“She could whip any man, fair fight or foul, could shoot a pistol better than anyone in the region, and at blackjack could outplay (or out cheat) the slickest professional gambler.” – John Salmon Ford, Texas Ranger

Sarah Bowman was legendary in the Old West. Nearly lost to history, she was part myth, part legend, and part fact. She loomed large in many respects: in her physical stature; in her fearlessness; in her skills as a smart businesswoman; and in her ability to size up and even intimidate men in an age when that was very rare.

Born around 1813 and raised illiterate in the East, Bowman spent more than 20 years closely associated with the military. To give one a sense of the value the U.S. military placed on her, upon her death in 1866, she was posthumously commissioned as an honorary colonel and buried with full military honors at Fort Yuma.

Later, her remains were exhumed and reinterred at the San Francisco National Cemetery. The cemetery contains 30,000 Americans, including Civil War generals, Medal of Honor recipients, Buffalo Soldiers, and one Sarah Bowman.

Intent on being part of the military, “she began her career as a camp follower when [her first husband] was assigned to fight during the Seminole War in Florida. At that time, Army rules stated women married to soldiers could follow the troops. They helped with meals, washed clothes, and tended to the sick and wounded.”

She earned her fearless reputation during the Mexican American War. Known as the ‘Heroine of Fort Brown,’ Bowman endured the Mexican bombardment of the camp, serving food and ammunition to front-line soldiers, caring for the wounded, and even arming herself in case of a Mexican attack.

She served under the leadership of General Zachary Taylor. Participating in the Battle of Buena Vista, she prepared food and coffee, reloaded weapons, and carried the wounded off the battlefield–often under fire.

Later in life, she moved up the Rio Grande to El Paso, Texas, and eventually settled in Yuma, Arizona. There she established a variety of businesses around Fort Yuma. She worked as a laundress, barkeep, hotelier, and, at times, a madam.

While she was known for her toughness, she exhibited a caring side, adopting a number of Mexican and Native American orphans. Thus, the Irish American defied convention not only in dealing with men but also with the racial prejudices of the day.

Sarah Bowman died on December 22, 1866, apparently from a poisonous spider bite. Her obituary in the Arizona Gazette described her as “[b]rave and determined almost beyond precedent.”

Her legend lives on in the remarkable historical novel Fearless: A Novel of Sarah Bowman by Lucia St. Clair Robson.