Mary Owens

Mary Owens (1843–1881) was a Union soldier during the American Civil War.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Owens left home when she eloped with a man disliked by her parents. The two enlisted together in a Pennsylvania cavalry regiment, however she disguised herself as a man named to fight as a soldier, using the name "John Evans." Her husband died by her side in combat; she remained in the regiment eighteen months despite his death.

Owens fought in three battle with her regiment, and each time was wounded. She dressed her first wounds herself, being wounded above her right eye and on her arm, fearing to be revealed if she went to a hospital. These were likely wounds from an enemy saber. She was discovered after 18 months of service upon being wounded in battle for the third time, in the chest.

Local newspapers during the war delighted in stories such as Owens's, involving women soldiers inspired by patriotism or the love of their husbands. According to Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, Owens was "described as a woman of considerable beauty, and is said to be the heroine of the neighborhood."

Mary Owens remarried to a man named Abraham Jenkins, and they lived together in Massillon, Ohio. She died in 1881 and was buried in the cemetery in West Brookfield, Ohio. The local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic decorated her grave for many years after her death. A headstone was added by the Sons of Union Veterans in 1937 which proclaimed her service to the Union army.

The District of Colombia Press, in the post-war years, was interested in preserving the tales of women soldiers. They published pieces about Mary Owens in 1896 and 1901.