Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-10-23
A BIT OF ROMANCE.

a female enlists as Volunteer at Camp Curtin.
Last Saturday evening a-week an apparent
ly youthful soldier stopped at the Susquehan-
ma Hotel, in Baltimore, to await the departure
of the Northern Central train from that place
to Harrisburg. He was not there long,
however, before 1t was whispered among some
of the knowing ones that the soldier was
female, which fact was revealed by fellow
passenger from Washington. Finding that
he was suspected, and fearing that he might
be subjected to great Inconvenience from it,
he had just concluded to make known to the
Marshal of Police that he was a female, when
a policeman appeared, and taking him into
custody, conducted him to the Middle District
Station House, where the charges of being a
women was preferedIagainst him. This he in
dignantly repeIled, and played the character
OF a young man to such perfection that nearly
every one present at the examination went a.
way satisfied that the charge was unfounded.
He was about to be committed to Jail to await
further examination, when Mr.. Vorshell, pro-
prietor OF the Susquehanna hotel, appeared
and offered to keep him at his house all night
This was agreed to, and an officer was sent to
guard the room in which he slept.
When he arose yesterday morning he donned
his uniform, but had, on the previous evening,
acknowledged to Mr.V., that he was female.
A guard was kept over her until about noon
yesterday, when Mr.. McPhail Deputy Marshal,
allowed her to go about the house without a
guard, an officer merely remaining near at
hand, to be called whenever his service were
needed. At noon she dressed herself in fe-
male attire, which was kindly furnished her by
the lady and daughter of Mr.. Vorshel, and in
short time she moved about the house with
as much ease and grace as if she had known
nothing of such ssrough" thing as q soldier s
life. About seven O'Clock at night Mr.. Nc
Phail appeared at the hotel and removed her
guard ,and thus the matter rested that evening
~ ft to
good-looking young lady, about nineteen
years of age, near five feet in height, of good
form, with dark eyes and auburn hair. When
first suspected and arrested, she told several
different stories but finding it useless to con-
ceal anything further, the following true
statement Of her case is given In April last,
her husband enlisted as private in three
months Pennsylvania regiment, OF which she
gives the number, now attached to Gen.
Banks column, without the knowledge or
consent of his wife; finding his whereabouts.
she also enlisted at Harrisburg and was pass
ed by the examining surgeon in that place.
She was attached to the same regiment in
which her husband was, and as the Colonel of
the regiment was aware of her sex, she was
engaged iu the capacity of messenger to that
officer she was In the battle of Manassas, and
is considerable deafened in consequence. Af-
ter the three months service, she was muster
ed out and re-enlisted for three years, with
her husband. Her first enlistment was on the
3rd of May, and consequently she has been in
the service five months, three weeks of which
were spent in Camp Curtin near this city.
Her sex was known to the following persons
in the regiment the Colonel, Lieutenant
Colonel, Surgeon and Assistant Surgeon, and
her husband. The day following her arrest
she was taken down to Fort McHenry and
confronted with Gen. Dix. She stated that
her name was Hattie Martin, but she enlisted
under the name of Robinson. which was her
maiden name. At the recruiting Office in
Harrisburg she made known her sex to the
examining surgeon, and at her earnest solicit
tation he accepted her as a recruit She is
but nineteen years old, and had been married
but short time when she enlisted. Since
her sojourn on the Potomac she alleges that
her husband grew unkind towards her, which
determined her to return to Pennsylya
After her interview with Gen. Dix she was re-
turned to the Susquehanna House, the ladies
of which have been very kind to her, and by the
deputy provost marshal liberated from custo-
dy. The only difficulty she had while playing
the soldier overlook her in Baltimore, she
having carefully concealed her sex, except to
few Of the regimental officers, who, she
states, treated her with marked respect and
kindness.