Eliza Allen

Who is Eliza Allen?

Eliza Allen was a Maine woman who, in 1851, published a memoir called The Female Volunteer; Or the Life and Wonderful Adventures of Miss Eliza Allen, A Young Lady of Eastport, Maine. In it, she described her life. As a teenager, she was not allowed to marry the man whom she loved, and so as a result, she disguised herself as a man and had many adventures, including fighting and being wounded in the Mexican-American War. She was also known as Eliza Billings.