Elvira "Ella" Gibson (8 May 1821 – 8 March 1901) was the first woman to serve as a

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

in the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. She served during 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 ...

but was not recognized for her service until 2002.

Biography

Gibson worked as a teacher in

Rindge, New Hampshire Rindge is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,476 at the 2020 census, up from 6,014 at the 2010 census. Rindge is home to Franklin Pierce University, the Cathedral of the Pines and part of Annett State ...

and became known for her writings and lecturing on abolition and other issues. She married Rev. John Hobart in 1861 and became a chaplain for the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War, also known as the "Live Eagle Regiment." In 1864 Gibson became an ordained minister and served the 1st Wisconsin Regiment of Heavy Artillery, but was not recognized by then

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...

because she was a woman. After the war, Gibson even had trouble getting paid for her work, and did not receive any pay until 1876. To support herself, she continued writing, often on women's issues, for such periodicals as ''

The Truth Seeker ''The Truth Seeker'' is an American periodical published since 1873. It was considered the most influential Freethought publication during the period following the American Civil War, Civil War into the first decades of the 20th century, known ...

'', '' The Boston Investigator'', ''The Ironclad Age'', and ''The Moralist''. After she divorced John Hobart in 1868, she returned to using her maiden name. She was posthumously given the rank of captain in the Chaplains Corps of the U.S. Army with the passage of Senate Bill 1438 in 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Ella Elvira 1821 births 1901 deaths American feminist writers Union Army chaplains United States Army chaplains 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American clergy Women clergy