Elizabeth A. Hawver Niles (January 22, 1842 - September 13, 1920) served for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, along with her husband.

Biography

Elizabeth Hawver was born in

White Creek, New York White Creek is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 3,411 at the 2000 census. The town contains the White Creek Historic District, which was l ...

, on January 22, 1842. She married Martin C. Niles in 1861, and in mid-April, the call for volunteers to fight in the Civil War began, and Martin enlisted in Company K of the

14th Vermont Infantry The 14th Vermont Infantry Regiment was a nine months' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, predominantly in the Defenses of Washington, from October 1862 to August 1863. It was a memb ...

. She cut her hair, and joined her husband in battle. There are several other "Niles'" listed in the rosters for the 13th and 14th infantries, and it is likely that Elizabeth was one of them, under a male name. Throughout her service, she participated in many battles, including the

Battle of Gaines's Mill A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the First Battle of Bull Run, the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, and the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

. She remained undetected by the other soldiers or officers, and was mustered out with her husband on September 7, 1864. Following the war, they had 7 children together, and Martin died in 1889, leaving her with 5 children still in her care. She moved to Raritan, New Jersey, where she died on October 4, 1920, at the age of 78.

References

External links

Elizabeth A. Hawver Niles Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niles, Elizabeth A. 1842 births 1920 deaths Women in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers Women soldiers Female wartime cross-dressers in the American Civil War

Biography

See also

References

External links