200 Years of LGBTQIA+ History

From Shadows to Pride — UK & Global Timeline

August 1862

Albert Cashier — Civil War Soldier Who Lived as a Man

Cultural Trans People Military

Albert Cashier (born Jennie Irene Hodgers in Ireland) enlisted in the 95th Illinois Infantry of the Union Army and served throughout the American Civil War, fighting in approximately 40 engagements including the Siege of Vicksburg. After the war, Cashier continued living as a man for nearly 50 years, voting, working as a handyman, and collecting a veteran's pension. Cashier's sex was only discovered in 1911 after a car accident. Fellow veterans testified in support, and Cashier was buried with full military honours in 1915.

Impact & Significance

Cashier's story demonstrates the long history of people living outside their assigned gender, and the support shown by fellow veterans challenged the notion that such identities were universally condemned.

Reference Record

Date
August 1862
Era
1800s
Sources
1

This timeline entry is being migrated into the reference platform. Source metadata and editorial review status will be strengthened as each topic is upgraded.

Topic Guides

Gender-Diverse Historical Lives Gender-diverse lives appear throughout history, from religious leaders and soldiers to Indigenous cultural ambassadors, surgeons and early transition pioneers.

Questions This Event Helps Answer

Q Who were early UK trans pioneers? Early UK trans pioneers include Michael Dillon, Roberta Cowell, April Ashley, Stephen Whittle, Julia Grant and the organisers who built early trans community networks. Q Which LGBTQ+ public figures changed visibility? They changed visibility in politics, science, activism and literature by showing that queer lives could be public, influential and historic. Q What do gender-diverse historical lives show? They show that people have crossed, rejected or reworked gender categories across many centuries, cultures and institutions.

Related Events

1750 Hannah Snell — Female Soldier Reveals Her Identity 1865 Dr James Barry — Military Surgeon's Secret Revealed After Death 1989 Billy Tipton — Jazz Musician's Gender Revealed After Death

Sources

Albert Cashier organisation American Battlefield Trust
Share