Anna Ella Caroll

Originally Aired: June 2, 1941 In Cavalcade of America #229, "Anna Ella Carroll," an elderly woman sits alone in the gallery of the House of Representatives, listening as congressmen debate a bill seeking relief and acknowledgment for mysterious services she performed during the Civil War. When Congressman Bragg reveals that A. E. Carroll was actually a secret member of Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, the skeptical congressmen scoff at the notion, with one mockingly referring to her as a "Phantom General." The debate adjourns, leaving the frail Miss Carroll to walk through the rain back to her shabby hotel room, nearly penniless and forgotten. In her modest quarters, attended by the kindly Mrs. Kelly, Carroll opens a small trunk containing the remnants of her past, including letters from Abraham Lincoln and Tom Scott. Through flashbacks, the story reveals how the brilliant legal mind behind the pseudonym A. E. Carroll was actually Anna Ella Carroll of Maryland, whose powerful pamphlet defending the Union caught President Lincoln's attention. Despite his surprise at discovering the author was a woman, Lincoln recognized her exceptional talent and offered her an unprecedented position as a secret cabinet member, launching her into a hidden role that would shape the course of the war.