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If It Looks Like a Man: Gender Identity, Female Soldiers, and 'Lady Bushwhackers' in the Civil War
Series:
Missouri Valley Sundays,
Civil War
Presented By
Aaron Barnhart, Diane Eickhoff
In a time of great emphasis on the separate roles of men and women, hundreds of females—Union and Confederate—cut their hair, bound their breasts, donned men’s clothing, and reported to army recruiters for duty during the Civil War. Others served as scouts, spies, or rode with their husbands and brothers in contested areas.
Public historians Diane Eickhoff and Aaron Barnhart explore how and why these extraordinary women defied cultural norms to participate in America's largest domestic military conflict.
Eickhoff and Barnhart have traveled throughout Missouri and Kansas, visiting and writing about historic sites. They are co-authors of The Big Divide: A Travel Guide to Historic and Civil War Sites in the Missouri-Kansas Border Region.
Listen
Upcoming in this series:
Kimberly Harper
Men of No Reputation: Robert B...
Sunday, July 27, 2025
2:00pm
Although little remembered today, Robert Boatright was one of the greatest con men of the early 20th century. Historian Kimberly Harper sheds light on Boatright’s el...
Watch or Listen to Past Events in this Series:
Sunday, August 17, 2014
2:00pm
Historian Petra DeWitt examines the suspicions and hostilities faced by Missouri’s sizable German American population during World War I, including questions about l...

If It Looks Like a Man: Gender Identity, Female Soldiers, and 'Lady Bushwhackers' in the Civil War
Series:
Missouri Valley Sundays,
Civil War