Frances Elizabeth Quinn facts for kids
Frances Elizabeth Quinn was an amazing Irish-born soldier who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War. She served in both foot soldier (infantry) and horse soldier (cavalry) units. Frances joined the army many times throughout the war. Each time, her secret was eventually discovered: she was a woman. Because of this, she was honorably sent home from the military.
Early Life in America
Frances Quinn's parents moved from Ireland to La Moille, Illinois, when she was just three years old. Soon after they arrived in Illinois, her mother had a baby boy named Thomas. Sadly, both of Frances's parents died not long after. This left Frances and her brother without their parents.
Frances was taken in by the Reno family, who treated her like their own daughter. She was even like a niece to Jesse Lee Reno, a famous general. Her brother, Thomas, went to live with the Cokeley family.
When Frances was 12, she was sent to a special school called a convent in Virginia to get an education. After her schooling, she returned to La Moille. There, she found out that her brother, Thomas, had run away to join the army. He was only 14 years old and joined the 52nd Illinois Infantry Regiment. Frances, who was 16, didn't want to be left alone. She decided to join the army too, just like her brother.
Fighting in the Civil War
Frances Quinn bravely decided to pretend to be a man to join the army. She used the name B. Frank Miller and first joined a unit in Indiana for three months.
In July 1862, she joined the 2nd Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry. However, she was quickly discovered and sent home. But Frances didn't give up! In August 1862, she joined the 90th Illinois Infantry Regiment using a different name. The very next month, Colonel Timothy O'Meara found out her secret, and she was dismissed again. She told him her "real" name was Eliza Miller.
Frances joined the army for a fourth time. This time, she managed to stay long enough to fight in the Battle of Stones River on December 31. During this battle, she was shot in the shoulder. When she was treated for her injury, her secret was discovered for the third time.
After recovering, she went to Bowling Green, Kentucky. There, she found a recruiting sergeant and joined a cavalry unit as a teamster, someone who drives wagons. While working, she met another female soldier she had known before. This soldier was using the name Frank Morton, also known as Sarah Bradbury. Neither woman would tell the officers how they knew each other. Soon, both were found out to be women.
General Sheridan reportedly gave the women dresses and helped them get home. Frances gave a new story, saying she was Ellie Reno, a niece of General Jesse Reno. She went home, but in April 1863, she received terrible news. Her brother, Thomas, had been killed in the Battle of Shiloh.
Heartbroken, Frances rejoined the army once more, using the name Frank Martin. She eventually became an orderly, a kind of assistant, to General Jeremiah Boyle. She was very good at her job, even bringing Confederate soldiers to a Union military prison in Louisville, Kentucky. She was then hired for light duties at the prison barracks. General Boyle was very impressed with her. She even became a favorite of the 25th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment soldiers who also worked there.
Sadly, another soldier recognized her as a woman, and she was discharged again. Frances was so determined to serve that she wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln. She begged him to let her stay in the army.
I do not wish you to think me bold as I write to you wholy out of love for my native Country I am the true blue and for that Noble Flag I am willing to die I have been in the Army for nearly one year and I wish to see it over I am willing to do any thing to aid or assist to Government that lies in my power for my Country I have lived [illegible] and for my Country I will die
-Ellie B. Reno (Frances Quinn)
After this, Quinn was sent to General Ambrose Burnside. She was placed in the care of an officer's wife and offered a job at a hospital in Louisville. Around this time, Frances married a captain named Steward. Sadly, he died soon after their marriage.
In October 1863, Frances was back in the army again! She rejoined the 90th Illinois Infantry Regiment under the name Frank Miller. This time, she was captured by Confederates in Alabama. She was forced to march to a prison camp in Atlanta, Georgia. She tried to escape but was shot in the calf (the back of her lower leg) and captured again.
In prison, her secret was discovered, and she was placed in a room at a local hospital. Her wound became infected, and she was very sick for almost two months. On February 17, 1864, she was exchanged as a prisoner to the Union Army. She stayed in a Nashville hospital until her leg healed. After that, she received her pay and lived in Ohio until the war ended.
Later Life and Appearance
On August 12, 1866, Frances Quinn married Mathew Angel, who was a soldier from the 2nd Ohio Heavy Artillery. They had two daughters, named Maggie and Mary. Frances Quinn passed away on June 8, 1872, at the age of 25. She died from a condition called edema, which causes swelling in the body.
A reporter from the Louisville Journal described Frances Quinn as being "Small, with auburn hair, blue eyes, and a complexion tanned by the sun." General Sheridan said she was "coarse and masculine, with large features...She could have easily passed for a man."
