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Annie Oakley writes to President McKinley offering women's military service

When
1898
Where
Washington, D.C.
Episodes
1

On April 5, 1898, sharpshooter Annie Oakley wrote to President William McKinley offering the services of a company of 50 female sharpshooters. This proposal occurred amid rising tensions that led to the Spanish-American War, with Oakley suggesting these women would provide their own arms and ammunition for potential combat service.

Episodes

  1. April 5, 1898 · Washington, D.C.Oakley's Letter to President McKinley

    Annie Oakley wrote to President McKinley offering a company of 50 female sharpshooters for potential war service against Spain.

Background and detail

The Proposal. Annie Oakley advocated for the use of women in military combat through a letter sent to President McKinley. She proposed a company of 50 'lady sharpshooters' who would serve in the event of war with Spain. The letter, preserved in the National Archives, explicitly stated that these women would provide their own arms and ammunition, highlighting their self-sufficiency.

People involved

Sources

  1. Annie Oakley Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-15
  2. William McKinley Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-11

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.