Battle of Stones River - Frances Clalin

[PaigeBooth]

Women served both sides of the army in many ways. Some knitted socks and folded bandages at home, some nursed the wounded, some spied behind enemy lines, and some disguised themselves as soldiers and took to the battlefield dressed as men. Since soldiers did not bath or change their clothes often, this deception was possible. This was the case for Frances Clalin Clayton. When the war broke our in 1861, Frances decided to take up arms and fight in the Union army along with her husband, Elmer Clayton. For the first year and a half of war, Frances's secret was safe- no one was the wiser. She was a tall woman, and she played the part of a typical soldier rather well; she smoked, drank, and played poker. When the Battle of Stones River broke out, Frances and her husband fought side-by-side. It was here that her husband, Elmer, was killed. It is said that Frances stepped over his body and kept fighting.