What Is Obvious Is Not Always Known: Rethinking Military History’s Home Front

“What is obvious is not always known, and

what is known is not always present.”

— Samuel Johnson (1755), cited by Edward Samuel Farrow, Military Historian(1885)

Hannah Snell (1723–1792) was a British woman who disguised herself as a man and became a soldier

In the careful world of military history, which is often defined by precision, hierarchy, and strict timelines, Edward Samuel Farrow stands out. By quoting Samuel Johnson, this nineteenth-century military historian quietly reminds us that even in well-organized fields, what seems obvious can go unnoticed, and what we know might not be available when we need it.

Farrow’s point is especially important in military settings, where forgetting past lessons can have serious consequences. Ignoring strategies, missing patterns, or leaving stories untold can change how we see conflict and sacrifice. Even with his careful work, Farrow himself missed something that was right in front of him: the role of military wives.

Historian’s Framing

This research is not meant to give overdue credit, but to set the record straight. Throughout American wars, military organizations relied on support at home—financial, practical, and emotional—mostly provided by spouses. The home front was an active part of military strength, not just a civilian background.

The "Invisible" Half of the Story

Across centuries of warfare, women have been deeply embedded in military life—not only as nurses, laundresses, or camp followers, but as laborers, organizers, and, at times, combatants. They managed finances, cooked, carried, comforted, and sustained households under wartime strain. Some followed husbands into war zones; others enlisted in disguise.

In many cases, women/ spouses also helped by sharing information and organizing supplies, which the military relied on, even though these efforts were rarely recognized. The type, visibility, and influence of their work changed over time, by race, rank, legal status, and the rules in place. Still, this partnership was always essential to the military's continued operations, even if it was not officially recognized.

Yet, if you look through most traditional American military histories, you will barely find any mention of these women. Were their roles so common and 'obvious' that people stopped noticing them? [Check out Barton Hacker and Margaret Vining, & John A. Lynn II's works]

Knowledge Hidden in Plain Sight

The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah), 31 July 1910. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress.

By quoting Johnson, Farrow makes us ask a bigger question: it’s not just about what history remembers, but who it remembers.

If knowledge only counts when it is available, shared, and taught, then the history of military spouses has often been left in the shadows.

When we recognize these hidden stories, we are pushed to rethink what we know about the military’s past and present. By seeing how important military spouses are, we get a clearer idea of how American military missions work and succeed. This understanding also changes how we see things today and encourages us to tell more complete and inclusive history.

The lack of attention to military spouses is not just a mistake. It comes from a long habit of seeing military value only through a male, battlefield-focused view. To truly understand how war works, we need to look past the soldiers and battles to the infrastructures behind them: uniforms made, fundraising, advocates, homes kept up, resources managed, and families managing.

Making the Invisible Visible Again

“America’s First Woman Soldier,” Page 11,Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, ND), July 7, 1917.

Today, historians, journalists, and military spouses are working to bring attention to lives that have been ignored for a long time. Farrow’s quote reminds us that what looks obvious is not always truly known.

When these military spouse systems are left out of military history, our record is incomplete, and we miss how armies really keep going, manage their people, and survive conflict. By recognizing what military spouses have done, we can see the full picture of war and peace.

History is not just what was written down, but also what people assumed, missed, or forgot. Sometimes, the things we forget are actually the most obvious truths.

#MilitarySpouseHistory #HomefrontArchives

#BehindTheUniforms #MilitaryHomeFront

#InstitutionalMilitaryHistory

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Notes

Note on Samuel Johnson (1755):

Samuel Johnson was a self-made literary scholar who completed the influential English dictionary, shaping English language study for generations.

Context for the Quotation: The line “that what is obvious is not always known, and what is known is not always present” appears in the Preface to Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language (1755), where he reflects on the limits of knowledge, memory, and scholarly labor. See references for the original and the transcribe version.

Mel's Note: Samuel nails the writer's (and scholars/ historians) eternal struggle: you'll rack your brain for something "which yesterday he knew with intuitive readiness, and which will come uncalled into his thoughts to-morrow." We've all been there. The thing you knew was there yesterday? Gone when you actually need it. But tomorrow, when you're brushing your teeth or making coffee... it'll come flooding back without you even asking. I will write more about how I apply Samuel's quote and some of his work to my research.

Want to read more:

• Betty Sowers Alt and Bonnie Domrose Stone, Campfollowing: A History of the Military Wife (Praeger Publishers, 1991).

• Nancy K. Loane, Following the Drum: Women at the Valley Forge Encampment (Potomac books: University of Nebraska Press, 2009).

• John A. Lynn II, “Essential Women, Necessary Wives, and Exemplary Soldiers: The Military Reality and Cultural Representation of Women’s Military Participation (1600–1815),” in A Companion to Women’s Military History, ed. Barton Hacker and Margaret Vining (Brill, 2012).

References

Primary Sources

• Edward Samuel Farrow, Farrow’s Military Encyclopedia: A Dictionary of Military Knowledge, vol. 1 (New York, 1885), 9. HathiTrust.

• Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language (London: W. Strahan, 1755), Preface.

Digital Editions & Transcriptions

• Johnson’s Dictionary Online (NEH & University of Central Florida).

• “Preface to the English Dictionary” (1755), Our Civilisation.

Image Credits

• Stephens, Matthew. “About the Author.” Hannah Snell: Britain’s Most Famous Female Sea Soldier.

• Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, UT), 31 July 1910. Chronicling America, Library of Congress.

• Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, ND), 7 July 1917. Chronicling America, Library of Congress.