In 1888, Mary Livermore of the U.S. Sanitary Commission remembered that: "Someone has stated the number of women soldiers known to the service as little less than four hundred. I cannot vouch for the correctness of this estimate, but I am convinced that a larger number of women disguised themselves and enlisted in the service, for one cause or other, than was dreamed of. Entrenched in secrecy, and regarded as men, they were sometimes revealed as women, by accident or casualty. Some startling histories of these military women were current in the gossip of army life."

Whether following husbands or brothers into the fray, or just yearning to lead the less constrained life that men enjoyed, many women enlisted in both the Union and Confederate armies and went to war. This glimpse into Civil War history has been the topic of much historical research in the last 20 years.

This month's speaker, Jeff McArthur, has filmed a documentary delving deeper into the subject of women who fought as soldiers during the Civil War.

Jeff attended film school at New York University, and came to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. While researching a film project about a baseball game between enemy soldiers during the Civil War, he came across the phenomenon of women who disguised themselves so that they could join the ranks. He began studying this subject, and ten years later his film, "The Forgotten Grave," was completed. The DVD is now available for sale on Amazon.

Come join us to learn about the "feminine side" of the Civil War soldier experience.

Janet Whaley
Program Chair