The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-07-13

ties The military strength Is not tC
4 be estimated by deducting women and
children from the whole population
The Amazons of this corner. Of thu
world play very important part in its
military affairs, and if unfortunately we
should be compelled to 90 and fetch the
4 powder and shot which this audaeious
4 spotentate has pledged himself to pro
vide for us, King Gelele's female regi-
ments1 viii form very interesting sub
! ljeGt of study for the strong minded
Representatives of the sex in England
and elsewhere. -
The precise period when ladies first
took to soldering in gDahomey appears
to be involved in some obscurity. The
present monarch is the ninth since the
4 founding of the Kingdom in 1925 Ii
appears to, have been Agajah, the fourth
King, who raised from the women of
his palace the first female army of
(which we have any knowledge.
! Skertchley thatin 72S this monarch
received defeat at the hands of the
Eyeos,. the innplacable enemies of his
race, and he organized anarmy of ANA
IONS, and by their assistance complete
! ly Turned the tables on his foes; though
/ whether the ladies were such vixens, or
the gentlemen too gallant to offer a
7 serious resistance, does not appear.
Whether Agajah really. originated this
/ peculiar service we can not say; but the
merit of bringing it to its highest de-
gree of perfection undoubtedly belongs
to Gezu, the father of the monarch who
now seems to defy British power.
This King died in 1858, and was sue
ceeded by Gelele, his son, who still
maintains the force which won for his
father such brilliant victories for many
years. In his hands, however, the force
has lost most of its power and prestige.
Soon after his accession Gelele led an
army to Abeokuta to avenge the defeat
of his father. On this occasion, how
ever, smallpox broke out and he was
compelled to return. In 1864 he made
another attempt, and ga comparison
/ between Gezu's and Gelele's attacks, :"
says Burton, "gives the measure of
Dahomian decadence. In 1851, the
King assaulted on both sides of the
/ Odun, and the distance between the
! two points of attack was at least a mile.
He fought from morning till night, and
was driven back but one mile to Ado.
He fought again at Isnagga, preventing
| further pursuit, and lost total of 1,200
soldiers. In 1864 Gelele attacks only
on one side of the river, and he takes
to flight in two hours, after losing $50
men, and he hardly kills one of the
enemy" In the end the Dohomians
were utterly routed, and the finest pOr-
ton of the Amazonian army perished.
For all that the royal braggart returned
to his capital in triumph, bringing with
him number of slaves, whom he had
purchased for the purpose of gracing
his entrance into the capital.
The number of the AmaZOns is some
what dubious. Duncan speaks of a re-
view at Aboine, in which 5000 of these
female warriors passed in procession
before him. Skertchley, writing later,
says their number may possibly be H.
600. "They are divided into three bri-
| gades, >, says the same traveller, known
as the Kings company, the Right and
| Left wings Each of these has pec9-
\ liar head dress by which it may be
known. The Kings brigade wear the
head shaved a la turban, and bound
with narrow filIets, with alligators of
cOlored cloth sewn on them. The Right
wing have their heads shaven, leaving
only a solitary tuft or two, while the
Left wear their hair All naturelle.
Whether these fair warriors have any
choice of regiments we are unable to
say. In some parts of the world there
would perhaps be some little heartburn
ing among ladies who are divided into
corps, one of which was permitted to
wear its hair au naturelle, while anoth-
er was required to shave the head. Am
azons, however, whose cOnquests are
supposed to be entirely of the military
order, are perhaps above the trivialities
of personal adOrnment.
Ceibacy is enjoined upon all but a
few who are found to be essential to the
happiness of the King or are given in
marriage to a few of the most deserv-
/ ing soldiers. Whether Gelele keeps up
the same mode of enlistment as his pa
ternal predecessor we are unable to
say. Gezu used to require every one
of his subjects who had daughters
above a certain age to present them at
court upon a certain day, and he per-
sonally selected the most promising of
the aristocracy for Amazon of4icers-Or
OfficeresSes, as some travellers prefer it
the girls of the lower orders being
drafted into the rank and file. The
dress of these female warriors appears
to be after the ''Mary Walker" type,
with a few trifing notifications.
"They wear" says Duncan, ga blue
and white cotton surtOut of stout native
manufacture without sleeves, leaving
freedoms for the arms. The skirt or tu-
mic reaches as low as the kilt of the
Highlanders. A pair of short trousers
is worn underneath, reaching two inch
es below the knee.''
By way of illustrating the accom-
plishments of these active damsels,
Lieut.. Duncan may again be quoted &:
81 was conducted,r he says, to space
of broken ground, where fourteen days
had been occupied in erecting three
immense prickly piles of green bush.
These three clumps, or piles, of a sort
of strong brier or thorn, lined with the
most dangerous prickles, were placed
in line, occupying about four hundred
yards, leaving only narrow passage
between them sufficient merely to dis
tinguish each 'clump appointed to each
regiment. These piles were about 7C
feet wide and eight high. Upon exam
ming them l could not persuade myself
that any human being without boots ol
shoes would under any circumstances
attempt to pass over so dangerous 8
I collection of the most efficiently armed
plants L had ever seen. BehinC
these piles already mentioned were
large pens at the distance of 800 yards
fenced with piles seven feet high, thick
ly matted together with strong reeds
Enclosed within were several hundred
slaves belonging to the King" Tit
Amazons appear on the scene, halt witt
shouldered arms 200 yards from tn,
prickly fortress, and then the word i
given. ga rush was made toward th'
pile with speed beyond conception
and in less than one minute the whole
body had passed over this immense pill
and had taken the supposed town."
1t places the gallantry of the travele
90 10 ohlo =,