L/A
Look at that goddamn flamboyant hat. Girl be flaunting!
We know there have always been queer people throughout history. But if we are to believe that fact, it means accepting an uncomfortable truth: not all of them were good!
As much as we would like to think that belonging to an oppressed group requires one to carry empathy for others, thatās not always the reality. Some gay people side with the oppressors, and actively fight on their behalf.
A publication called the Milwaukee Independent recently explored this phenomenon in regards to the Civil War, and the possible queer identities of Confederate Army leaders. Given the contemptuous attitudes about homosexuality in the 19th century, extracting any concrete clues about the queerness of Civil War figures is a challenge.
Adding to the difficulty, men from that era often wrote to their male friends in flowery and grandiloquent language, which we would now associate with romance.
Still, those obstacles havenāt stopped historians from trying. One Confederate figure known for his flamboyant flair was J.E.B. Stuart, a general who wore a āred-lined gray capeā and his āhat cocked to the side with an ostrich plume,ā along with a āred flower in his lapel.ā
Stuartās ostentatious garb solidified his reputation as a āGay Cavalier,ā though his peers thought he was trying to attract the female eye.
Riiiiight.
Stuart was āfond of show and with much personal vanity, craving admiration in the parlor as well as on the field, with a taste for music and poetry and song, desiring as much the admiration of handsome women with full appreciation of his won well-won eminence,ā according to a description written by a member of Stonewall Jacksonās staff.
One of those āhandsome womenā was Stuartās wife, with whom he owned slaves. He died in 1864 at 31 years of age with his wife, Flora, by his side.
Five years ago, Stuartās name was back in the news, when his statue was removed from a park in Richmond, Virginia.
Though nearly all commanders for the Confederate and Union armies were partnered, one notable bachelor was Richard S. Ewell, who curiously didnāt marry until late in life. Ewell eventually wed a friend of his from high school, who cared for him after his amputation in 1863.
While some reject attempts to glean the sexual identities of malevolent actors, the Milwaukee Independent argues the exercise helps construct a more complete historical picture.
āThe exploration of sexuality [doesnāt] serve as an endorsement of the Confederate cause,ā the article says. āRather, if it pushes the public to acknowledge that historical narratives are messy and filled with contradictions, it might serve an instructive purpose. LGBTQ+ history is broad and complicated, spanning every social class, race, and creed.ā
With that in mind, itās worth mentioning there were also probably queer figures on the Union side, including one very famous leader.
While we canāt definitively say Abraham Lincoln was gay, weāre pretty certain he shared his bed with men on multiple occasions. The documentary Lover Of Men: The Untold History Of Abraham Lincoln explores our 16th presidentās bond with his close male companions.
Then again, as the doc explains, our world was much more homosocial back then. Men and women socialized separately, which meant it was more common for male relationships to be intimate and physical.
āIn combing through Civil War battle records of Confederate and Union soldiers, I find, they were not only slaughtering one anotherāmany were also loving one another,ā writes Reverend Irene Monroe in her 2016 retrospective, āThe untold history of gay Civil War soldiers.ā
Telling their stories helps broaden our understanding of history, and how queerness is interwoven in our nationās fabric through the good and the bad.
Itās about the implication.
Look at that goddamn flamboyant hat. Girl be flaunting!
We know there have always been queer people throughout history. But if we are to believe that fact, it means accepting an uncomfortable truth: not all of them were good!
As much as we would like to think that belonging to an oppressed group requires one to carry empathy for others, thatās not always the reality. Some gay people side with the oppressors, and actively fight on their behalf.
A publication called the Milwaukee Independent recently explored this phenomenon in regards to the Civil War, and the possible queer identities of Confederate Army leaders. Given the contemptuous attitudes about homosexuality in the 19th century, extracting any concrete clues about the queerness of Civil War figures is a challenge.
Adding to the difficulty, men from that era often wrote to their male friends in flowery and grandiloquent language, which we would now associate with romance.
Still, those obstacles havenāt stopped historians from trying. One Confederate figure known for his flamboyant flair was J.E.B. Stuart, a general who wore a āred-lined gray capeā and his āhat cocked to the side with an ostrich plume,ā along with a āred flower in his lapel.ā
Stuartās ostentatious garb solidified his reputation as a āGay Cavalier,ā though his peers thought he was trying to attract the female eye.
Riiiiight.
Stuart was āfond of show and with much personal vanity, craving admiration in the parlor as well as on the field, with a taste for music and poetry and song, desiring as much the admiration of handsome women with full appreciation of his won well-won eminence,ā according to a description written by a member of Stonewall Jacksonās staff.
One of those āhandsome womenā was Stuartās wife, with whom he owned slaves. He died in 1864 at 31 years of age with his wife, Flora, by his side.
Five years ago, Stuartās name was back in the news, when his statue was removed from a park in Richmond, Virginia.
Though nearly all commanders for the Confederate and Union armies were partnered, one notable bachelor was Richard S. Ewell, who curiously didnāt marry until late in life. Ewell eventually wed a friend of his from high school, who cared for him after his amputation in 1863.
While some reject attempts to glean the sexual identities of malevolent actors, the Milwaukee Independent argues the exercise helps construct a more complete historical picture.
āThe exploration of sexuality [doesnāt] serve as an endorsement of the Confederate cause,ā the article says. āRather, if it pushes the public to acknowledge that historical narratives are messy and filled with contradictions, it might serve an instructive purpose. LGBTQ+ history is broad and complicated, spanning every social class, race, and creed.ā
With that in mind, itās worth mentioning there were also probably queer figures on the Union side, including one very famous leader.
While we canāt definitively say Abraham Lincoln was gay, weāre pretty certain he shared his bed with men on multiple occasions. The documentary Lover Of Men: The Untold History Of Abraham Lincoln explores our 16th presidentās bond with his close male companions.
Then again, as the doc explains, our world was much more homosocial back then. Men and women socialized separately, which meant it was more common for male relationships to be intimate and physical.
āIn combing through Civil War battle records of Confederate and Union soldiers, I find, they were not only slaughtering one anotherāmany were also loving one another,ā writes Reverend Irene Monroe in her 2016 retrospective, āThe untold history of gay Civil War soldiers.ā
Telling their stories helps broaden our understanding of history, and how queerness is interwoven in our nationās fabric through the good and the bad.
Itās about the implication.
