Most of us know Annie Oakley as something of a celebrity in her day. Not only was she a gifted marksman —markswoman? — but she was also a world-famous performer who starred in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show and later, after an accident that slowed her down a bit, a play written about her own life called "The Western Girl."
But what you may not know — or at least, I didn't — is that she was also a great American patriot.
Born Phoebe Ann Mosey on August 13, 1860 in Western Ohio, Annie came from a poor family, which is how she developed her shooting skills. They were born from a place of necessity, according to the History Channel:
While her sisters played with dolls, Annie tagged along with her father as he hunted and trapped in the woods. From an early age, Annie showed an extraordinary talent for marksmanship. 'I was eight years old when I made my first shot,' she later recalled, 'and I still consider it one of the best shots I ever made.' Steadying her father’s old muzzle-loading rifle on a porch rail, she picked off a squirrel sitting on a fence in her front yard with a head shot, allowing its meat to be preserved.
The young girl’s shooting not only put food on the table, it eventually allowed her mother to pay off the $200 mortgage on the family house through the money Annie earned by selling the game she hunted to a local grocery store that supplied hotels and restaurants in Cincinnati.
As her star rose, so did her desire to help various causes, including women's rights. And I'm not talking about the type of "women's rights" that liberals squeal about today. She felt that every woman should know how to use a gun to defend herself and because of the discipline and mental and physical exercise that it offers. It's been said that she taught over 15,000 women to shoot during her lifetime.
Through her showbusiness career and various shooting competitions, this poor girl from Ohio ended up quite wealthy, but she said she never believed in "wasting a dollar of it." She and her husband, Frank Butler, often gave their money to support orphan charities, and they made sure Annie's mother and Frank's daughters from his first marriage were well cared for. (Fun fact: Frank, also a master marksman, fell in love with Annie after she beat him in a competition. He reportedly made 24 of 25 targets, and she made all 25.)
But what really stood out to me is that Annie was patriot who loved the United States. On April 5, 1898, President William McKinley received a letter from the county's most famous sharpshooter. According to the White House Historical Association, "the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, igniting tensions that led to the Spanish-American War. Recognizing the growing storm, Oakley put pen to paper, addressing a letter to President McKinley." She wrote:
Dear Sir, I for one feel confident that your good judgment will carry America safely through without war. But in case of such an event I am ready to place a company of fifty lady sharpshooters at your disposal...Every one of them will be an American and as they will furnish their own arms and ammunition will be little if any expense to the government.
As the Instagram post above states, the War Department rejected Annie's offer as women weren't allowed in the military at that time, but the sentiment was appreciated. Oakley made a similar offer to her country during World War I and even offered personal shooting lessons for the troops, but once again, she was rejected. But she still managed to support the war effort, traveling around the country as part of the National War Council of the Young Men's Christian Association and War Camp Community Service and giving demonstrations at training camps. She also volunteered and raised money for the Red Cross.
Here's one more story that made me laugh. Annie traveled to Europe several times with Buffalo Bill, and on one occasion, in 1892, German Prince Wilhelm asked her to shoot a cigarette from his mouth. She agreed to do it but only if he held it in his hand. Years later, when Wilhelm became Kaiser, Annie joked to the press that if only she'd missed that day, she could have possibly prevented World War I.
By the time Annie was in her sixties, her health was failing her. On November 3, 1926, she died from pernicious anemia. After her death, Frank was so distraught that he refused to eat and died just two and a half weeks later. They couple never had any children, and they'd given all of their money to family and the various causes they supported, but Annie left the rest of the country something far more important: a role model.
While she has become a legendary folk hero for her gun skills, she was also someone who didn't just talk the talk when it came to the things that were important to her, including her love for the United States. If only today's entertainers were as patriotic.
