The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1871-05-19
A sOLDIEi. nfEROssE.

Fer she'll kiss me % The door. lfa go
i A SOLDIER EfRROGEE.
The Des Noines Iows) Regisfsr rs-
lates the. following strange narrative
and asserts that it is positive fact:
Not long since Adjutant General Ba-
ker received letter Of inquiry asking
about ceftain soldier ir the z4th Iowa
Infantry. The tone of the letter sWas
50 peculiar AZ TO attract considsrsble at
feDtioH and create much comment in
the office. In reply the General stated
that the records Of the regiment. were
lin his Office, and the record Of the sol
dicr, whom, for the sake Of conseniencs
We will call Smith, although that is far
from the real nams A few days after
wards a gentleman from Northern Iowa
appeared at the Office, inquired for Gee.
1 Baker, found that character, and vas
/ elose:ed with him ions enough 70 di-
rulgc the following singular tale =
When the war broke out Miss Mary
4 Smith, daughter Of the Gereral's visit
Eor. was residing in Ohio, working for .
farmer in the kitchen. IS
/ Her fathers family had moved to Iowa
the fall preceding the attack on Sum-
ter, leaving Mary behind to follow in
the spring Various causes conspifed
10 delay her departure for her neu 1ews
home until Autumn aud it was Septem-
Der before she landed at Muscatine.
from which place she expected to travel
BY land to her fathers house. She Was
large sized, hearty looking girl, eight
cen years of age. Arriving at Musca-
tine some strange freak induced her to
assume mans apparel and enlist in the
24th Infantry, then in rendezvous at
that city. She did this without exeit-
ing any suspicion. burned all her femi-
nine garments and papers, neglected to
inform her friends, either in Iowa or
Ohio, of her arrival on Hawkeys soil.
and became soldier Some commens
was e,icited on her besrdless face and
girlish appearance. but as sle. did her
duty promptly and we'll, was particular
ly handy IN cooking and taking cares Of
the sick, the young warrior speedily
became general fasorite alike with of
fcers and men, She passed through
all the campaigns in which the regiment
was engaged without a scratch, except 4
close call from mimic ball at Sabiue's
Gross Rozds, which took the skin Of
of the back Of her left hand, voted With
the other members of the regiment for
President in 1864, and was fnally mus
tered out with her comrades ut the cioes
of the war. When she was Discharged
she procured female apparei-aithoash
in doing SO she was obliged to make a
eonfdaut Of one Of her own rex--and
procured work in Illinois, not far from
Rock Island. Six months elapsed be-
fore the tan of Eve summers wore off,
aud when she had again becom s,w hite,"
! and had rc-learned the almost forgotten
custom of womanhood. she presented
herself ut her fathers house, where she
was received with open arms. To all
the questions that we're asked b. the
various members of the family concorn-
ine her whereabouts for so many, years
she refused to make any answer, only
replying that she had been honestly
employed, and had never forsakenlsthc
right way. sShc had been economical in
the army. and iayesttd several hundred
Ldollars 10 lands in Northern Iowa which
rapidly appreciated in value, and to-day
she Is xeiI enough eff 10 be cut otthe
reach Of want. With the renaipder of
her money she attended schoo.. Last
Jan uaary 1 worthy man, who had been
I in the same regiment, hus ina different