During the Civil War, a soldier named Frank Thompson served two years in Michigan's volunteer infantry. After he deserted for medical reasons, it came to light that Thompson wasn't exactly who he said he was.
For starters, he was actually a woman named Sarah Emma Edmonds Seelye. Her story is one of many on display in a new exhibit at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Instead of focusing on the big battles, Discovering the Civil War highlights individual stories told through documents in the National Archives' collection.
"Sarah Seelye basically described why she wanted to do this as having a high spirit of adventure," says Bruce Bustard, senior curator at the Archives.
Seelye's story is told through a transcript of a deposition from her Army bunkmate, who said, "I never knew she was a woman."
Other documents reveal equally fascinating pieces of Civil War history -- including a raid on Vermont during which Confederates robbed three banks before fleeing across the Canadian border.
Another document on display is a list of "substitutes" -- men who fought in the place of others.
"You could hire a substitute if you were drafted -- and the going rate went from about $200 to $275," Bustard says.
The exhibit runs in two parts; part one is on display through Sept. 6.
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