Sex in The American Civil War - Homosexuality

Homosexuality

The term "homosexuality" would not be coined until thirty years after the war ended. However, no army soldiers were disciplined for such activity, although three pairs of Union Navy sailors were punished, all in 1865.

There was only one case of male prostitution reported during the war. The Richmond Dispatch reported on May 13, 1862, of "prostitutes of both sexes" openly displaying themselves in carriages and on sidewalks.

Scholars have tried to ascertain if certain Civil War figures were homosexual. The most notable of these was Confederate major general Patrick Cleburne, although it is still disputed.