Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1866-06-01
NO. %.
Romance efthe war.
THRILLING ADVENTURES OF YeUNe
AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.

Among the many thrilling events of the
late war none can exceed the adventures of
Mrs. Loretta DeCamp, the subject of this
sketch. Mrs. DeCamp, whose maiden name
was Roach, was born in the West Indies in
1888, and is now about % years of age. At
an early period her parents moved to the
United States and settled IN the parish of St
James, La. The current of her life ran
smoothly on, until the outbreak of the war
for Southern independence, when, fired by
enthusiasm in, as she thought, the cause of
liberty, she donned the male attire and was
the first to rush to arms. Raising a compa-
ny of cavalry and equpping it at her own
expense, she proceeded to Virginia, and
there served for eight months, on the penin-
sula, under the command of the celebrated
Col. DreuX, before her sex was discovered
When this occurred she was at once mus
tered out and ordered home. Instead of
obeying the order she proceeded to Coum-
bus, KY, and was serving under General
Polk Mt the evacuation of that place. She
proceeded to Island No. 10, but not being
satisfied with the manner in which affairs
were conducted there, she left and went to
Fort Pillow, where she was elected 1st
Lieutenant in Captain Phillipss company of
Independent Tennessee cavalry. With her
company she proceeded to Corinth, and re-
ported to General A. 5. johnson. AT the
battle of Shiloh Captain Phillips fell mortal
ly wounded, and the command of the COM
papy then devolved upon her. While gal
lantly leading her company in a charge, she
was twice wounded, and carried from the
field. After the retreat to C0rnth she was
taken to New Orleans for surgical treatment
and when the city fell into the Federal hands
she was among those taken prisoners. AT
ter confinement of several months, she
was paroled, and soon after exchanged.
Proceeding at once to Richmond, the dis
guised female soldier was commissioned 1st
Lieutenant in the Adjutant-General's depart
ment and ordered to report to General Mar
Gus j. Wright, commanding the district of
Atlanta. Upon reporting she was assigned
to duty with the Provost Marshal as chief
of detectives aud military conductor Serv-
ing several months in this capacity, she met
Maj jor DeCamp, of the Sd Arkansas cavalry.
to whom she was engaged to be- married
previous to the war The ceremony was
then performed at Atlanta, and from the
dashing Lieutenant Roach she was trans
formed to the sober Mrs Major DeCamp.
From this time her services ceased as an Of
ticer in the field and she was engaged in'se-
cret service-sometimes in the Confederacy,
again in England, and then in Canada. In
1864 she spent several months travelling in
the United States, and even went as far as
band, who was taken prisoner in the fall of
1863, while serving with his regiment in
Georgia, was carried to New York. After
long and arduous siege she at length sue
ceeded in getting him paroled in January,
1865, but he lived only eight days after his
release from prison. Subsequent to the
death of her husband (n Jan, 1869 she
proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, to watch over
the interests of the Confederate prisoners
confined at Camp Chase.
After the final collapse of the Confedera-
cy Mrs. DeCamp remained in the North un-
til last January, when she returned to. her
home in Louisiana but remaining there
only few days she proeeeded Z" Me,nphis,
and purchased a stock of goods which were
shipped on the ill-fated steamer Miami,
which was blown up on the Arkansas in
February. She was one of the two ladies
who were saved, but with the sacrifceof all
her baggage and goods. BY an unfortunate
oversight on the part of her merchants, her
goods were not insured, and consequently,
she lost her all.
Mrs. DeCamp is now in this city, and So
iourning at the Southern Hotel. Many who
served in in the Confederate army will re-
member the dashing Lieutenant Roach, of
whom so much was said in Mobile and Sell
ma, in 1868. Our space will not permit Il
full recital of her adventures.-St. Louis
Republican.