Madame Turchin

Nadezhda Antonovna Turchaninova (; November 26, 1826 – July 17, 1904), also known by her anglicized name of Nadine A. Turchin, was the wife of Union Brigadier General John Basil Turchin. During the American Civil War, she traveled with her husband on his military campaigns and at times acted as his surrogate in command of his troops. She kept a detailed diary that remains a leading eyewitness account of her husband's colorful career. She became widely known in the Union army as "Madame Turchin."

Biography Born as Nadezhda Antonovna Lvova in Russia, the daughter of an officer in the Russian Army, she married Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov on May 10, 1856, in Kraków in the Austrian-ruled Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (present-day Poland). The couple immigrated to the United States in 1856. Later he would become the only Russian-born general to serve in the Union Army. Nadine traveled with her husband throughout the war despite orders against wives traveling on campaigns.

It is alleged that during her husband's brief illness in 1862, Nadine "took his place as regimental commander", but she likely did not assume full command. Stories of her military savvy and heroism were reported by soldiers from Illinois and in later newspaper articles about her.

In 1863, Nadine started a regular diary that included her opinions on her husband's fellow officers and commentary on battles that she participated in, including the Battle of Chickamauga of September 1863. During the battle, she stayed with the brigade and division wagons, which were parked just on the western edge of the battlefield, and she climbed up onto the eastern hills of Missionary Ridge to observe events during the Battle of Missionary Ridge. She left detailed accounts of both battles, in effect being the only Union female diarist of those battles.

After the war, the Turchins settled in Radom, Illinois. They had no children. After her husband's death in 1901, Nadine applied for and received a pension of $30 a month as a military widow instead of as a nurse or soldier. Nadine Turchin died in 1904 and was buried next to her husband in Mound City National Cemetery in southern Illinois.