During the Civil War, neither the Union nor the Confederate Army allowed women to enlist. However, hundreds of women served by passing as men. Sarah Emma Edmonds, alias Frank Thompson, passed as a man for two years with Company F, 2nd Michigan Infantry Volunteers. She deserted after contracting malaria, fearing she would be discovered.
After leaving the Army, Seelye returned to civilian life as a woman, married, and focused on raising her family. Nevertheless, she suffered a lifelong disability as a result of her service and eventually applied for a pension because her family needed the income. When she filed for an invalid pension, one of her fellow soldiers, Richard H. Halsted, gave testimony regarding her service. Eventually Congress passed a bill to grant her a pension.
