A Soldier’s Secret: The Remarkable Life of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, Alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, Civil War, Union Army – A RAINBOW OF ROLE MODELS {WEDNESDAY SERIES}
I celebrate ACHIEVEMENT EVERY DAY! When I discover role models, I do not see skin color, age, religion, sex, attractiveness (ok, I like beautiful ladies), or other nonessentials. I love learning from inspirational people that inspire me to drop MY EXCUSES and DO IT! Role models who stretch my ambitions and model GIVING BACK!
There is dignity in achievement and success—in becoming a great factor in civilization.” Carter G. Woodson.
I hope you will share these short articles; perhaps a few people will be curious to learn more.
Disclaimer: Good Day, Readers. WealthBuildingPowers blog is a financial literacy/competency blog and does not provide specific investment recommendations.
A Soldier’s Heart: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s Enduring Legacy – A RAINBOW OF ROLE MODELS {WEDNESDAY SERIES}
While there are countless extraordinary American individuals, some of whose stories remain hidden beneath the shadows of history, they exude an unparalleled strength that transcends time. One such remarkable figure is Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a woman who defied societal norms, challenged adversity and left an indelible mark on the annals of history.
Sarah Rosetta Wakeman (January 16, 1843 – June 19, 1864)
“Sarak Rosetta Wakeman was an American female soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War under the male name of Lyons Wakeman. Wakeman served with Company H, 153rd New York Volunteer Infantry. Her letters written during her service remained unread for nearly a century because they were stored in the attic of her relatives.
The Inspiring Journey of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman‘s 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞
Wakeman was born January 16, 1843, in Bainbridge, New York, to Harvey Anable Wakeman and Emily Hale Wakeman. She was the oldest of nine children in the farming family of Afton, New York. By the age of seventeen, she had received some formal education and was working as a domestic servant. Wakeman understood the tremendous financial pressure her family was under, and without possible suitors to take on her expenses, Wakeman left her home as a man in 1862 and went to work as a boatman for the Chenango Canal. Wakeman’s letters to her family allude to some rift between them before her departure.
While on her job, she met army recruiters offering a $152 bounty and enlisted on August 30, 1862, using the name Lyons Wakeman and claiming to be 21 years old. The bounty would have been the incredible motivation for Wakeman to enlist, being far more than what she could earn as a woman. Wakeman enlisted as a private of Company H of the 153rd New York State Volunteers in Root, New York. The description on her enlistment papers stated that she was five feet tall, fair-skinned, with brown hair with blue eyes. She misrepresented her age on the papers, which stated that she was twenty-one at the time of her enlistment when in fact, she was actually seventeen or eighteen.
Beyond Boundaries: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s Trailblazing Military Odyssey
Her regiment was assigned guard duty in Alexandria, Virginia, and later in Washington, DC, to protect the nation’s food. Despite the often tedious camp life and challenging conditions of life as a soldier, Wakeman wrote that “I liked to be a soldier very well. Much downtime potentially gave Wakeman time to write her numerous letters. The first letter Wakeman sent home contained information about why she left home and what she was doing. Wakeman often sent money home in the hope of making amends. She used her birth name when signing her correspondence; if her letters had been intercepted, this act could have ended her military career. Wakeman often wrote about being financially independent, something many women of the time wanted. Over her years of service, Wakeman sent numerous and regular letters to her family, providing a narrative of her life during the service. She was religious, and her faith comforted her during challenging times. Despite occasional turmoil, she was proud to be a “good soldier”.
One point of interest in Wakeman’s service is her time spent as a guard at Washington’s Carroll Prison. During her time there, one of the three women held at the prison was arrested for a crime Wakeman herself was committing: impersonating a man to fight for the Union.
Wakeman finally saw battle as the 153rd Regiment was transferred to an active battlefield in February 1864. Her unit participated in Major General Nathaniel P. Banks’s ill-fated Red River Campaign. The battle that ensued took place at Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. This force probably numbered around 11,000 soldiers. Wakeman survived her only apparent combat engagement on April 9, 1864. After Wakeman’s arrival, she sent her last letter home from the Grand Ecore Landing on the Red River.
The last letter Wakeman sent reported her battle experiences: “Our army made an advance up the river to Pleasant Hill about 40 miles (64 km). There we had a fight. On the first day of the fight, our army got whipped, and we had to retreat about 10 miles (16 km). The next day the fight was renewed, and the firing took place about eight o’clock in the morning. There was heavy Cannonading all day and a Sharp firing of infantry. I was not in the first day’s fight, but the next day I had to face the enemy bullets with my regiment. I was under fire for about four hours and lay on the field of battle all night. There were three wounded in my Co. and one killed. I feel thankful to God that he spared my life, and I pray to him that he will lead me safely through the field of battle and that I may return safely home.
Reshaping History: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s Courageous Stand
Of the deceased soldiers, Wakeman wrote, they lay “sometimes in heaps and in rows… with distorted features, among mangled and dead horses, trampled in the mud, and thrown in all conceivable sorts of places. You can distinctly hear, over the whole field, the hum, and hissing of decomposition.” The Red River Campaign claimed several lives, including Wakeman’s own. She contracted chronic diarrhea of which she eventually died on June 19, 1864, in the Marine USA General Hospital in New Orleans. Wakeman was not the only one to meet such an end; thousands of Union soldiers were killed by drinking water contaminated by rotting animals. Wakeman’s identity was not revealed during her burial; her headstone reads “Lyons Wakeman. She was buried with full military honors at Chalmette National Cemetery in New Orleans.
CONCLUSION: Marching Forward: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s Unforgettable Bravery
Her letters and their record of her military experiences were discovered more than a century after her death in a relative’s attic in 1976. Wakeman’s letters were subsequently edited and published by Lauren Burgess in 1994 as An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862 – 1864. Her relatives still have the letters, a photograph, and a ring of Wakeman’s.”
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ABOUT ME
I am a proud nerd (as my beautiful wife and daughter have told me) investment and finance blogger with an N.C. State, Chemical Engineering, University Rutgers, MBA and Harvard University, Advanced Management education.
I left a corporate career because I desired to make a difference as a speaker and writer. I was blessed to be coached and mentored by strong women and men in my family and professional life. It is my time to serve and give back.
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I started my first business at ~13 years of age (a small but brilliantly created plant nursery). I am a successful investor in stocks, options, and real estate and am happy to share my finance and investment lessons. I am NOT a licensed financial advisor. Please do not construe my suggestions on this blog as recommendations for your situation. As an investor, you must establish your risk/loss tolerance. Investment in any asset involves risk, including complete loss.
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