Frank Morrison knocks around, 1862
Frank Morrison wasn’t the only female-bodied individual to become a soldier during the Civil War. Morrison, however, seems to have had a reason other than patriotism: being “tired of being a woman.” Does it mean that Elizabeth Maitland identified as male? Unknown.
Morrison’s story as recorded in various newspapers is confusing. Arrested on the street on 11 January 1862; arrested while asking for lodging at a station-house on 16 January 1862—the only way to determine just what happened when is by reading multiple stories.
The Philadelphia Inquirer appears to have merged two incidents and implied that they were the same.
“A Female Soldier.” Philadelphia Inquirer [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] 17 January 1862; p. 8.
On Saturday morning a girl, named Elizabeth Maitland, alias Frank Morrison was found walking the streets in a volunteer’s uniform. She was introduced to the Mayor, still in her male attire. She appeared somewhat embarrassed at first at her awkward position, but answered the questions put to her with considerable boldness. She is about nineteen years old, and belongs to Boston. She has been in this city about two years, and has no particular home. The reason assigned for assuming her strange costume is that she was tired of being a woman, and desired to “knock around a little.” Last evening, previous to going to the Station House, she had been to a tavern in the Seventh Ward, and participated in a fight. She had whipped her man, but had her nose skinned in the melee. She has been provided with lodgings on one or two previous occasions, without her sex being discovered. Elizabeth was taken before Alderman Beitler yesterday morning, and committed to Moyamensing for thirty days, as a vagrant.
The Public Ledger has Morrison lodging at the station-house on 16 January—and gives a different reason for Morrison to wear men’s clothing.
“A Girl in Male Attire.” Public Ledger [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] 17 January 1862; p. 1.
Among the lodgers at the Union street Station, on Wednesday night, was a young girl dressed in male attire, whose face did not any more indicate her sex than the suit of clothes she wore. Her features being very coarse, and her hair cut short and brushed up on the forehead, it was difficult to conceive that she was not what she appeared to be. She gave the name of Elizabeth Maitland, and said she was from Roxborough, Mass. To one of the officers she said that she had gone out of Massachusets as the daughter of one of the regiments, and that in returning with the regiment at the expiration of the three months’ service, she was induced to remain here. Her reason for putting on male attire, she said was because she wanted to join the army as a volunteer. This seems to be disproved by the fact that she was arrested a few days ago in the Sixth Ward, when she had the same suit on. Alderman Beitler committed her for vagrancy.
As reprinted in the Detroit Free Press, an unavailable Philadelphia newspaper apparently had different details.
“A Masquerading Female” (reprinted in Detroit Free Press [Detroit, Michigan] 25 January 1862; p. 1.
An individual of slight build and rather feminine countenance, applied for lodgings on Wednesday evening, at the Fifth Ward station-house. The applicant wore ladies’ gaiters, a fact which excited the suspicions of the telegraph operator. The curiosity of the latter was finally raised to such a pitch that he charged the would-be lodger with being a woman in disguise. After parleying for a few moments the correctness of the charge was admitted, her manner and gait rendering further denial useless. The young woman gave her name as Elizabeth Maitland. Her request was complied with, and yesterday morning she was introduced to the Mayor, still in her male attire. She seemed somewhat embarrassed at first by her awkward position, but answered the questions put to her with considerable boldness. She is about nineteen years old and belongs to Boston. She has been in this city about two years, and has no particular home. The reason assigned for assuming her strange costume is that she was tired of being a woman, and desired to “knock around a little.” Previous to going to the station-house she had been to a tavern in the Seventh Ward, and participated in a night. She whipped her man, but had her nose skinned in the melee. She had been provided with lodgings on one or two previous occasions, without her sex being discovered. Elizabeth was taken before Alderman Beitler yesterday morning, and committed to Moyamensing for thirty days, as a vagrant.—Philadelphia Press.
(The Philadelphia Press was published from 1857 to 1920; the available digitized version has only three pages of the 17 January 1862 issue; Morrison’s story may be on the undigitized page 4.)
Morrison’s story and motives may have changed with whoever was listening to it. What’s certain, though, is that, despite a “nose skinned” in a fight, Morrison could knock a man down and win the day.
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