American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-16
Soldier Women.

THERE have been and are women
soldiers. OF the real original Amazons OF
classic tin es we know very little; Dut
some of the African pOtentates have ANA
zon armies and Mrs. LeOnowens, IN
her recent interesting account of her gov
erness-experience at the court OF siam,
makes frequent mention OF the Dody-
guard of AmaZons at the palace. VI ne
roic women who have borne arms IN Wa
we frequently find mention in 81" de
Marguerite of Anjou, the Coupf,,;no Of
Montfort, Joan of Arc, the hxan,nIas
Saragossa. occur to one ar oa,,aI;orS
During the civil wars, wbGrl .ni "a haba9
10 in come of thc towns where they
We're chartered. me young women OF
Norw;ch we arr told, resolved to defend
themselves, snd petitioned inc Rouse VI
DorI;a,,'.htary army. Women have, on
MANI occasions, dOnned mems attire and
rariered good service as private soldiers
generally impelled by some motive in
which husband or lover was con-
cerned. About the middle of the last
century, German girl, Anne Sophia
DitZleffin, dressed herself as young man.
enlisted in the militia at COlberg, served
six months then entered Prince Frede-
rick's regiment of cuirassiers, served in it
tor two years, fought at the battle OF
Kunersdorf, was wounded in the arm at
Bamberg; next Joined battalion of
grenadiers, and was wounded at TOrgau;
and did not resume her feminine attire
and occupations until she had seen four
wears of this strange soldier-life. About
the beginning of the reign of George I'LL,
a young wife of eighteen, feeling mlsera-
BILE at the absence OF her husband with his
regiment in India. endeavored to enlist
into another regiment just going out she
was frustrated but it is pleasant to read
that Sir John Fielding promised to obtain
for her the passion of lady's maid to some
officers wife about to go out to India.
During the stormy times of the French
Revolution, Gen. Cuisine had his atten-
ton drawn to the fact that woman was
serving bravely and honestly as a soldier
i'm his army, and had been wounded while
fighting in the artillery; being dismissed
as woman, her grief and dependency
were such as induced her re-adhission
and she became aide-major in the staff.
During the Peninsular war, q Spanish
lady Joined the din of battle under circum-
stances which won the admiration of those
who knew the facts of the case. In $50
her husband was captain in command of
battery at Isla de Leon, and she was
with him. A shot killed him on the spot
his men, confused and irresolute, wanted
a leader; whereupOn she instantly took
the command. claimed and obtained the
allegiance OF the men. For an entire week
she behaved so bravely. that the general
gave her her husbands commission as
Il captain. knowing that she would do
credit to it. An English officer of the
Seventy-ninth Foot, who saw her, said
that she was dressed in full uniform, rode
on horseback like man, and could not
have been known for other than a man by
her appearance. A German woman about
twenty-five years of age, near the conclu-
sion of the great Napoleonic wars, pre-
sented herself before German committee
which was sitting in London; she claimed
relief as asoldier, and was able to produce
reliable testimony that she had really
fought for five years in the allied army,
and bad been wounded at Leipsic. In the
recent Franco German war, when the Ger
mans entered Lorraine, the highest official
present i'm a small French village. was the
post-mistress. The men and youths, able
and willing to fight, placed themselves
under her guidance, and did their little
best bravely; she keeping up good disci-
pline, and issuing orders (let us say in
strategy and tactics) az lieutenant. The
gallant post-mistress has recently been
decorated with the cross of the Legion of
Honor.-Chamabers' Journal.