Sarah Emma Edmonds Research Paper

During this nation’s most costly war, both sides, the Union and the Confederacy, took advantage of brave women willing to support their causes. These women participated in various courageous acts, and succeeded in altering the course of the Civil War. Sarah Emma Edmonds was one of about 400 women who succeeded in joining the Union or Confederate army. From her young life in Canada to her disguises and service in the Union Army, and even to her peaceful post-war life, Edmonds has illustrated a strong will in the world. Her early life was just the beginning of her story. Sarah Emma Edmonds entered this world on a cold December night in 1841 to Isaac and Betsy Edmonds. She was raised a farmer’s daughter in New Brunswick. Yet she was a disappointment …show more content…
Sarah’s attitude was very tomboy-ish and mischievous, but she was kind and gentle to her brother. In order to impress her father, she dressed and acted like a boy. Despite of this, her father treated her badly and had frequent rages. Eventually, his treatment was so abusive, Sarah fled her home, aided by her mother. She cut her hair short, dressed herself in men’s clothing every day, and changed her name to Franklin Thompson. In November of 1859, she walked to the United States, and only stopped when she reached Flint, Michigan. She was there when the Civil War started. In Flint, Michigan Sarah Emma Edmonds did what was for most women impossible. When President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand troops to aid the Union in defeating the Rebels, Edmonds enlisted as Frank Thompson. At age 21, she was accepted as a nurse in the second Michigan infantry. The first couple months were nerve racking to “Thompson”, as she had to train along with the other soldiers, despite being a non-combatant. While working as a nurse in Virginia, Edmonds fell in love with a fellow nurse, by the name of Jerome Robbins. She revealed her identity to him, but he was shocked and turned her down. Another of Edmonds’s