An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862-1864

It is not often that readers find new stories from the Civil War. Sure, one comes across a person they may not have heard of, but a totally brand new story is a rarity. Lauren Cook Burgess gave her readers the gift of a new story in An Uncommon Soldier.As a re-enactor, Burgess would be familiar with the nuances of life in the Civil War era. This would include knowing that many women served as soldiers during the conflict. In fact, Burgess participated in many re-enactments as a woman. If she had not run into issues with the National Park Service and her subsequent court case, Burgess may never had heard of Sarah Rosetta (Lyons/Edwin R.) Wakeman. Thanks to a timely letter from Wakeman’s great-great-niece, Burgess was granted access to one of (and possibly the only) the most complete collections of letters and memorabilia from a female Union soldier. After leaving home for a brief stint on a coal barge, Rosetta Wakeman enlisted in the 153rd New York State Volunteer Infantry in 1862 and became Pvt. Lyons Wakeman.Burgess’ careful editing of Wakeman’s letters offered readers an easy to read glimpse into the everyday life of the typical soldier. She wrote about drill and guard duties, troop movements, and the different locations where she was stationed. Wakeman wrote of her concerns about her relationships with family members and asked for news on those from her hometown who had also been drafted. One of her most consistent topics showed her concern for the financial status of her family. She often sent money home to help with the family debts and for individual family members to purchase things to remember her by. However, throughout the letters the reader can glean how Wakeman became accustomed to her independence. Had she survived the war, it would be easy to speculate that she would have continued to live independently, perhaps keeping up the masculine charade and permanently becoming either Lyons or Edwin R. Wakeman.Interestingly, Wakeman never seemed to fear discovery through her letters as she signed most of them with her given name. It was not until her unit was well into Confederate territory in Louisiana that she began signing letters with a male alias. In modern times one often expects that letters home from members of the military are opened and read in case any sensitive information is included. In the nineteenth century, soldiers were apparently afforded more privacy in their communications.An Uncommon Soldier benefits both scholars of Civil War and women’s history. It adds yet another facet to the intricately woven stories of everyday soldiers during the war and shows that the soldier experience is universal regardless of gender. The book documents how women contributed to the war effort by doing more than nursing the sick, the typical nineteenth century image of women during the Civil War. Burgess’ research and documentation of other women soldiers adds to the understanding of Wakeman’s experience. In addition, the background she provided on the circumstances surrounding Wakeman’s narrative of her time in the 153rd places the letters in their historical context.This book would be an excellent addition to any undergraduate or graduate course on the Civil War. It was easy to read and digest and provided the reader a look back in time to life as a soldier during the Civil War.

Very thin book, so a very quick read, but a fascinating one. Almost worth picking up for the introduction alone, which provides lots of fascinating background on the 400 or so (known) women who dressed up as men and fought in the Civil War. I especially appreciated the social commentary on how exactly they could hope to get away with it -- cursory physical exams, badly fitting uniforms, dependence on clothing to indicate gender ("if it wears pants, it's male"), presence of lots of young boys in the Army whose voices haven't changed yet and weren't shaving, and of course, the extreme modesty of the society at the time, which didn't make it at all unusual for a young soldier to choose to bathe alone and shy away from using the public latrines. The funniest moment for me was the description of the soldier who wrote home to say that his sergeant, who had been sharing a tent with his Captain had had a child. (paraphrasing a bit...) "What need have we of women, when we soldiers can have children of our own?" How much that was tongue in cheek and how much sheer willful obtuseness isn't clear from the introduction. My 2008 self declares that he must have been joking, but the editor of these letters believes that he may actually have just been expressing the extreme denial so many Army men had ("no woman could possibly handle this") that protected these women from discovery. I very much enjoyed this book.

Very well put together

Burgess provides substantial historical background to accompany Sarah's letters home, and has done an excellent job in 'modernizing' to help 21st century readers. This is a must read for anyone who has, or thinks they might have female ancestors who were active in the war efforts, whether those ancestors were nurses, soldiers or otherwise supporting the cause. Also a good historical read for any young woman who wants to get more insight in women's progress towards independence over the past 150 years.

This is an ancestor of mine, so my review is definitely biased! However, aside from Sarah being my relative, I enjoyed reading this book as the letters clearly showed the type of person Sarah was as well as her experience and love of her family. Coupled with the fact that there are no other records of a set of letters from a female soldier who served in the Civil War (according to the author Laura Cook Burgess), it makes for good reading for anyone interested in the Civil War or women soldiers.

Interesting insight into the short life of a woman who dressed as a man and served for the Union during the Civil War. Some background biographical information but mostly just her letters home. Although it is estimated that as many as 400 women served while disguised as men, not much is known about most of them. For many even their names have been lost.

This is a very unique and interesting read. As a civil war reenactor who is a female in uniform, this is a valuable resource in addition to being a one of a kind look into the thoughts and life of a woman soldier during the civil war.

This was a fascinating book. Two of my gr. gr. grandfathers fought in the same regiment with Sarah Wakeman/Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, and so it was a rare treat to have a glimpse into what they experienced at that time. Her letters offered a very poignant and honest account of her life as a soldier, a daughter, and a sister.

very pleased