Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-05-11
A STORY OF THE WAR.
Romantic Story Of a Buckeye Giri--
She Serves Through the War as Sol
sdier--Saves Her Money and Marries
q Broker Soldier.

The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
Of a recent date, says that not long
ago Adjutant General N. B. Baker;
of that State Ex-Governor Of New
Hampshire), received a letter of in
quiry asking about a certain SOL
dier in the oath Iowa Infantry.
The tone of the letter was so pecu-
liar as to attfact attention and create
much comment in the office. In re-
ply, the General stated that the rec
ords of the regiment were in his
office, and among them that of the
soldier, whom, for the sake of con-
venience, we will call Smith, although
that is far from the real name. A few
days afterward gentleman from
northern Iowa appeared at the office
inquired for Gen. Baker, found that
character, and was closeted long
enough to divulge the following sin
gular tale: Z =
When the war broke out Miss
Mary Smith, daughter of the Gener-
ais visitor, was residing in Ohio,
working for farmer in the kitchen,
Her fathers family had moved to
Iowa the fall preceding the attack
on Sumter, leaving Mary behind, to
follow in the spring. Various caus-
es transpired to delay her departure
for her new home until autumn, ,and
it was September before she landed
at Muscatine, from which place she
expected to travel by land to her IA
ther's house. She was large sized
hearty looking girl, eighteen years of
age.
Arriving at Muscatine, some
strange freak induced her to assume
mems apparel and enlist in the Oath
Infantry, then in rendezvous at that
city. She did this without exciting
any suspicion, burned all her femin-
inc garments and papers, neglected
to inform her friends, either in Iowa
or OHIO, of her arrival on Hawkeye
soil, and became a soldier.
Some comment was elicted by her
beardless face and girlish appear
ance, but as she did her duty prompt
ly and well, was particularly handy
in cooking and taking care of the
sick, the young warrior speedily be-
came a general favorite alike with
officers and men.
She passed through all the cam
paigns in which the regiment was
without a scratch, eX-
cept close call from a mimic ball
at Sabine's cross roads, which took
the skin off the back of her left |
hand, voted with the other members
of the regiment for President in
1864, and was finally mustered out
with her comrades at the close of
the war. When she was discharged
she procured female apparel, al
though in doing so she was obliged
to make confidant of her own sex,
and procured work in Illinois not
from Rock Island. .-.f |
Six months elapsed before the
tan of five summers wore off, and
when she had again become "white,"
and had relearned the almost for
gotten customs of womanhood, she
presented herself at her fathers
house, where she was received with
open arms.
To all the questions which were
asked by the various members of
the family concerning her where
abouts for so many years, she refus-
ed to answer, only replying that she
had been honestly employed and
had never forsaken the right way.
She had been economical in the army,
and invested several hundred dollars
in land in Northern Iowa, which rap