Mountain Charley served Iowa regiment
as soldier, spy – although she was female

By DR. JUDY PIERCE
Bugle Staff Writer

During the beginning of the Civil War, a straggly, buckskin clothed man was mustered into the 3rd Iowa Cavalry Regiment in the city of Keokuk. His name on the regiment roster was “Mountain Charley” or “Charley Hatfield.” Unbeknownst to Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, “Mountain Charley” was really a female dressed as a mountain man.

Charlotte Hatfield was born in an agricultural area of Iowa in 1840. Her mother died when Charlotte was 18 years old, leaving her in the custody of her stepfather. He treated Charlotte as a hired hand and quickly discouraged any young man who seemed interested in her.

Charlotte eloped at the age of 19 with a man she barely knew. They traveled to Des Moines where they were married. Little did Charlotte realize, but she married a gambler and womanizer. He would stay away from Charlotte for long periods of time. During their first year of marriage, Charlotte became pregnant and had to deliver her own child. Regrettably, the baby was stillborn, and, as a result, her husband beat her severely and left her without any means of support. Afterward, Charlotte found out that her husband had had an affair with another woman during their marriage and had run off with her. This deeply hurt Charlotte, losing a baby and a husband. She was very angry and bitter and vowed revenge on both her husband and his mistress.

Charlotte heard that her husband and mistress had gone west. She set out looking for them riding on a mule. While traveling, Charlotte disguised herself as a man to avoid any problems on the trail. Along the way, Charlotte was able to find odd jobs that paid for a room and food. She found employment in St. Joseph, Mo., that she really enjoyed. Charlotte remained in St. Joseph until she could save enough money to track down her husband and mistress. She heard rumors that they were headed to Colorado to the gold fields around Pikes Peak. So, that is where Charlotte headed.

While crossing the plains on her mule, Charlotte met an old friend, George West. He was a publisher by trade. He and his party were headed for Pikes Peak to the gold fields. He did not recognize Charlotte in her disguise, but offered to let her ride with the company the rest of the way. Along the way, Charlotte inquired about her husband and obtained small bits and pieces of information in the towns. Soon after arriving in Colorado, she was able to locate her husband and the woman he had run off with. She changed her clothing so they would know her. She faced them while they were together and took her revenge. What revenge she took is unclear to historians. But afterward, she was in a hurry to get away. As she left town, a group of intoxicated young men spotted her and gave chase. Once they caught her, they were going to have their way with her until George West chased them away. Charlotte thanked him and explained why she was in Colorado. She promised to give George her story if he would not publish it for 25 years. George agreed and they parted.

The next morning George received a note from Charlotte asking him to saddle her mule and bring it to an isolated place in the mountains where she would tell her story. He complied with her request and met her on the trail. They rode together to a secluded cabin where, she revealed her story. As they parted company, they agreed to keep in touch with each other. George returned to his home in California.

Towards the end of 1860, George received a letter from Charlotte stating that she was living in Albuquerque, N.M. In early 1861, George went to visit her in a casino in Denver where she was employed as a card dealer. She told George that she wanted to go back to Iowa and was saving money for the return.

Once the Civil War began in 1861, George West enlisted in the Union army and served as an officer in a Colorado regiment. He and Charlotte continued to stay in contact throughout the war.

Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the 3rd Iowa Cavalry needed a spy. After learning of his request, “Mountain Charley” volunteered to infiltrate the Confederate lines dressed as a woman carrying eggs from her home. She would pretend to be a “little old lady” who had gotten lost and found herself trapped between the two armies. Of course, the Confederates took sympathy on a “little old lady” and allowed her to enter into their camps and sell her eggs. She would go from one tent to another selling eggs and listening for information.

On Oct. 21, 1864, the day before the Battle of Westport, Confederate Major Arthur McCoy escorted the crying “little old lady” into the Confederate camp where she sold her eggs. Afterward, Major McCoy assigned an escort to help her home. Suddenly, a courier rode into camp with an urgent dispatch. The entire camp was full of excitement. As Gen. Shelby mounted his horse to depart, a folded piece of paper fell from his jacket pocket. Apparently, no one saw the paper on the ground. After the soldiers left, “Mountain Charley” grabbed the note and fled back to the Union lines. The note was invaluable to General Curtis as it contained information about Confederate forces and their placements for the upcoming Battle of Westport.

The evening before the battle, an orderly reported to George West at his regimental headquarters that he was to report to Gen. Curtis. Unbeknownst to George, the orderly was his old friend, “Mountain Charley.” He looked her up and down and finally realized that, yes, this was his old friend. She told him that she had been in the army for two years without being discovered, and spoke of her adventures as a spy for Gen. Curtis.

The 3rd Iowa Cavalry took positions along the Big Blue River to oppose Confederate Gen. Sterling Price and Confederate Gen. Joseph Shelby. On Oct. 23, 1864, Gen. Shelby attacked the Union forces under Gen. Curtis at Westport, Mo. Price checked the Union advance on Shelby’s force with a strong counterattack. The Union cavalry broke through the Confederate rear defenses and forced them to flee down the border between Missouri and Mississippi. The Battle of Westport was clearly a Union victory.

During the Battle of Westport, Charley carried dispatches from one area of the camp and battlefield to another. During the second day of the battle, Charley’s horse was shot out from under him and he was seriously wounded. Shelby’s men found him on the battlefield next to his horse. Charley was weak from loss of blood as a result of a minie ball wound in the leg and a saber cut to the shoulder and was taken to a Confederate hospital for treatment.

Dr. Jesse Terry, a Confederate doctor, treated Charley’s wounds and discovered that Pvt. Charley Hatfield was a woman. Charley begged the doctor to keep her secret. The doctor agreed and treated Charley in secret. He placed her name on the next prisoner exchange list and she was exchanged and transported to the army hospital in Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., to recover from her wounds.

While recovering in the hospital at Ft. Leavenworth, Charlotte was notified that Gen. Curtis had written the Governor of Iowa recommending that Pvt. Charley Hatfield be promoted to 1st Lieutenant. The governor approved the request and after Charley returned to the regiment, he was made aide-de-camp to Curtis.

Charlotte served as Lt. Charley Hatfield with the same regiment for the rest of the war. No one discovered that he was a female. She was mustered out at Des Moines on Aug. 9, 1865.

In early January 1885, after keeping his promise to Charley for 25 years, George published her story. Charley, who was living back in Iowa, read the article. She wrote to George and let him know that she had been married for eight years and had four children. She sent him a copy of her diary, which was an account of her life since they had last seen each other in Missouri. Her husband was a man West knew in Colorado. She pleaded with him not to reveal her name or address if he used her diary. George kept her name and address secret as long as Charlotte lived.