The Portland daily press., 1890-06-07
A HEROINE OF THE GREAT CONFLICT.
The Life of Annie Etheridge Who
Served With maine Soldiers.
Squatters Elected From the Capitol
BY Order of the Speaker.
Good Democratic Evidence of the
Fraud In Southern Districts.
Especial to the Press.1

Especial to the Pressl
WASHINGTON, June 6, 1S90.-Major E. L.
Merrill, ex-postmaster of Pennington and
state Senator from Franklin county, is now
the custodian of the little library just off the
foor of the House of Representatives. Major
Merrill is veteran of the Seventeenth
Maine, and has carried through the greater
part of bis life disabled arm as reminder
of Charlottesville. A keen student of the
military history of the Civil War. he ALWAYS
feels the lveliest interest in all that pertains
to the great struggle. Washington life affords
many opportunities for associating with per-
sons who played parts in the great conflict,
either on the one side or the other; and the
Union veteran and the ex-Confederate are
very often seen comparing notes with the
greatest amity and interest. Major Merrill
has met not a few old comrades and old foes,
and has enjoyed the opportunities greatly.
But the greatest pleasure he has yet felt at
the revival of old memories came the other
day. He was sitting in the little library
room waiting for the next Congressman to
send in his order for some volume of the
Congressional Record or for some law book,
when door-keeper handed him this card
Mrs. Charles S. Hooks,
I15 Sixth Street. N. 4.
with the information that lady and a
gentleman were waiting for him out in the
House corridor. Major Merrill went out as
soon as possible, and found there a stout,
pleasant-faced lady of forty-fve or fifty
years, accompanied by one-armed veteran
who was evidently her husband.
With the cordiality of an old acquaintance
the lady greeted Major Merrill, who was in
that painful state of uncertainty which very
often overtakes men who are not able to re-
member faces well. He knew that he had
known once, many years before, the woman
who stood before him; but the changes of
years and the unfamiliar name ON the card
which the door-keeper had brought in were
more than his memory could cope with un-
assisted. But greeting him, she said, "You
must know me, Major Merrill, 1 am -
-" and she gave, not the name on the
card, but another name at the announce
ment of which flood of old recollections
rushed upon him. He was no longer
the gray haired keeper of the House library,
but young soldier of Maine, in Berry's
bItSduc VI htdiuCg ulNloiOus anu bu6 W.
man before him was suddenly transformed
into slender girl, moving along battle
line in Virginia. unmindful of flying bullets,
binding up the hurts of the wounded and
taking down for those at home the last
words of the dying.
"Annie Etheridge, the name which she
gave me," says Major Merrill, was dear to
every soldier in Berry's brigade. No officer
of the brigade was known better by the men,
Sbo vua with than on tho mo in
and in battle. That woman, or rather girl,
for such she seemed, was in twenty-five or
thirty battles, and in a good many of them
she was right out on the front line. And
that commanded the respect and veneration
of every soldier and officer through the four
years of the service"
Major Merrill belonged to the 18th Maine,
which, with the Sd and 4th Maine regiments,
belonged to Kearney's division. To the
Annie Etheridge has been pleas
ant memory for many years. When the
war broke out Annie 4, Eltheridge was the
young men of Michigan, who felt it to be his
duty to volunteer in the Second Michigan,
one Of the first regiments to go to the front.
The young wife felt that she could not bear
to be separated from her husband, and, though
less than 20 years old, formed the heroic de-
termination to go with him to the front.
There was but one way for her to go, and
that was as nurse And no army regula-
tion permitted her to 60 even in this capaci-
ty, but her youth and her enthusiasm SO i'm
pressed the officers of the regiment that she
was taken along. In due time the Second
Michigan found itself part of the Army of
the Potomac, and with it the young nurse
was at the battles of Blackburn's Ford and
Bull Run. In this early campaign her bus
band perished. leaving his young wife alone
in the camps of great army. But the de-
spair of her sorrowing and forsaken condi-
tion only brought out the heroic qualities
which Annie Etheridge was to display for
four years In all the most arduous campaigns
of the Army of the Potomac. She deter
mined to remain with the army as nurse, a
capacity in which she had found the most
abundant opportunities for usefulness in
work that appealed most strongly to her
woman's heart
The Second Michigan Regiment was soon
sent to Tennessee and, not liking the pros
pect of service in the West, Annie Etheridge
obtained transfer to the Third Michigan,
with which she remained for three years.
ton of its term Of service she went to the
Fifth Michigan remaining with 1t until the
end of the war. With the Third Michigan
she was brought into the brigade command
ed by Gen: Hiram G: Berry, the distinguished
Maine soldier, who fell at Charlottesville.
Gradually the soldiers of the brigade and di-
vision came to know her, and the work that
she was doing. She made it her especial du-
ty to go out to the front line in every battle
with bandages, water and stimulants. As
and, if she found any of them able to get to
the rear, would bind up their wounds, give
them stimulants, and send them ON their
way to the hospital. In this way she saw ed
hundreds of lives and, of course, endeared
herself to the soldiers.
In the campaigns of Mcclellan she attrac-
ted the attention of General Berry, who took
her under the protection of the brigade. He
gave her horse and tent, and detailed an
orderly to accompany her on the field during
stimulants. She also was given place at
the mess of the brigade staff, at which she
presided a greater part of the time after she
had been promoted Modest and unassum-
ing, but with manner which was always a
perfect protection from any impertinence,
she was the recipient Of the most respectful
attention from all soldiers and visitors at
| the brigade and division headquarters.
Old soldiers of Kearney's division could
death Of the gallant Kearney his widow had
crosses" made to be distributed to the 1900
| most gallant and faithful soldiers in the
Kearney division. General Birney, who
entitled to receive the crosses. and published
| it in a general order, which directed the
soldiers selected for the honor to
| form. line on certain day and
l maTcn Dy Ln6 commanding OIllc6I
| who would distribute the crosses When
| the list was published it was found that the
| name of Annie Etheridge stood at the head
| of it, Although pleased with the honor she
| objected to the publicity which would fol
| low if she should be obliged to march at the
| head of the column to receive the cross. Sc
| she sent petition to General Birney, ask
| ing that she might be excused from march
| ing. But Blrney replied that she stood al
| the head of the list, and that she would have
| to head the procession.
| One day Hannibal Hamlin, then Vice
| President of the United States, came down
| to the army and was entertained by Genera
| Berry. To dc the distinguished guest prop
| er honor Annie Etheridge was assigned the
duty of getting up the dinner, at which she
| presided with great dignity. 1t was a rare
thing for a lady to preside at an army mess
in those days, and Mr.. Hamlin took especia
notice of the young woman who was sharing
the hardships of the campaigns of the army
Several months afterwards the Vice Presi
dent was again visitor to the Army of the
Potomac. and in going through the camp OF
hElf slgl