Albert Cashier
Encyclopedia
Albert D. J. Cashier born Jennie Irene Hodgers, was an Irish
-born soldier in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. Cashier was born female assigned at birth
, but lived as a man.
, County Louth
, Ireland
. According to later investigation by the administrator of his estate, he was the child of Sallie and Patrick Hodgers. Cashier's later accounts of how he moved to the United States and why he enlisted were taken when he was elderly and disoriented, and are thus contradictory. By 1862, Cashier was living in Belvidere, Illinois
.
using the name Albert Cashier and was assigned to Company G. The regiment was part of the Army of the Tennessee
under Ulysses S. Grant
and fought in approximately forty battles, including the siege at Vicksburg
, the Red River Campaign
and the combat
at Guntown, Mississippi
, where they suffered heavy casualties.
Other soldiers thought that Cashier was just small and preferred to be alone, which was not that uncommon. He was once captured in battle, but escaped back to Union lines after overpowering a prison guard. Cashier fought with the regiment through the war until August 17, 1865, when all the soldiers were mustered in and out.
A transcription from a letter written by Thomas Hannah, Jr., a private in Company G, 95th Illinois Regiment, on 17 November 1862, from near Jackson, Tennessee reads:
Thomas Hannah indicates the woman was sent back to Belvidere.
Also, footnote 4, Blanton, references a "Deposition of J. H. Hines." In fact, it was Robert Dunn Hannah, brother of Thomas, who gave the deposition in 1915. Thomas Hannah died 21 October 1865 from wounds suffered at Spanish Fort, Alabama.
in 1869, where he worked as a farmhand. His employer there, Joshua Chesebro, built a one-room house for him. For over forty years, he lived in Saunemin and worked as a church janitor, cemetery worker and street lamplighter. He even voted in elections and later claimed a veteran's pension. In later years, he ate with the neighboring Lannon family. A later tale tells that the Lannons discovered that he was female assigned at birth
when they asked a nurse to look at him, but they didn't make their discovery public.
In November 1910, Cashier was hit by a car and broke his leg. A physician discovered his secret in the hospital, but agreed to remain quiet for the time being. On May 5, 1911, Cashier was moved to the Soldier and Sailors home in Quincy, Illinois
. He lived there until his mind deteriorated and was moved to the Watertown State Hospital for the Insane in March 1913. A couple of attendants there discovered that he was female assigned at birth
when they tried to give him a bath, and he was forced to wear a dress.
, treasury. In the 1970s, a second tombstone, inscribed with both of his names, was placed beside the first.
Also Known As Albert D. J. Cashier: The Jennie Hodgers Story is a biography written by veteran Lon P. Dawson, who lived at the Illinois Veterans Home where Cashier once lived. The novel My Last Skirt, by Lynda Durrant, is based on his life. There have been plans to restore the house that Cashier lived in for forty years.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-born soldier in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Cashier was born female assigned at birth
Sex assignment
Sex assignment refers to the assigning of the biological sex at the birth of a baby. In the majority of births, a relative, midwife, or physician inspects the genitalia when the baby is delivered, sees ordinary male or female genitalia, and declares, "it's a girl" or "it's a boy" without the...
, but lived as a man.
Early life
He was born in ClogherheadClogherhead
Clogherhead is a fishing village in County Louth, Ireland. Located in a picturesque natural bay on the East Coast it is bordered by the villages of Annagassan to the north and Termonfeckin to the south. with an administrative population per the 2011 Census of 3026, it is in the townlands of...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. According to later investigation by the administrator of his estate, he was the child of Sallie and Patrick Hodgers. Cashier's later accounts of how he moved to the United States and why he enlisted were taken when he was elderly and disoriented, and are thus contradictory. By 1862, Cashier was living in Belvidere, Illinois
Belvidere, Illinois
Belvidere is a city in Boone County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,585 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Boone County. Belvidere is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
Enlistment
On August 6, 1862, he enlisted into the 95th Illinois Infantry95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 95th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 95th Illinois Infantry was organized at Rockford, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on September 4, 1862....
using the name Albert Cashier and was assigned to Company G. The regiment was part of the Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
under Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
and fought in approximately forty battles, including the siege at Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
, the Red River Campaign
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
and the combat
Battle of Brice's Crossroads
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads was fought on June 10, 1864, near Baldwyn in Lee County, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. It pitted a 4,787-man contingent led by Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest against an 8,100-strong Union force led by Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis...
at Guntown, Mississippi
Guntown, Mississippi
Guntown is a town in Lee County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,183 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Guntown is located at ....
, where they suffered heavy casualties.
Other soldiers thought that Cashier was just small and preferred to be alone, which was not that uncommon. He was once captured in battle, but escaped back to Union lines after overpowering a prison guard. Cashier fought with the regiment through the war until August 17, 1865, when all the soldiers were mustered in and out.
A transcription from a letter written by Thomas Hannah, Jr., a private in Company G, 95th Illinois Regiment, on 17 November 1862, from near Jackson, Tennessee reads:
- "We have have just discovered one of our soulder belonging to this rigment is a woman and she is found out and sent home she is one of those loose caractors that used to run around camp in rockford she put on mens cloths and enlisted just before we started”
Thomas Hannah indicates the woman was sent back to Belvidere.
Also, footnote 4, Blanton, references a "Deposition of J. H. Hines." In fact, it was Robert Dunn Hannah, brother of Thomas, who gave the deposition in 1915. Thomas Hannah died 21 October 1865 from wounds suffered at Spanish Fort, Alabama.
Postwar
After the war, Cashier returned to Belvidere, Illinois for a time where he worked for a man named Samuel Pepper. He settled in Saunemin, IllinoisSaunemin, Illinois
Saunemin is a village in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 456 at the 2000 census. It was named after a Kickapoo chief.-Geography:Saunemin is located at ....
in 1869, where he worked as a farmhand. His employer there, Joshua Chesebro, built a one-room house for him. For over forty years, he lived in Saunemin and worked as a church janitor, cemetery worker and street lamplighter. He even voted in elections and later claimed a veteran's pension. In later years, he ate with the neighboring Lannon family. A later tale tells that the Lannons discovered that he was female assigned at birth
Sex assignment
Sex assignment refers to the assigning of the biological sex at the birth of a baby. In the majority of births, a relative, midwife, or physician inspects the genitalia when the baby is delivered, sees ordinary male or female genitalia, and declares, "it's a girl" or "it's a boy" without the...
when they asked a nurse to look at him, but they didn't make their discovery public.
In November 1910, Cashier was hit by a car and broke his leg. A physician discovered his secret in the hospital, but agreed to remain quiet for the time being. On May 5, 1911, Cashier was moved to the Soldier and Sailors home in Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
. He lived there until his mind deteriorated and was moved to the Watertown State Hospital for the Insane in March 1913. A couple of attendants there discovered that he was female assigned at birth
Sex assignment
Sex assignment refers to the assigning of the biological sex at the birth of a baby. In the majority of births, a relative, midwife, or physician inspects the genitalia when the baby is delivered, sees ordinary male or female genitalia, and declares, "it's a girl" or "it's a boy" without the...
when they tried to give him a bath, and he was forced to wear a dress.
Death and legacy
Albert Cashier died on October 10, 1915. He was buried in the uniform he had kept intact all those years and his tombstone was inscribed "Albert D. J. Cashier, Co. G, 95 Ill. Inf." It took W.J. Singleton (executor of Cashier's estate) nine years to track Cashier's identity back to Jennie Hodgers. None of the would-be heirs proved convincing, and the estate of $418.461 was deposited in the Adams County, IllinoisAdams County, Illinois
Adams County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 67,103, which is a decrease of 1.7% from 68,277 in 2000...
, treasury. In the 1970s, a second tombstone, inscribed with both of his names, was placed beside the first.
Also Known As Albert D. J. Cashier: The Jennie Hodgers Story is a biography written by veteran Lon P. Dawson, who lived at the Illinois Veterans Home where Cashier once lived. The novel My Last Skirt, by Lynda Durrant, is based on his life. There have been plans to restore the house that Cashier lived in for forty years.
External links
- Women Soldiers of the Civil War, esp. pages 2 and 3; DeAnne Blanton, Senior Archivist, National Archives
- When Jennie Comes Marchin' Home at Illinois Periodicals Online; includes photo of Cashier's headstone
- "What part am I to act in this great drama?" at Salt magazine
- Also Known As Albert D. J. Cashier: The Jennie Hodgers Story at Compass Rose Books