The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-22
A Revolutionary Amazon.

brave and defiant men. When assist
ance Of any kind could be accomplished
by the fair sex they did not hesitate to
make the best Of their opportunities.
When the men were in fort and dared
to show their faces to the enemy the
women would walk before the gln,
;ng muSkrts OF the BriLons and risk the
deadly shaft Of the brutal savage and
carry water from the springs through
thckcts, where the enemy were in am
bush, to tho thirsty men behind the
breaStworkS.
ing tho bravery and true patriotism Of
the American women were ashamc to
fire the deadly bullet or let fly the MUIR
derous shaft to pierce such noble
hearts.
History records the names Of many
noble hearted women who participated
in the cause Of American lihcrry, but it
never contairncd one noblcr than that
of Jennie T.angdon. This name may be
new be new to many readers, but it is
we'll known that many beautiful flowers
bloom and swcctcn the atmosphere
with their fragrant ortlor. fade and de-
cay, unseen by the eye Of man, so it
said Of this sweet, brave and
patriotic Jennie Langdon. So far as re-
mrmhrance is concerned, by many.
When the Revolutionary War broke
out Miss Langdon arraycd herself
i'll male apparel and joined the army as
private. She shouldcrcd her muskct
and bravcd the hardships and privations
incident to the ravagcs Of civil war as
well as the sterner sex. In tho very
first engagement she showed as much
cOolncSs as her commander and won the
highest praise from her fellow soldiers,
and officers as well, for her bravery and
cool behavior. The men with whom.
she fought shoulder TO shoulder at once
regarded her with the highest respect
for her modest and kind department.
Her sex was not known by any one. she
being considered rs Il male as a matter
Of course.
From private she was promoted from
time to time until she became captain of
one of the hravcst companies in the
whole army. One thing worthy of note
connected with this brave young ANA
Zon, was. that soldier, no matter how
wicked he was. was never heard to
swear in her presence, she being SO
highly esteemed even by the most vul-
gar. She attracted her soldiers to her
as the magnet attracts the steel and
they would go to the very point Of the
encmys bayonct at her modest COM
mand
When Washington was looking for a
soldier who could be relied on, for abso-
lutte secrecy and bravery to accomplish
some Of the most important work that
was ever placed in the hands of spy.
his attention was directed to this dating
young officer. The work which the
commander-in-c chief wished to have
done was to convey message to a COM
mandinG officer, but to accomplish this
the spy WIS required first to disguise as
an EngliShman and enter the encmy's
lines in order TO inspect the strength Of
the foe. The young officer was cntlIusi-
astic and highly delighted when learning
Of the confidence which Washington
had IN her Che supposed his) bravery
Women are joyful when they know
they are discharging their duty and win
ming laurc,S Of honor for their crown.
For many reasons withhold the mas
culinc name by which she was known
and only mention her real name, Jennie
Langdon, which was learned after her
career as soldier was ended. TO return
to the subject, Washington had long
consultation with his brother officers in
planning for the successful work Of a
spy in this the most hazardous Of un-
dertakings. When all had viewed the
prospect OF success in this pcrilous job,
it was as though they had been looking
through glass darkly; when Mt last
one Of the officers said "Capt. ----
can plan this work now better than we
can," Capt.-- was called to the
officers presence and asked for an opin-
ION concerning the best mode Of acting
in this dangerous emergency. When
she had given her views they were sat
isfactory and ut once decided upon as
the best. She disguised as an English.