Lucy Brewer
Encyclopedia
Lucy Brewer is the pen name
of a writer who purported to be the first woman in the United States Marines, serving aboard the USS Constitution
. Brewer's adventures were probably written by Nathaniel Hill Wright (1787–1824) or Wright's publisher, Nathaniel Coverly.
(original title: (The Adventures of Lucy Brewer), Brewer supposedly grew up on a farm near Plymouth, Massachusetts and, at age 16, fell in love with a boy named Henry. When she became pregnant, Henry refused to marry her, and she set out for Boston. In Boston, Lucy was tricked into prostitution after her baby died in childbirth. This series of seduction and betrayal precisely follows the strict line of the romance genre
– until, that is, motivated by a patriotic desire to fight in the War of 1812
, Lucy tricked her way onto the Constitution, pretending to be a man named George Baker.
She served valiantly for three years and in many naval battles against the British before being honorably discharged, all the while keeping her true gender a secret. The book ends with Lucy returning to Plymouth as a woman and settling down into traditional married life. "She displays resourcefulness, self-reliance, and mobility—characteristics commonly deemed male that this female marine appropriates to deal with her extraordinary predicament," Elizabeth Reis notes. In the end, though, "All's well that ends well in The Female Marine, as characters revert to their true natures, aligned with prescribed categories of gender and sex. The chaotic world of gender impersonation settles into one of blissful morality, and Lucy accepts the conventions of the cult of true womanhood."
No one by the name of Lucy Brewer (or that of her other pseudonyms, or that of her husband) can be found in historical records; in addition, it is highly unlikely a woman could have disguised herself for three years on the Constitution, as the crew had little to no privacy. (For example, no toilet facilities or private quarters existed on the ship, and physical examinations were thorough in the Marines.) In addition, The Female Marine' s identifying details of the Constitution' s travels and battles are nearly verbatim to accounts published by the ship's commanders in contemporary newspapers.
In 1816, shortly after the publication of the first edition of The Female Marine, a woman named Rachel Sperry, claiming to have run the brothel into which Brewer was supposedly tricked, wrote "A Brief Reply" to Brewer's tale. Sperry wanted "to give her all the praise to which she is entitled, in justice to her" military exploits, but claimed that rather than being tricked into prostitution, Brewer made "rapid progress in all the deceptive arts of harlotry" – deceptive arts, she implies, that served her well in tricking her way onto the Constitution. Rachel Sperry has no more historical record than Brewer, but the publication of "her" "Brief Reply" both spurred public interest in and gave weight to the legitimacy and veracity of The Female Marine. As recently as 1963, in fact, the story was regarded as factual by some accounts.
and Related Works: Narratives of Cross-Dressing and Urban Vice in America's Early Republic, the true author of The Female Marine was probably Nathaniel Hill Wright. Wright was a young Massachusetts writer acquainted with Nathaniel Coverly, the printer of the The Female Marine. Cohen writes:
Joan Druett
writes that "Coverly could have been inspired by a fellow opportunist, Robert Kirby of London,", who published the tale of Mary Anne Talbot
, an Englishwoman who served as a man in the Napoleonic wars. At any rate, Coverly's decision to publish the Lucy Brewer books was a sound one, as they became extremely popular. (Coverly also published the story of Almira Paul, figure similar to Lucy Brewer, who is probably also fictional.) At least 19 editions of The Female Marine were published between 1815 and 1818. The books were aimed at sailors, prostitutes, and (in particular) "juveniles." Surviving copies, when signed, mostly bear the names of women, and are "typically worn and tattered – suggesting that many of the modest volumes were literally read to pieces by their eager purchasers."
Alexander Medlicott notes that The Female Marine is the "first American novel to employ a woman warrior as the focal point of the action" – though the History of Constantius and Pulchera; or, Virtue rewarded bears small similarities. Interestingly, while Constantius and Pulchera was published anonymously in 1795, an 1831 edition included a poem by Nathaniel Hill Wright, and is often listed in library catalogs as, including the Constantius and Pulchera novel, being authored by Wright.
The official first female Marine was Opha Mae Johnson
, though in 2001, a Marines message honored the achievements of women in the Marine Corps who form a "unique lineage [that] can trace its roots back to Lucy Brewer, the legendary woman who served aboard the USS Constitution during the War of 1812."
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of a writer who purported to be the first woman in the United States Marines, serving aboard the USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
. Brewer's adventures were probably written by Nathaniel Hill Wright (1787–1824) or Wright's publisher, Nathaniel Coverly.
The legend
According to "her" book The Female MarineThe Female Marine
The Female Marine, or The Adventures of Lucy Brewer, was first published in 1815 as a series of pamphlets sold in Boston. The series was written by Nathaniel Coverly and printed by Nathaniel Hill Wright...
(original title: (The Adventures of Lucy Brewer), Brewer supposedly grew up on a farm near Plymouth, Massachusetts and, at age 16, fell in love with a boy named Henry. When she became pregnant, Henry refused to marry her, and she set out for Boston. In Boston, Lucy was tricked into prostitution after her baby died in childbirth. This series of seduction and betrayal precisely follows the strict line of the romance genre
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
– until, that is, motivated by a patriotic desire to fight in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Lucy tricked her way onto the Constitution, pretending to be a man named George Baker.
She served valiantly for three years and in many naval battles against the British before being honorably discharged, all the while keeping her true gender a secret. The book ends with Lucy returning to Plymouth as a woman and settling down into traditional married life. "She displays resourcefulness, self-reliance, and mobility—characteristics commonly deemed male that this female marine appropriates to deal with her extraordinary predicament," Elizabeth Reis notes. In the end, though, "All's well that ends well in The Female Marine, as characters revert to their true natures, aligned with prescribed categories of gender and sex. The chaotic world of gender impersonation settles into one of blissful morality, and Lucy accepts the conventions of the cult of true womanhood."
No one by the name of Lucy Brewer (or that of her other pseudonyms, or that of her husband) can be found in historical records; in addition, it is highly unlikely a woman could have disguised herself for three years on the Constitution, as the crew had little to no privacy. (For example, no toilet facilities or private quarters existed on the ship, and physical examinations were thorough in the Marines.) In addition, The Female Marine
In 1816, shortly after the publication of the first edition of The Female Marine, a woman named Rachel Sperry, claiming to have run the brothel into which Brewer was supposedly tricked, wrote "A Brief Reply" to Brewer's tale. Sperry wanted "to give her all the praise to which she is entitled, in justice to her" military exploits, but claimed that rather than being tricked into prostitution, Brewer made "rapid progress in all the deceptive arts of harlotry" – deceptive arts, she implies, that served her well in tricking her way onto the Constitution. Rachel Sperry has no more historical record than Brewer, but the publication of "her" "Brief Reply" both spurred public interest in and gave weight to the legitimacy and veracity of The Female Marine. As recently as 1963, in fact, the story was regarded as factual by some accounts.
Beyond the legend
According to Daniel A. Cohen, editor of a The Female MarineThe Female Marine
The Female Marine, or The Adventures of Lucy Brewer, was first published in 1815 as a series of pamphlets sold in Boston. The series was written by Nathaniel Coverly and printed by Nathaniel Hill Wright...
and Related Works: Narratives of Cross-Dressing and Urban Vice in America's Early Republic, the true author of The Female Marine was probably Nathaniel Hill Wright. Wright was a young Massachusetts writer acquainted with Nathaniel Coverly, the printer of the The Female Marine. Cohen writes:
Joan Druett
Joan Druett
Joan Druett is a New Zealand historian and novelist, specialising in maritime history.-Life:Joan Druett was born in Nelson, and raised in Palmerston North, moving to New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, when she was 16...
writes that "Coverly could have been inspired by a fellow opportunist, Robert Kirby of London,", who published the tale of Mary Anne Talbot
Mary Anne Talbot
Mary Anne Talbot was an Englishwoman who wore maleMary Anne Talbot was born in London. Later she claimed that she was one of the sixteen illegitimate children of Lord William Talbot, Baron of Hensol...
, an Englishwoman who served as a man in the Napoleonic wars. At any rate, Coverly's decision to publish the Lucy Brewer books was a sound one, as they became extremely popular. (Coverly also published the story of Almira Paul, figure similar to Lucy Brewer, who is probably also fictional.) At least 19 editions of The Female Marine were published between 1815 and 1818. The books were aimed at sailors, prostitutes, and (in particular) "juveniles." Surviving copies, when signed, mostly bear the names of women, and are "typically worn and tattered – suggesting that many of the modest volumes were literally read to pieces by their eager purchasers."
Alexander Medlicott notes that The Female Marine is the "first American novel to employ a woman warrior as the focal point of the action" – though the History of Constantius and Pulchera; or, Virtue rewarded bears small similarities. Interestingly, while Constantius and Pulchera was published anonymously in 1795, an 1831 edition included a poem by Nathaniel Hill Wright, and is often listed in library catalogs as, including the Constantius and Pulchera novel, being authored by Wright.
The official first female Marine was Opha Mae Johnson
Opha Mae Johnson
was a hardchargerOpha Mae Johnson was the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. She joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1918.-Military service:Johnson was a United States Marine in the late 1910s...
, though in 2001, a Marines message honored the achievements of women in the Marine Corps who form a "unique lineage [that] can trace its roots back to Lucy Brewer, the legendary woman who served aboard the USS Constitution during the War of 1812."
See also
- :Category:Women in the United States Marine Corps
Further reading
- Daniel A. Cohen, The "Female marine" in an era of good feelings: Cross dressing and the 'genius' of Nathaniel Coverly, Jr. American Antiquarian SocietyAmerican Antiquarian SocietyThe American Antiquarian Society , located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and national research library of pre-twentieth century American History and culture. Its main building, known also as Antiquarian Hall, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark...
, 1994.
- Review of Cohen's book: Urban Vice, Cross-Dressing, and Female Independence in the Early Republic. Debra M. O'Neal. H-urban. October 1998.
- David Cordingly. Women Sailors and Sailors' Women: An Untold Maritime History. Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
. 2001