I Shall Be Near to You by Erin McCabe
New bride Rosetta doesn't want her husband Jeremiah to go off and fight in the Civil War.
But he sees the army pay as the fastest way for them to be able to buy the farm they're dreaming of.
So off he goes. After spending a short time on his family's farm, under the thumb of his traditional mother (You should be doing the mending, here it is) and a violent attack by a nasty neighbor, Rosetta has had enough. She cuts off her hair, alters some of her husband's clothes, and heads off to join his regiment as Ross Stone. While a few of Jeremiah's friends from home know her secret, they keep it, and she amazingly manages to stay hidden in plain sight, even fighting in several battles and helping the commander's wife caring for wounded soldiers at the local hospital.
The notes at the end say the novel is partially based on the life of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, who was a private in the 153rd New York State Volunteers and served in combat before contracting dysentery and dying in 1864.
It's a fascinating look at one feisty, determined woman and the love she shared with her husband.
But he sees the army pay as the fastest way for them to be able to buy the farm they're dreaming of.
So off he goes. After spending a short time on his family's farm, under the thumb of his traditional mother (You should be doing the mending, here it is) and a violent attack by a nasty neighbor, Rosetta has had enough. She cuts off her hair, alters some of her husband's clothes, and heads off to join his regiment as Ross Stone. While a few of Jeremiah's friends from home know her secret, they keep it, and she amazingly manages to stay hidden in plain sight, even fighting in several battles and helping the commander's wife caring for wounded soldiers at the local hospital.
The notes at the end say the novel is partially based on the life of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, who was a private in the 153rd New York State Volunteers and served in combat before contracting dysentery and dying in 1864.
It's a fascinating look at one feisty, determined woman and the love she shared with her husband.
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