Frances L. Clayton

Frances Clayton claimed to have disguised herself as a man to fight for the Union Army in the Civil War. Using the name Jack Williams, Clayton said, she fought in more than a dozen battles between 1861 and 1863. Although Clayton's story is colorful, it contains several uncertain or false claims. She became publicly known in 1863-1864 through a few newspaper stories and a handful of photographs. The best known of these photographs, were made in the Boston studio of Samuel Masury.

Gift of the Hall Family Foundation