In United States History when talking about women during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars we mostly hear about the nurses and women heading the household in their husband’s absence but often left out are the number of women who were apart of the fight on the battlefields. Frances Clayton, from Minnesota, was one of these women who took up arms during the Civil War. She disguised herself, dressing in men’s clothing, and going by the name Jack Williams. Historians DeAnna Blanton and Lauren M. Cook say they have discovered evidence of about 250 women who similarly disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War, they also believe there are hundreds of other undocumented stories much like these. Specifically black women are extremely underrepresented in this piece of history due to segregation of troops and lack of media coverage for the troops with black people. But it is known more women fought in this war than any other military affair in the United States history.

During Clayton’s time in the Civil War, she fought alongside men and was considered a “good fighting man”. But once her story broke into the public and interviews were done with her and witnesses, the focus was on her being a good faithful wife, as she was enlisted with her husband. She fought in 18 battles, she was wounded in some and had to witness the death of her husband. No military records document her story, but the media and photos show how effective her persona was.