The fighting infantryman: The story of Albert D. J. Cashier, transgender Civil War soldier by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali

Starting with an introduction on the contemporary atmosphere for gender-diverse children and the need for historical role models for transgender people, Aaron Devor briefly reviews the story readers are about to hear. Bold, colorful swathes introduce a young Irish girl named Jennie Hodgers. Immigrating to America with her stepfather, she found work dressed as a boy and eventually moved west and found work in Illinois as a farmhand with a new name and identity as Albert D. J. Cashier. When the Civil War broke out, Albert volunteered along with many others. Despite his small stature, he easily passed the examination and became a private in the infantry. He fought through the long years of the Civil War and finally returned to Illinois when the war was over. He continued to live as Albert Cashier, never learning to read or write, working hard at odd jobs and farm work, supplemented with a small military pension. Only in his sixties, when he was injured in an accident, did his employer and friends learn he had not been born a man. They kept his secret, but when his health worsened and he was sent to a veteran’s hospital, someone leaked the news to a reporter. As his health grew worse, doctors sent him to another hospital, where they forced him to dress as a woman and tried to deny his army pension.

But his fellow soldiers in the Civil War had not forgotten him; they testified on his behalf that he was, indeed, Albert Cashier, that he had fought in the Civil War, that he was entitled to his pension - and eventually to a military funeral when he died in 1915 at the age of seventy-two.

Extensive back matter includes a thoughtful discussion by the author about Albert’s life, a brief reference to transgender and gender-diverse people in history and in other cultures, and primary sources quoting the soldiers who testified on Albert’s behalf and the notes and documents regarding his case.

Verdict: There are strongly opposing views of this title; Some reviewers felt the language Sanders used was disrespectful of Cashier’s identity and reinforced harmful stereotypes. Other reviewers thought it was a balanced and thoughtful account that didn’t include assumptions but built a story around the basic facts within the historical context. With the limited availability of historical accounts of gender-diverse and transgender people, I was inclined to purchase this, but asked for the opinion of a librarian with lived experience and after reviewing it they agreed it was worth purchasing, so I will add this to my collection.

ISBN: 9781499809367; Published 2020 by Little Bee; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to my order list