Frances Clalin Clayton
Frances Louisa Clalin was born in Illinois, and later married Elmer Clayton, with whom she would have three children. They had a farm in Minnesota, and before the Civil War, Frances was a housewife. At the beginning of the Civil War, Frances Clayton disguised herself as a man and, using the pseudonym Jack Williams, enlisted in the Union Army with her husband during the fall of 1861. Despite living in the state of Minnesota, they enlisted in a Missouri regiment. Presumably, Frances enlisted to be with her husband.
Frances Clalin Clayton
It wasn't difficult for Frances to convincingly play the part of a man. She was tall and masculine, and had tan skin. Frances is known to have fought in the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee, February 13, 1862, where the Union won after three days of fighting.
Elmer and Frances served side by side until the Battle of Stones River on December 31, 1862. Elmer was only a few feet in front of Frances when he was killed, but she didn't stop fighting. Frances was later wounded in the hip. Her true identify was found when she entered the hospital, and she was discharged January 2, 1863.
Frances was on a train home when it was attacked by guerrillas. She was robbed of her papers, and decided to re-enlist. To better conceal her sex, Frances took up all the manly vices. She learned to drink, smoke, chew, and swear, and was especially fond of cigars. She even gambled, and a fellow soldier declared that he had played poker with her on a number of occasions.
Once back in the army, Frances stood guard, went on picket duty, and fought in the field with the rest of her comrades. She was reported to be a good horseman and swordsman, and the way she carried herself in stride was soldierly, erect, and masculine. She was well trained and knew her duties well, and was a respected person who commanded attention in the way she acted.
After being discharged from the Union Army, Frances tried to get back to Minnesota, and then decided to collect the bounty owed her deceased husband and herself, as well as to get some of Elmer's belongings. She then went from Missouri to Minnesota, then to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and on to Quincy, Illinois.
There is no additional information about Frances Clalin Clayton, and the information that is available has become so jumbled that it is impossible to state with certainty what actually happened to her. But she obviously served in the Union Army at some point, and deserves to be acknowledged for her contribution to the war.
