Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmundson Seelye (December 1841 – September 5, 1898), was a Canadian-born woman who lived to be about 56 and is known for serving with the Union Army in the American Civil War.
Edmondson was born in Magaguadavic Settlement, New Brunswick, Canada, but left home after her abusive father attempted to force her to marry a man she did not want. She worked for a time in New Brunswick selling Bibles but still afraid of being found by her father, she fled to the United States in 1856 where she settled in Flint, Michigan. During the Civil War, she enlisted in the 2nd Michigan Infantry, disguised as a man named "Franklin t. Thompson." She at first served as a male nurse, participating in several campaigns, including the First Battle of Bull Run. As Frank Thompson, she also served as a spy, occasionally disguising herself as an African American or a woman, or sometimes both. At one point, she disguised herself as an Irish peddler with the name of Bridget O'Shea.
Edmonds' career as Frank Thompson came to an end when she contracted malaria. Unable to go to the military hospital, because she would be revealed as a woman, she left the army and checked herself in to a private hospital, intending to return to military life once she had recuperated. Once she was better, however, she saw posters looking for Frank Thompson as a deserter. Rather than return to the army as a woman, she decided to serve as a female nurse at a Washington, D.C. hospital for wounded soldiers run by the United States Christian Commission.
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