Early Life
Wakeman was born January 16, 1843, in Chenango County, New York, to Harvey Anable Wakeman and Emily Hale Wakeman. Sarah was the oldest of nine children. Wakeman left her home in 1862 and disguised herself as a man to work as a boatman for the Chenango Canal. While on her job she met enlisted men who encouraged her to join the Union Army and she did so on August 30, 1862, using the name Lyons Wakeman, and claiming to be 21 years old. The description on her enlistment papers stated that she was five feet tall, fair-skinned, with blue eyes.
Read more about this topic: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman
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