Charles Gloyd
Ronald S. Coddington Collection
Captain Charles Gloyd came home after three years of service in the 118th Ohio Infantry with haunting memories of the war—and a serious alcohol addiction. Charley, as his drinking buddies and other pals called him, continued to hit the bottle with his Mason brothers with tragic results. No one was more affected by his raging alcoholism than his wife, Carrie, whom Charley wed in 1867. The short marriage ended when Charley drank himself to death in 1869. He shared the fate of many a soldier who failed to adjust to life after the Civil War.
Charley’s demise left Carrie, 23, a widow with an infant daughter, named Charlien after her late husband. She struggled for some years before remarrying. Still, she never forgot Charley. In fact, his untimely death inspired her to speak out about the evils of alcohol. She eventually became a leading advocate for temperance, making stump speeches around the country and wielding her famous hatchet to smash the fixtures and stock at bars and saloons.
Americans came to know her as Carrie Nation, her second husband’s surname.
Ronald S. Coddington is publisher of Military Images, a magazine dedicated to showcasing and preserving photos of Civil War soldiers and sailors.
