Pauline Cushman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pauline Cushman
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| Born |
Harriet Wood
June 10, 1833 |
| Died | December 2, 1893 (aged 60) |
| Other names | Major Pauline Cushman Fryer, Pauline Fryer |
| Occupation | Actress, Union Spy |
| Spouse(s) | Jere Fryer, August Fichtner, Charles C. Dickinson |
| Children | Three, Charles and Ida, and adopted daughter Emma |
Pauline Cushman (born Harriet Wood; June 10, 1833 – December 2, 1893) was an American actress. She became a brave spy for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Many people think she was one of the most successful spies of that time.
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Early Life of Pauline Cushman
Harriet Wood was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 10, 1833. Her father was a Spanish merchant, and her mother was French. Her mother's father was a soldier for Napoleon Bonaparte.
Harriet and her brother William grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their parents moved there to set up a trading post. In 1862, Harriet started her acting career in Louisville, Kentucky. This city was controlled by the Union Army. Later, she went to New York and began using the stage name Pauline Cushman.
Pauline was married three times in her life. Her husbands were Jere Fryer, Charles C. Dickinson, and August Fichtner. She had three children: Charles, Ida, and an adopted daughter named Emma.
Pauline's Spy Career
After a show in the North, two men who supported the Confederate side paid Pauline. They wanted her to make a special public speech honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Her theater company wanted her to quit for this.
But Pauline had a different idea. She decided to make the speech to gain the trust of the Confederates. At the same time, she secretly offered her help to the Union as a spy.
Pauline became friends with Confederate military leaders. She managed to hide important battle plans and drawings in her shoes. In 1864, she was caught twice. She was brought before Confederate General Braxton Bragg. A military court decided she should be put to death.
Pauline was already sick, but she pretended to be even sicker. This made the Confederates delay her execution. Luckily, Union troops invaded the area, which saved her life. She was also hurt twice during her spy work.
Some stories say she went back to the South as a spy, dressed in a male uniform. For her brave service, General James A. Garfield gave her the special rank of brevet major. President Abraham Lincoln also made her an honorary major. She became known as "Miss Major Pauline Cushman." After the war ended in 1865, she traveled around the country. She gave talks about her exciting adventures as a spy.
Pauline's Later Life
Because her spy work was secret, there isn't much official information about her life right after the war. However, she started a tour to share her experiences as a Union spy. At one point, she worked with the famous showman P. T. Barnum. In 1865, a friend named Ferdinand Sarmiento wrote a book about her. It was called The Life of Pauline Cushman: The celebrated Union Spy and Scout. The book told about her early life and how she became a spy.
By 1868, she lost one of her children to sickness. In 1872, she married again in San Francisco. But her husband died within a year. In 1879, she met Jere Fryer. They moved to Casa Grande, Arizona, in Arizona Territory. There, they got married and ran a hotel and a place for horses. Jere Fryer later became the sheriff of Pinal County.
Their adopted daughter, Emma, passed away on April 17, 1888, at age 6. She died from a seizure. Because of this sadness, Pauline and Jere separated in 1890. By 1892, Pauline was living in El Paso, Texas, and was very poor. She asked for money from the government based on her first husband's military service. In June 1893, she started receiving $12 each month. She died on December 2, 1893. Her landlady found her the next morning.
Death and Remembering Pauline
Pauline died as Pauline Fryer when she was sixty years old. People remembered her fame from the Civil War at her funeral. Members of the Grand Army of the Republic organized it. Pauline Cushman was buried with full military honors.
"Major" Cushman's body now rests in Officer's Circle at the Presidio's National Cemetery. Her simple gravestone honors her help in the Union's victory. It says, "Pauline C. Fryer, Union Spy."
Pauline Cushman's story has been told in television shows.
- In 1964, Paula Raymond played Pauline Cushman in an episode of Death Valley Days. The story was set in Casa Grande, Arizona. Pauline was running a saloon there. Her future husband, Jere Fryer (Ray Danton), made a bet that he could convince her to marry him in a week.
- In 1961, the TV show Rawhide had an episode called "The Blue Spy." The main character was Pauline Cushman, played by Phyllis Thaxter.
See also
In Spanish: Pauline Cushman para niños
