The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-24
The GRAVE OF A HEROINE.
A Girl Who Suffered in Andersonville
to be Near Her Hus-
band.
Her Grave Still Visited by Union
list and Confederate
Alike.
sTho Lone Woman's Grave'-"Florens
Budwin, Aged FL Years, Philadelphia"
Her Story Of Devotion and Death.

place in the latter months OF 1854 and the
earlier part of 1866, and about 100 who died
at other places in the state and were taken
to Florence for interment.
OF the zoos headstones in the cemetery,
all but 2O6 contain simply number, all
being classed among the $4,000 unknown,
Who are very peacefully resting in the ma
tional cemeteries. The 206 each give the
name of the person buried and the state In
which he or she had been enrolled as q
soldier.
The one grave in this cemetery to which
the greatest interest attaches says the
vicinity by all the people, white and bia Ok.
as 1.-THE Lone Woman's Grave.' To this
the steps of all visitors are first directed.
The southerner and the northern traveller
alike stand longer at this spot than at any
other in the enclosure.
neoted with the life and services of the fe-
male soldier here interred-for it is the
grave of young woman, Philadelphia
woman-a mystery that will probably never
be solved. Still, it is barely possible that
one or both Of her two nearest companions
some day tell the story Of her remarkable
career, but it is unlikely that such is the
case.
At the head of her grave, upon neat
stone slab, is this inscription: "Florena
Budwin, aged q years. Philadelphia" The
headstone. It is 2,84O. In the cemetery
record book in the remarks column, written
in q strange hand, differing from that from
the other writing, is this statement: "Flor-
ena Budwin was the wife of Captain Bud
xae Tis asa ey The s1 sofg
also gives the date Of her death, January
%, 1865. As to the cause Of her death moth
ing ia positively known, but there are vari-
GUS and conflicting reports of the immedi-
ate cause Of her death in the neighborhood,
none Of which can be traced to reliable
source. There is no reason to doubt that a
young woman serving in the unnatural ser
vice of soldier. suffering from the same
causes which brought death to thousands of
her companions in the Andersonville prison
pen, then transferred to another, but little
If any better, at the same time worrying
over the loss of husband, whom she had
followed to the war, there is no reason to
doubt that she died from the same causes
that brought death to nearly 5000 in the
same pen.
Samuel Elliott, of this city, veteran of
the Seventh Pennsylvania reserves regi-
ment, who, with his command, was cap
tured in the front of the battle of the
Wilderness, Virginia, May 5, 1864, fur
nishes the Press with the following infor-
nation concerning the woman, and her per-
sonal appearance, as he saw her at Ander-
sonville, where she was prisoner until
December -, 1864.
II knew the female prisoner at Anderson
viffo, having seen her frequently pass our
detachment on her way to the swamp for
water. remember her as woman rather
above the medium height, sunburnt. with
long, unkempt hair. Her clothing con-
sisted of rough gray shirt, pair of worm
out army trousers, and what was once
military cap, but scarcely enough Of it was
left to afford protection from the burning
sun. Her husband was also in the prison,
but what became of him am unable to say.
when the prisoners were removed from
Andersonville to Florence, between Septem-
Der 6 and II, 1864. she was among the num-
Der, and shortly after our arrival there her
sex was discovered by the rebel authorities
and she was taken, as rumor had it, to be
nurse in the hospital. This is the last
ever saw or heard of her. But that she died
there is proven by the roll of honor, No.
XIX. page 222:
.Floren Badnine lBudwin, no doubt
died January %, 1867"
The death roll of Florence prison was lost
shortly after the war and was never recov-
cred by the national government, although
a large reward was offered by the secretary
of war for it. The facts as given of the
records of Florence prison, and of some
facts in connection with the female prison
er, given by former superintendent of the
cemetery, corroborate the statement of Mr..
Elliott. The name of Captain Budwin does
not appear among the list of officers in any
Pennsylvania command. It is quite likely
that the fair prisoner took an assumed
name in order to conceal her relationship
to her husband while serving as a soldier.
Her sex was not unknown towards the last
months at Andersonville. among the union
soldiers. as will appear from these remarks
by Mr.. Elliott, who said:
"As to her husband, never knew what
l~4 90 IL u
killed. heard her spoken of by the older
prisoners as married woman. Our de-
tachment at Andersonville was stationed on
the north of the PRISONS old stockade, about
200 yards from the main entrance. She
must have been in the detachment, there
being 100 to each detachment, adjoining
ours. The camp here was not laid off in
streets, or were the brush hats laid off in
any order. There were winding paths lead
ing to the swamp near the entrance, where
the prisoners obtained water. Her hut was
never invaded, and she was cared for by two
ready to protect her from insult, should any
be offered, and they always treated her with
great respect themselves.
Major Louis r. Fortescue, chief clerk of
the city controllers Office. was recaptured
along with three other officers after their
escape from their prison pen at Columbia,
| s. c., and were taken to Florence prison in
the latter part of 1864, where they were
kept some time, when they were transferred
! to another. In an interview upon the SUBJ
ject recently, the major said that he heard
of Florena Budwin's death while at Flor
ence. but had only dim recollection of
it, never having any personal knowledge of
it.
DR.. Joseph Ferguson, we'll known as q
Grand Army man of Philadelphia, and the
author of widely-published history of
confederate prisons shortly after the war,
also heard of the case while himself pris-
oner, but never knew anything of it per-
sonally. Samuel Elliott states that
there was another woman at Ander-
sonyille prison, but she made
herself known to the Confederate
officials, who had her sent north. It would
appear that Florena Budwin WAS afraid to
make her sex known to her captors, not
knowing what treatment she would receive
at their hands, in consequence of their bru-
tai treatment of those held by them in cap
tivity at Andersonyille.
samuel Creelman, Justice of the peace at
Williamsburg. Pa, has spent a great deal of
Time IN an effort to discover something of
The antecedents of the Lone Woman" at
Florence. without learning much more than
The fact that she lived and died Union war
prisoner.
Florence Is growing town of 600 inhab-
tants, situated on the Atlantic coast line
Rbout midway between Wilmington, n. c..
md Charleston, 5. G. The cemetery is one
Ind half miles from town. and is ap-
preached by macadamized road recently
constructed by the national government at
cost of $4,000. The cemetery contains
our acres of land and ia made as .,oa ut;fpl