Hazel Carter (1894–1918) was an American farmer who attempted to disguise herself as a serving soldier.
Early life
Carter was born in 1894 in the
Huachuca Mountains
The Huachuca Mountains are part of the Sierra Vista Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, approximately south-southeast of Tucson and southwest of the city of Sierra Vista. Included in this ...
outside of
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
,
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...
.
She was known as a skilled hunter and farmer.
According to her father Peter Blauser, Carter graduated from college but chose to live a life on a
ranch
A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...
where she tended to 200 cattle and 16 saddle horses.
She married John J. Carter on December 12, 1916.
World War I involvement
When her husband was sent to France on the first American contingent to fight in World War I, she first tried to join the
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
in Douglas, but was not accepted.
Carter then cut her hair short and stole an Army uniform.
She boarded the same train as the one carrying her husband and went undetected for two days when she was forced off the train and told to go back to Douglas.
However, she got back on the train.
At the port, she was able to get onto a ship and stow away.
Carter claims her husband did not know of her presence on the train until they neared
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
.
The contingent was five days at sea when her identity was revealed.
Her voice was what eventually gave her away and Captain Eugene D. Rideout realized that she was a woman.
Upon arrival on the shores of Europe, she was not permitted to disembark from the ship's deck.
A request by Carter to remain as a nurse was refused.
Her husband was demoted from corporal to private as a result of the debacle.
Carter states that her mother did not know she was stowing away. Carter's
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
veteran grandfather, H. Clark remarked how proud he was of his granddaughter, stating "I knew she would do it…That girl sure has grit. I wish she could stay and fight the Germans. You ought to have seen her in uniform. She made a better looking soldier than John, I do believe. She can handle a rifle better than most men. They sure should have let her stay."
On return, she was detained and questioned at the police headquarters in
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...
.
She then moved on to
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
.
A hero's welcome was planned for her return to Douglas.
Carter was met by a brass band and supporters.
She also wrote about her experiences and her account was published by
The Bell Syndicate. Carter authored a series of four articles detailing her experience that were serialized nationally by several newspaper companies.
Death
Before her death, she intended on earning enough money to return to France to serve as an
Army nurse.
Carter died in
Lordsburg, New Mexico
Lordsburg is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. Hidalgo County includes the southern "bootheel" of New Mexico, along the Arizona border. The population was 2,335 at the 2020 census.
History
Lordsburg w ...
, on July 11, 1918, after being ill for two days.
Her husband was still fighting overseas when she died.
It was said by friends that her health declined after her return and they believed she died of a "broken heart." Carter's body was returned to Douglas for burial and she was given a military funeral with a military chaplain and six soldiers as
pallbearer
A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person.
Some traditions distinguish between the roles o ...
s.
In a newspaper report of the funeral, it was said that Carter's was the first military funeral held in the United States for a woman.
References
Further reading
*
External links
"The Sad Home Coming"– Des Moines Tribune, August 21, 1917
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Hazel
1894 births
1918 deaths
20th-century American women writers
American women in World War I
Female wartime cross-dressers
Writers from Arizona
Stowaways
Military personnel from Arizona
People from Douglas, Arizona