Florena Budwin facts for kids

Florena Budwin (sometimes called Florina Budwin) was a brave soldier from Philadelphia during the American Civil War. She disguised herself as a man to join the Union Army with her husband, who was an artillery captain. After being captured by the enemy, she sadly died from an illness. She was buried in Florence National Cemetery, becoming the first woman soldier to receive this special honor.

Captured During the War

Florena was captured sometime after February 1864. She was held at Andersonville, a very tough prison camp run by the Confederacy. Some stories say her husband died at Andersonville because of a prison guard. However, Florena herself said her husband died in battle before she was captured.

A soldier named Samuel Elliott saw her there. He described her as a woman who was "rather above the medium height, sunburnt, with long, unkempt hair." Her clothes were a rough gray shirt, worn-out army pants, and a military cap.

Life in Prison

Florena stayed at Andersonville until Union forces got close. Then, she was moved to the Florence Stockade in Florence, South Carolina, in the fall. There, she helped care for other sick prisoners.

In the winter, Florena herself became sick with pneumonia. When a doctor named Josephus Hall treated her, he discovered she was a woman. After this, Florena received special care. Local women gave her food and clothing, and she even got her own room.

Sadly, she died soon after, on January 25, 1865, at the age of 20. This was less than a month before sick Union prisoners were set free by the Confederacy. It's thought that keeping her true identity a secret during her time in prison might have made her situation worse. We don't know much about her time in the military, only about her time as a prisoner. It's even possible that Florena Budwin wasn't her real name.

A Special Burial

About 16,000 Union prisoners were held at the Florence Prison Stockade between September 1864 and February 1865. In that short time, 2,738 prisoners died from lack of food and sickness. The owner of a farm next to the prison allowed the dead to be buried in trenches on his land. This area later became the Florence National Cemetery.

A simple marble headstone there has Florena's name and the date she died. She is believed to be the first woman to be buried in a national cemetery.

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