The 8th Louisiana had two vivandieres. Mary Brown enlisted with her husband Christian Brown in the Bienville Rifles (Co. B) at Camp Moore. Her name was later stricken from the rolls, probably when the company clerk found that women could not legally serve. Her rank was listed as a Vivandiere in the CMSR's. Unfortunately, her husband was murdered during an argument with William Hatton of the same company on Dec. 23, 1861 at Camp Florida, VA. I have often wondered if Mrs. Brown might not have been the subject of that argument. Christian Brown was no rough character. He was a gardener by profession. The only mention of this incident is in a soldier's letter home in which he mentions that the "vivandiere's husband was murdered" by that soldier's pistol, which was stolen from his tent. We have no record of what happened to Mrs. Brown, her name being far too common to track. William Hatton, the murderer, deserted before he could be brought to trial and disappeared from history under that name. The Phoenix Company (Co. K) also had a vivandiere that their Captain, Larry Nicholls listed as a Laundress when he wrote home to his wife in mid-1861. Rather clumsily, perhaps, he raved about how this unnamed woman was taking care of him. Expectedly, his wife joined him in Virginia and stayed there with him until his death at Gaines Mill on June 27th, 1862. Surmise what you will from the wife's sudden appearance in Virginia. This was common to people of means but I had to laugh when reading his letter that Nicholls just asked for that from his letter. The 13th Louisiana had a "cantineer" or vivandiere (cantiniere) by the name of Susan Francis. Efforts to find out what became of her or where she came from prior to the war have been unsuccessful to this point. All three women came through Camp Moore.