Marker: Woman of war: Sarah Malinda Blalock |
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A WOMAN OF WAR
★ ★ ★
Sarah Malinda Blalock
Sarah Malinda Blalock and her husband, William McKesson “Keith”
Blalock, lived in Coffey’s Gap on the Watauga and Caldwell County line in
1860. Keith Blalock was an avowed Unionist, but with the passage of the
first Confederate conscription act
imminent, he enlisted in the 26th
North Carolina Infantry on March
20, 1862. He hoped to get close
enough to the Union lines to desert.
Malinda Blalock enlisted on the
same day, concealing her identity as
a woman and passing herself off as
Sam Blalock, Keith’s younger broth-er.
Once in the army, Keith Blalock
concluded that his plan would not
work. To obtain a medical discharge
(he already had a hernia), he
stripped and rolled around in poison
oak, developing a rash that made
him unfit for service. He was dis-charged
on April 20, as was Malinda
Blalock after she revealed her true
identity. They returned to the
mountains where Keith recovered.
Confederate conscription officers soon came calling, driving Keith
Blalock into the wilds of Grandfather Mountain, where he began to guide
escaped Union prisoners and dissidents from Blowing Rock, across Grandfa-ther
Mountain near Shull’s Mill,
and into Banner Elk. On June 1,
1864, he enlisted in Co. D, 10th
Michigan Cavalry, and continued to
scout in the High Country, inciting
or participating in several skirmish-es
in the area and losing an eye.
Malinda Blalock may have dressed
as a man again and accompanied
Keith, but firm evidence has not
been found.
After the war ended, the
Blalocks moved to Mitchell County
briefly before heading to Texas.
They later returned to North Car-olina
and settled south of here in
Montezuma. They are both buried
in the Montezuma Community
Cemetery.
William M. “Keith” Blalock – Courtesy Avery County
Historical Society and Museum
Sarah M. Blalock – Courtesy North Carolina Collection,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Major funding for this project was provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, through the Transportation Enhancement Program of the Federal Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century.
Object Description
Description
| Title | Marker: Woman of war: Sarah Malinda Blalock |
| Other Title | North Carolina Civil War trails |
| Creator |
Civil War Trails, Inc. |
| Date | 2008 |
| Subjects |
North Carolina--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Unionists (United States Civil War)--North Carolina |
| Place |
Avery County, North Carolina, United States |
| Time Period |
(1860-1876) Civil War and Reconstruction |
| Description | Marker is located in present-day Avery County. |
| Publisher | Civil War Trails, Inc. |
| Rights |
May be copyrighted. Submit permissions requests for further use to Civil War Trails, Inc http://www.civilwartrails.org/ |
| Type |
Text |
| Language |
English |
| Format |
Information signs |
| Digital Characteristics-A | 313 KB; |
| Digital Collection |
Civil War Collection |
| Digital Format | application/pdf |
| Audience |
All |
| Full Text | A WOMAN OF WAR ★ ★ ★ Sarah Malinda Blalock Sarah Malinda Blalock and her husband, William McKesson “Keith” Blalock, lived in Coffey’s Gap on the Watauga and Caldwell County line in 1860. Keith Blalock was an avowed Unionist, but with the passage of the first Confederate conscription act imminent, he enlisted in the 26th North Carolina Infantry on March 20, 1862. He hoped to get close enough to the Union lines to desert. Malinda Blalock enlisted on the same day, concealing her identity as a woman and passing herself off as Sam Blalock, Keith’s younger broth-er. Once in the army, Keith Blalock concluded that his plan would not work. To obtain a medical discharge (he already had a hernia), he stripped and rolled around in poison oak, developing a rash that made him unfit for service. He was dis-charged on April 20, as was Malinda Blalock after she revealed her true identity. They returned to the mountains where Keith recovered. Confederate conscription officers soon came calling, driving Keith Blalock into the wilds of Grandfather Mountain, where he began to guide escaped Union prisoners and dissidents from Blowing Rock, across Grandfa-ther Mountain near Shull’s Mill, and into Banner Elk. On June 1, 1864, he enlisted in Co. D, 10th Michigan Cavalry, and continued to scout in the High Country, inciting or participating in several skirmish-es in the area and losing an eye. Malinda Blalock may have dressed as a man again and accompanied Keith, but firm evidence has not been found. After the war ended, the Blalocks moved to Mitchell County briefly before heading to Texas. They later returned to North Car-olina and settled south of here in Montezuma. They are both buried in the Montezuma Community Cemetery. William M. “Keith” Blalock – Courtesy Avery County Historical Society and Museum Sarah M. Blalock – Courtesy North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Major funding for this project was provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, through the Transportation Enhancement Program of the Federal Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century. |
