Photo: The only know picture of Malinda Blaylock holding a pic of her husband Keith.
This time of year, folks travel to the mountains of western North Carolina for the color. Hidden amongst the fallen leaves at two tombstones, noting the last resting place of a husband and wife team that led an extraordinary romp through the region in their lifetime. Both made a name for themselves engaging in behavior never seen before or since.
Malinda Pritchard was born in Alexander County. In 1861, she married William McKesson Blaylock, a viral 19 year old from the slopes of Grandfather Mountain. Most folks knew him as Keith, a nickname he liked as it was taken from a well known boxer of the time.
The same year as their marriage came the Civil War. Keith was adamantly opposed to secession and North Carolina leaving the Union to join the Confederate States of America. Both he and Malinda had ideas about that. Keith wanted to join the Federal Army, which sounded like treason to many Tarheels who sided with the South in the conflict. His solution? Join the Confederate Army.
Joining the “Rebels” might seem to be the worst way to oppose them, but Keith had a plan. He enlisted with hopes of being close enough to the “Yanks” that he could desert the Confederate cause and fight for the side in which he believed. One slight problem. Malinda refused to be separated from her husband. She declared, where he goes, she would also. So, they schemed a way for her to come along.
The military of its time refused to allow women in its ranks. So Malinda, cut off her hair, dressed as a man and declared she was Keith’s cousin. The two signed up to join the ranks of the 26th North Carolina regiment, which by early 1862 was defending the NC coast down near New Bern. With the Confederacy needed every able bodied man for the fight, they didn’t notice (or didn’t care) that Malinda’s new persona, Sam, was beardless. Keith vouched for her and that was good enough.
Unfortunately for Keith’s scheme, the 26th was a lot farther away from federal troops than he anticipated. To get out of the service, he rolled himself in poison sumac, presented his welts to the regimental doctor and received a discharge. Sam was ready to leave with him but officers balked. Colonel Zeb Vance summoned the same physician with an intriguing order. “I have a case for you.” Upon examination, the diagnosis was confirmed. Sam was Malinda.
The couple remained inseparable. When Keith went to Tennessee to recruit soldier for a Michigan unit, Malinda came with him. He enlisted. Her secret was out by that point, making her one of a very few women to serve in the military and him a veteran of both armies.
Toward the end of the war, both became bushwackers. They returned to the western NC mountains and disrupted the Confederate cause where they could.
What happened to this role-defying couple? We will pick up the story next week.
