Delaware State journal and statesman., 1863-02-24
AN AMERICAN HEROINE.

|
which the present war has developed,
there is one, now with the Army of the
Potomac, whose history deserves to be
made conspicuous, fully justifying, as it
does, that truth is stranger than fiction
and furnishing an example helieyed 10
| be without II parallel in the history of the
sex.
Anna Etheridge, of Minnesota, was
born in Detroit, Michigan, and is now
twenty-three years of Oge. Her father
was once a man of wealth; and her early
youth was passed in the lap of luxury,
with no wish mgratiied and no want un-
cared for But misfortune came and
swept away his property, and, broken in
fortune and depressed in spirits, he re-
moved to Minnesota, where he died.
leaving our heroine, at the age of twelve
years, in comparative poverty and want.
On the breaking out of the rebellion,
she was visiting her friends in Detroit
Colonel Richardson was then engaged in
raising the I'd Michigan Volunteers, and
she and nineteen other females volunteered
to accompany the regiment as nurses
Every other has returned home or been
discharged, but she has accompanied the
regiment through all its fortunes, and
declares her determination to remain with
it through its entire term of service. She
has for her use horse, furnished with q
side saddle, saddle-bags, &c At the
commencement Of battle she fills her
saddle bags with lint and bandages,
mounts her horse and gallops to the front,
passes under fire, and, regardless Of shot
and shell, engages in the work OF staunch-
ing and binding up the wounds of our
soldiers.
In this manner she has passed through
every battle in which the regiment has
been engaged, commencing with the bat
tie of Blackburn Ford preceding the first
battle of Bull Run, including the battles
of the Peninsula, and terminating with
the battle of fredericksburg General
Berry, the present commander of the bri-
gade to which her regiment is attached,
and who highly distinguished himself for
bravery and gallOntry in all these fights,
declares that she has been under as hot u
fire of the enemy as himself On one oc-
casion, a soldier was torn in pieces by u
shell while she was in the act of binding
up his wounds previously received, and on
many occasions her dress has been pierced
by bullets and fragments Of shell, yet
she has never llinched and never been
wounded.
Her regiment belongs to the brigade
commanded by the lamented Gen. Kearney
till his DEATH and in consideration of her
dauntless courage and valuable services
in saving the lives of his men, Gen Kear-
ney commissioned her as a regimental SER
geant. When not actively engaged on
the battlefield or in the hospital, she SUI
perintends the cooking at the headquar-
ters of the brigade. When the brigade
moves, she mounts her horse and marches
with the ambulances and surgeons, ad-
ministering to the wants of the sick and
wounded, and at the bivouac she wraps
herself in her blanket and sleeps upon the
ground with all the hardihood of IL true
soldier.
Anna is of Dutch descent, about five
feet three inches in height, fair complex.
ion, (now somewhat Drowned by expo
sure,) brown hair, vigorous constitution
and decidedly good-looking. Her dres.
on entering into battle, is u riding dress
so arranged as to be looped up when she
dismounts. Her demeanor is perfectly
modest, quiet and retiring, and her habit,
and conduct are correct and exemplary
yet on the battle field she seems to be as
one possessed and animated with desire
to be effective in saving the lives of the
wounded soldiers. No Vulgar word wai
ever known to be uttered by her, and SHE
i is held in the highest veneration and es.
TEEN by the soldiers as an angel of mercy
She is indeed the idol of the brigade
every man of which would submit to al
almost any sacrifice in her behalf.
She takes the deepest interest in the re
suit of this contest. eagerly reading al
the papers to which she can obtain access
and keeping thoroughly posted as to th(
, progress of the war. She says she feel
! as if she stood alone in the world, as
were, and desires to do good. She know
that she is the instrument of saving man.
+. lives and alleviating much suffering in he
present position, and feels it her duty t,
continue in so doing.
These facts can be substantiated by tes
= timony of the highest character, and the
deserve to 60 forth to the world to sho'
that if England can boast of the achieve
ments of a Florence Nightingale, we q
( America can present still higher exam
! pie Of female heroism aud exalted acts q
humanity in the person of Anna Etheridgc
; - Washington Cor. Bangor Wing an
Courier.
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nIrCII L N-IAIn1rc, nU, CIr