, Union); Loreta Janeta Velazquez (aka Lieutenant Harry T. Buford, Confederate); and Jennie Hodgers (aka Private Albert D. J. Cashier, Union). Also featured are those women who may not have posed as male soldiers but who nonetheless pushed gender boundaries to act boldly in related military capacities, as spies, nurses, and vivandieres ("daughters of the regiment") who bore the flag in battle, rallied troops, and cared for the wounded.

Bonnie Tsui is a former associate editor at Travel + Leisure magazine. A recipient of the Radcliffe Traveling Fellowship and a graduate of Harvard University in 1999, she has written for numerous publications including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Sydney Morning Herald. She lives in New York City.