Albert Cashier was born in 1843 in Ireland. Age 19, he began serving in the union army in the American civil war. He was the shortest soldier in the regiment. . He fought in 40 battles, and once overpowered a prison guard in order to escape back to his division after being captured. In 1910, Cashier was hit by a car and broke his leg, and hospital staff discovered he was trans. The local hospital agreed not to out him and he was sent to a Soldiers and Sailors Home to recover. In 1913, he began to exhibit signs of dementia and was sent to a hospital for the insane —There, attendants discovered he was a trans man and forced him to wear a dress. The press got a hold of the story and soon everyone knew that Albert was assigned female at birth. His former comrades although surprised, was supportive of Albert, and protested his treatment at the hospital. When Albert died in 1915, age 71, he was buried in full uniform and his tombstone was inscribed with his male identity.
