Olivia L. Emma Edmonds

Dear War Department, My name is Emma Edmonds. In the year of 1861 I enlisted in the Union Army. Only males can be in the army so you are probably wondering how I got in. I disguised myself as a 21 year old man named, Franklin Thompson and served in the army for two years. During my second year serving in the Union Army I became very ill and had to desert the army because I didn’t want anyone to know about my gender. Recently Franklin Thompson was proclaimed AWOL and I would like you to know that I think that I tried my hardest while I was on my missions and I am very passionate about what I do. I would hate it if I didn’t get one bit of recognition because I went on a lot of missions and I successfully completed them all. I think that I should be recognized in the army because I love helping people and I also loved being in the army and fighting for the freedom of slaves. After my mission at Richmond I was granted furlough. Instead of taking a vacation I decided to volunteer at Union and Confederate hospitals. This shows that I am very loyal to the war. When I was a spy I was an intelligent thinker. When I disguised myself as the Irish peddler, Bridget O’Shea I used my surroundings to get more information about the Confederate army. During the first day of being Ms.O’Shea I found a dying soldier and instead of leaving him there to die I took care of him. While taking care of him I found out a lot of information about the South. During that adventure I later found myself on a horse with a man. The man that I traveled with was able to share with me valuable information. I used my memory to retain the information he gave me so I wouldn’t be suspiciously writing anything down. I believe that my alias, “Franklin Thompson” should be recognized in the army. I was a loyal spy and an intelligent thinker while on the job. I was able to gather and share important information for the North without being caught in the act of being a spy. I was a passionate soldier and believed deeply in the cause I was fighting for. I hope that this will impact your decision on whether Franklin Thompson should be recognized as a soldier or not.