LGBT People Of History Part Seventy Albert Cashier

Albert Cashier (1843 – 1915) was born Jennie Irene Hodgers in County Lough, Ireland, the daughter of Sallie and Patrick Hodgers. Later he moved to the US and lived as a man.

In 1862 he enlisted into the Illinois Infantry and used the name Albert Cashier. He was involved in many battles and sieges in the American Civil War and was even captured once. He was seemingly quite introverted and was very small. He was involved in the war for 3 years. A colleague of Cashier’s writes that he was discovered to be a woman and sent home.

After the war, Albert worked for Joshua Chesebro as a farmhand from 1869. Joshua built a small house for him. There he stayed for 40 years working later in and around the local church. He voted in elections as a man and claimed a veteran’s pension when the time came. It seems that a number of people found out that he was assigned female at birth but said nothing.

In 1910 he broke his leg and he was again ‘discovered’ and again nothing was said. In later life when his mental health deteriorated he was moved to a hospital where he was ‘discovered’ and this time he was forced to wear a dress.

He died in 1915 and was buried in his military uniform.

Ian & Callum

With Thanks To Wikipedia