Cross-Dressing Soldiers

There’s no new post this week, I’m afraid, as I’ve been too busy researching cross-dressing soldiers in the American Civil War.

Photo by Rick Lobs on Unsplash

Every July, I travel to Concord, Massachusetts, to the wonderful and magical Louisa May Alcott museum, Orchard House – check it out here,

https://louisamayalcott.org/

– to take part in the Summer Conversational Series, quite possibly my favorite week in the whole year, when a bunch of Louisa May Alcott nerds get together to talk Alcotts, books, women’s history, and anything else of that genre that strikes our fancy.

The year, my speech is on the substantial number of women who cut their hair and signed up to fight as soldiers in the War, and I’ve been having the time of my life finding out about them, discovering stories funny (the recruit who tried to put on her pants over her head, anyone?), poignant, and, above all, stirring, because these women were a doughty crew.

I’ve gathered a lot of good stuff to talk about, but it does need to be organized, so that’s what I’ve been doing this week. If anyone wants to hear the talk, either virtually or in person, it’s happening on July 14 at 10.00 a.m. American Eastern Time, and you can buy tickets here

https://louisamayalcott.org/summer-adult-ed-series

Normal service will resume on Monday evening California time on July 13, by which time the speech had darned well better be ready, and meanwhile, as a nod to the mighty Louisa, I’m about to re-print a post from last year that features my own childhood heroine, the irrepressible Jo March

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