Malinda Blalock

Sarah Malinda Pritchard Blalock (March 10, 1839, or 1842 – March 9, 1901, or 1903) was a female soldier during the American Civil War. Despite originally being a sympathizer for the right of secession, she fought bravely on both sides. She followed her husband, William Blalock, and joined the CSA's 26th North Carolina Regiment, disguising herself as a young man and calling herself Samuel Blalock. The couple eventually escaped by crossing Confederate lines and joining the Union partisans in the mountains of western North Carolina. During the last years of the war, she was a pro-Union marauder raiding the Appalachia region. Today she is one of the most remembered female combatants of the Civil War. Early life and marriage Malinda Pritchard was born March 10, 1839, in Alexander County, North Carolina. Malinda was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Pritchard, and the sixth of nine children. When she was a child, Malinda Pritchard resided in Watauga County (also now Avery County) which was her main residence until her death. There, she attended a single-room schoolhouse. She became a close friend of William McKesson Blalock, nicknamed "Keith" after a contemporary boxer, due to his skill at boxing. Despite their families having been rivals for many years, she married William in 1861, aged 19.