Emma Edmonds

Emma Edmonds (www.lgbtheritage.org/ bigimage.phtml?images_id...)

My Hero, Emma Edmonds (1841-1872)

I believe that an American hero is a person who has many great things about them. Having courage, faith and a strong will are important qualities in a hero. With these qualities, you don’t have to be big and strong to be a hero. They also show that you can be a man or a woman to be a hero. Emma Edmonds was an American hero to me because she had all those qualities and she used them at the time when America was battling in the Civil War.

First, Emma Edmonds proved she was an American hero by her courage. Emma knew that becoming a soldier was one of the most dangerous things that a woman could do. She knew women weren’t allowed to do so and she could get severely injured. She believed that women could do as much as men could do, and she proved it. Emma was a spy in the Civil War. She felt that it wasn’t enough to just watch the war happen. She wanted to be able to say that she helped win the war when it was over. She needed to be a part of the war, no matter what. She knew what the consequences would be, but she courageously became part of the army by dressing as a man. I would never have enough courage to risk my life.

Emma with her horse Rebel (http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/ femvets2.html)

Emma Edmonds not only had courage, she had faith. She could see how easy it would be for someone to figure out she was a woman and throw her out. She had only put her hair up in her Union cap and put on the Union clothes. When she was in the line to sign up as a Union soldier, she felt afraid, and just wanted to get out of that line and run. But she restrained herself and had faith that she would be alright, and that, she too, as a woman, could be a soldier. To me, that is enormous faith. Emma Edmonds showed people that you must have faith in yourself.

Emma also showed the heroic quality of being strong-willed. About two months after becoming a soldier, Emma got wind that an old friend of hers had been killed by a Rebel when he was spying on Rebel territory. After this news, Emma felt very angry at the Confederate soldiers for killing her dear friend. She felt the need to become a spy and fight against the Rebels in her friend’s memory. She was so determined to do that, she decided to just go ahead and sign up. She knew she could be killed, but some imp inside her told her she had to do this. She realized this was something very dangerous, but she told herself, “I can do this. I must, and I can.” She brought back very useful information that helped the North a lot. She found out that the Confederates were planning to ambush the Union Army when they were attacking. She collected information that they would be hiding in deep ditches along the road. If she had not gotten that information, a lot of the Union soldiers would have been shot. That was all because of her strong will.

Emma Edmonds was a true American hero. The effort and strength she used to help our country was very powerful. When there is something that I am scared or hesitant about doing, I think of Emma, and the strengths she showed, even though it was scary and dangerous. I know that she was able to accomplish things because of her courage, determination and strong will. When you are tentative about doing something, remember Emma, and remember her as a real American hero.