Nancy Jenkins

Unidentified Union Soldiers

Nancy Jenkins, alias John Smith, was discovered wearing a Yankee uniform by the pro-Confederate Buck family of Front Royal, Virginia.

When they found her taking water from their well, she pleaded for their help, claiming she had taken refuge with a black family near town. She told them Union soldiers had barged into the home, taken her prisoner, cut her hair, forced her to wear a uniform and enlisted her in the Union army. She told them that after escaping her captors, she joined another regiment, finally obtaining a pass out of camp.

Believing her story, they took her to a Confederate provost marshal who gave her a pass to travel South. The Bucks gave her clothing and food and wished her well on her way home.