The Unstoppable Redneck Fireball Girl From The South Who Fought For The North In The Civil War

Is that title long enough? Well, this girl was definitely a Redneck from Tennessee.

Her parents died when she was a baby and she was raised by a couple that she called "unfeeling wretches." So life must have really sucked for her. I'm talking about Lizzie Compton

She worked in the fields from a very early age, hence that's why I know for sure she was a redneck.

For those who haven't followed me for awhile I'm a proud redneck myself, the name traditionally given to people in the Southern part of the United States who spent alot of time working the land in the sun so they usually had red necks or sun burnt necks. In fact I got one right now. lol.

She had never worn girls clothes and those wretches she was supposedly raised by never taught her anything about the traditional woman's duties in the home like cooking or sewing, which was unheard of for that era.

On her own at age 13!

It must have been really bad there because she ran away at the age of 13.

She got a job on a steamboat posing as a boy. That was the same year that the Civil War broke out. The next year she joined the Union army disguised as a boy, which was easy for her because she was already working as one.

She saw TONS of action in the war and fought in many battles but she kept getting discovered, usually when she got wounded.

You can't keep a good woman down

She was wounded by shrapnel at the Battle of Antietam while she was right there with the men charging up the hill.

While being treated her secret was discovered so she was discharged. She immediately rejoined and while fighting at Fredericksburg she was wounded again and discovered and discharged again.

She immediately rejoined again and was fighting at the Battle Of Gettysburg when she was wounded again and discovered and discharged again.

It's amazing she wasn't killed in one of these battles. Gettysburg was the most famous battle of the war and became a turning point in it's outcome. It was also the bloodiest with with 51,000 men killed in the three day engagement! What a tragedy.

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She rejoined immediately and was shot in the shoulder at the Battle of Tebbs Bend and while being treated by the surgeon she was discovered and discharged.

Of course she rejoined again and fought in the battles of Fort Donelson and the Battle of Shiloh!

This girl was unreal

This is why I call her Unstoppable! After being seriously wounded most men went home, saying "Hey, I DID my duty." But not Lizzie Compton. She had fighting in her blood.

She was arrested in New York because they discovered she was a girl when she was re-enlisting again.. I don't know what happened, maybe they finally started giving physicals.

Her charge was "disorderliness"..I reckon she got a little hot when they told her it was against the law to dress as a man.

I'd loved to have seen his face!

They took her before the magistrate and after he heard her story (and after they helped him back up after falling out of his chair because he was totally gobsmacked!) he let her go. He was like, "This is the last girl on earth that I want angry at me..besides, she's a war hero!"

Undaunted, she went and enlisted again in the 11th Kentucky Cavalry. She finished the war without getting wounded or killed. She was only 5 feet tall but had the fighting spirit of a hellcat.

She smashed the record books

Lizzie held the record for the most re-enlistments and for serving in the most regiments, 7 different regiments.

I know if they'd been able to keep records of the female soldiers I'm sure she had the record for fighting in the most battles and for being wounded more times than any females.

Dog gonnit, I couldn't find any photos of her.

She should have moved to Texas after the war, she would've fit right in... but instead she moved to Canada, of all places! jeez.

This photo has nothing to do with Lizzie but I thought it was interesting. This is a Northern Union army general and his staff. Notice the black workers he has and the little black boy.

I also think the man on the left has interesting knee high boots.

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Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas
the gentleman redneck

PS- Everyday I've been posting a photo which supposedly represents each state, this is from a fun article I found on www.livingmgz.com.

Today's state is the gloriously golden one, California! It's state motto is: "Eureka!" I assume in referrence to the gold rush in 1848. But in modern times it's more known for surfing.

Everybody is a surfer or wants to be a surfer or used to be a surfer or loves to make fun of surfers. lol. Just ask the great surfing and wave photographer(and surfer) sir @rossfletcher.

The thing is though, if you're driving in California ya might want to avoid following someone who has a surfboard on top of their car.

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