Figure 5

Citation

photographer Unknown Photographer Photographer. “Albert Cashier and unknown sergeant.” circa 1865. The Gilder Lehrman Collection. Mirror of Race, 22 Jan. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/91. Accessed 18 May 2024.

Title

Albert Cashier and unknown sergeant

Subject

Albert Cashier and unknown sergeant

Creator

photographer Unknown Photographer Photographer

Date

circa 1865

Type

Studio Portrait

Identifier

Figure 5

Rights Holder

The Gilder Lehrman Collection

Original Format

Tintype

Factual Commentary

Albert Cashier (1843-1915), seated on the left, emigrated from Ireland to America as Jennie Hodgers. In 1862, Hodgers assumed the name Albert Cashier to enlist in the 95th Illinois infantry, serving through the war undiscovered and fighting in many battles. For half a century after the war, Cashier maintained an identity as a man, living in Saunemin, a small town in Illinois, drawing a military pension. When Cashier’s biological identity as female was revealed after an accident, he was forced to wear a dress, but former comrades rallied to him to ensure he kept his pension and was buried in his uniform. For a deposition in that case, see here. Cashier’s career is documented in They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the Civil War, by De Anne Blanton and Lauren Cook.