Frances Clayton, American Cross-Dresser

Frances Clayton, American Cross-Dresser

Entitled: "Frances L. Clayton, 4th Missouri Artillery, wounded in the battles of Shiloh and Stone River." Frances Louisa Clayton (1830s - after 1865), also recorded as Frances Clalin, was an American woman who disguised herself as a man to fight for the Union Army in the American Civil War. Under the alias Jack Williams, she enlisted in a Missouri regiment along with her husband, and fought in several battles. She left the army soon after her husband died at Stones River. Newspaper reports indicate that Clayton served in both cavalry and artillery units. Her story became known and widely circulated after her service, though each account contains contradictory information about her life and service. Several photographs of Clayton, including images of her in uniform, are known to exist. However, little else is known of her life. Unlike other women of the Civil War, Clayton was described by newspapers as tall and masculine-looking. She frequently took part in soldierly past-times such as drinking, smoking, or chewing tobacco. Photographed by Samuel Masury, 1865.

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3004 x 4650 px | 40.0 MB

25.4 x 39.4 cm | 10.0 x 15.5 in (300 dpi)