Why Was a Woman Fighting at Fredericksburg?

Fredericksburg, Antietam, and Gettysburg Marie Tepe was there. Step onto the blood-soaked fields of the Slaughter Pen Farm at the Battle of Fredericksburg and uncover one of the most unusual and tragic stories of the American Civil War — the story of French Mary, the wounded female vivandiere who marched onto the battlefield with the men of the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. In this History with Waffles battlefield tour, we walk the exact ground where Union soldiers charged across muddy open fields under devastating Confederate fire at Fredericksburg’s infamous Slaughter Pen Farm. Along the way, we uncover the forgotten life of Marie Tepe — better known to history as “French Mary” — a woman dressed in Zouave-style uniform who risked her life carrying supplies, nursing wounded soldiers, and bringing aid directly onto the battlefield during one of the deadliest days of the Civil War. But this story goes far beyond French Mary herself. You’ll also experience the brutal fighting involving George G. Meade, Maxcy Gregg, John Gibbon, the breakthrough attempts near Prospect Hill, the railroad cut fighting, Confederate North Carolinians defending the line, and the horrifying combat described by soldiers as men “falling like wheat before the reaper.” This video explores: • French Mary wounded at Fredericksburg • Marie Tepe and the vivandiere tradition • Slaughter Pen Farm battlefield tour • 114th Pennsylvania “Collis Zouaves” history • Medal of Honor hero George Maynard • George Meade’s Fredericksburg breakthrough • Prospect Hill and railroad cut combat • Civil War battlefield preservation and maps • Union vs Confederate casualties at Fredericksburg • Women on Civil War battlefields • American Battlefield Trust and Civil War Trails locations If you love Civil War history, battlefield storytelling, forgotten soldier stories, Gettysburg, Antietam, Fredericksburg battlefield tours, or deep dives into the human side of war, make sure to subscribe to History with Waffles and join us on the fields where history happened. 📍Filmed on location at Slaughter Pen Farm in Fredericksburg #CivilWar #Fredericksburg #antietam Chapters 0:00 – French Mary at Fredericksburg | Woman Wounded at Slaughter Pen Farm, Civil War Battlefield Mystery 1:33 – Welcome to Slaughter Pen Farm | Battle of Fredericksburg, Deadliest Civil War Battlefield Tour 2:15 – Discovering French Mary | Marie Tepe, Civil War Vivandiere, Forgotten Female Battlefield Hero 3:44 – What Was a Vivandiere? | Zouave Uniforms, Crimean War Influence, Women in the Civil War 5:03 – 114th Pennsylvania Infantry | Collis’ Zouaves, French Mary and the Battle of Fredericksburg 7:52 – Battlefield Maps and Signs | Slaughter Pen Farm Tour, American Battlefield Trust, Civil War Trails 8:20 – The Lone Tree Killing Ground | Confederate Artillery, Union Advance, Fredericksburg Battlefield 9:04 – George Meade’s Breakthrough | Prospect Hill, A.P. Hill, Jackson’s Line at Fredericksburg 10:46 – George Maynard Medal of Honor Story | 13th Massachusetts Infantry, Heroism Under Fire 11:56 – Fighting at the Railroad Cut | Gibbon’s Division, North Carolinians, Clubbed Muskets at Fredericksburg 14:22 – Walking the Slaughter Pen Battlefield | Railroad Tracks, Union Attack, Deadly Terrain Explained 16:20 – The Cost of Fredericksburg | Union and Confederate Casualties at Slaughter Pen Farm 16:42 – French Mary Wounded in Battle | Shot in the Heel, Civil War Nurse, Vivandiere Heroine 17:00 – Phil Kearny Cross Award | French Mary’s Bravery, 114th Pennsylvania, Civil War Women Heroes 17:15 – French Mary After the War | Pittsburgh Toy Store, Painful Wound, Tragic Death of Marie Tepe 18:25 – Closing from Fredericksburg | French Mary Legacy, Slaughter Pen Farm Final Thoughts