Dear Readers,

Unlike my last novel where the historical story found me first, for Today We Go Home it was a present-day veteran whispering to me to tell her story. I had read an article about women in the U.S. military who were doing the same jobs as the men but, because they were women and women weren’t “officially” allowed to be there, they were not earning equal pay nor career advancement, let alone respect. This absurd inequality and misogyny angered me deeply and I knew I had to write about a woman in the U.S. Army who loved her job.

Because I write dual-timeline novels, I also needed a historical storyline to complement the present-day in a way that enriched both. The problem was that I had believed the false narrative taught to us in schools that women in history stayed home to sew flags while the men went out to protect the country. If the women were present at the conflict at all, I was taught, it was in the capacity of nurse, well away from any danger.

I booted up my online search engine and dove into research about women in past American wars and, boy, did I learn a lot! Not only have women been in combat in conflicts throughout history, they chose to be there. They loved their countries and their causes the same as the men they stood beside. But history was written by the men and the victors, and women were erased.

In the American Civil War alone, there are about 200 confirmed women who served in combat but the real number is likely many times that. Because women weren’t officially allowed to be there, they disguised themselves as men in order to enlist. They enlisted for the same reasons that men did: to serve their country, to support the cause they believed in, to earn a living wage, to escape an abusive homelife, to have an adventure, to remain close to loved ones who were enlisting… Some, like Albert D.J. Cashier, identified as a man their entire life and would be classified today as transgender. Albert D.J. served a three-year enlistment with the 95th Illinois Infantry (fighting in approximately 40 battles and skirmishes) and was only discovered to have a female-presenting body by a surgeon at the soldier’s home where he was living at age 71.

Frances Clayton enlisted with her husband in a Missouri regiment. When her husband was killed in battle, she reportedly stepped over his body and continued the fight.

Mary Galloway joined the Army of the Potomac so she could find the lieutenant she loved. At the Battle of Antietam she was shot in the neck and lay bleeding in a ravine for 36 hours before she was found and taken to a field hospital where she lay in a shed for another day. She would not allow the doctor near her. The famous nurse, Clara Barton, calmed her enough for the bullet to be removed and, later, even helped Mary find her sweetheart.

Charlotte Hope enlisted in the Confederate Army as Charlie Hopper a few days after her fiancé was killed in a raid. Her sole purpose for enlisting was to avenge his death. Her aim was to kill 21 Yankees, one for each year of her dead fiancé’s life. She was killed in a raid before she achieved her goal. Reportedly, her captain knew she was a woman.

The more I learned about these women, the more I wanted to understand: Why don’t we know this history? Why are we taught that women during the Civil War were subordinate, passive, and uninvolved with much beyond their families? Why do we believe that those who did serve only did so as nurses or, in a few cases, spies?

I also read contemporary memoirs by veterans of both genders who are struggling with the emotional, physical, and social effects of their service. That’s when I noticed, again, that women were being overlooked. Their stories weren’t being taken as seriously as that of the men’s. These women who volunteer to serve where 98% of the rest of us don’t step up, and who risk their lives in service to our country, are being ignored or outright dismissed as unimportant and that makes me angry – on their behalf and because we civilians need to see their faces and know their stories.

Today We Go Home is my love letter to these women, to all women who have ever served in the military whether we know about them or not. You might find it interesting to learn that I don’t typically enjoy books about wars or the military, and yet I wrote one. I felt the subject was that important. Even if you aren’t a person who would typically read a book about the Civil War, or a book about veterans, I hope you’ll give this one a chance. If you need more convincing, it’s also a story about bravery, family – both the ones we’re born into and the ones we find, hope, and finding peace where none seems to exist.

With love,

Kelli