The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-25
SOME NOTED WANDERERS f.
Women Who Were Decorated for Hero
ism in the Army.

| pears the name of Nine. Corder, the cam
| tiniere of the Seventy-second Regiment of
Infantry of Amiens. She received the mill
tary medal. Judged py her heroic acts. she
is all worthy of it. She distinguished herself
during the war of 1901, and after the cap
itulation of Sedan she saved several officers
by hiding them in her wagon. Before THAT
she followed her regiment to Africa, and
took part in more than one expedition.
Nine. Cordier is one of the Oldest cantin-
ieres. The oldest of all is Nine. Vailard.
She served thirty-seven years. went through
four campaigns, and received two medals.
She is a Lorraine woman. and commenced
her military career in the Crimea.
Ono of the most celebrated cantinieres
was Mother Joay, says the French Courier.
She was in the Crimean, the Italian and the
Ne xican campaigns. Generally she went
on foot and supported all the fatigues of the
march like man. She was the cantiniere
CT the Third Zouaves, and died Blidah, at
the age of IA years. She also received the
military medal. tfs
Nine. Valard, whom We have mentioned
above, received the military medal in 1866.
Before her. Nine. Madelins egrimoreau the
cantinere of the Second Regiment of Zou-
ayes received the same decoration for her
conduct at the battle Magenta. As long
as she had any cognac ip her little cask she
went from rank to rank reviving the wound
ed and exhausted soldiers and displaying
contempt for the whistling bullets, which
sometimes tore her short dress. When her
last drop of cognac was given out she took
up the gun OF wounded soldier and ac
companied the Zouaves in their bayonet
charge witho ut receiving scratch.
nance from the War Ministry has forbidden
tho distinctive costume of the cantinieres,
and, in addition to this, the Minister de-
cided that they should not appear in their
wagons. Consequently, were obliged to
bid farewell to the pretty tri-colored uni
form, the red and blue dress and white ap-
ron SO often made famous on the fed of
battle. and which more than one military
painter has immoI talized in his pictures.
In old engravings the vivandieres are rep
resented as old women, with energetic faces
and masculine air; and. matter Of
fact, such they very often were. Mingling
with the consc ripts. speakin Familiarity
with the old soldiers, they acq uired mascu-
line habits. But in some regiments. and
especially in the cavalry regiments the
cantiniere was the pride of the regiment.
and we might citefone regiment of Dragons,
for example, in which there were seven that
had the reputat ion of being extremely beau
tiful girls. Their green uniforms and white
aprons were very becoming to them. In
addition they were excellent horsew omen,
for they were obliged 10 ride horseback
when the squadrons to which they were at
tached were called to arms.
The history of the ivandieres, if it were
written, would contain more than one
thrilling chapter and many amusing pages.
On more than one occasion they distin-
guished themselves by their courage. Like
the soldiers themselves, they loved the
number of their regiment, and their wagon
was often used as ambulance. Under
fire they followed their battalion. picking
up the wounded and auenching their thirst,
7 and often consoling the dying.
AS one can easily imagine. under such
conditions. the life of the oantiniere is not
without danger. Many of them we've not
spared by the bullets. Nine. Rajan. the
cantiniere of the Second Algerian Rifles.
received four wounds during the last Fran
co-German war, and another cantinieIe.
, Nine. Massey, was also wounded. In regard
to this latter. there is one act of heroism
THAT is worth mentioning. The mother Of
soldier in her battalion asked her to
watch over him. He was killed. Nine. Mas
sey ran up to him. kissed him, took up his
rife and cartridge-box. and. crying out.
> stYou shall be reyenged" rushed to the
} front rank in the place of the dead soldier
, and was among the last to fire shot.
At Palestro on May 80, 1853. a cantiniere
of the Zouaves Nine. Rossini. had her
shoulder broken by rifle ball. She had a
worthy colleague in the person of Mime.
Perrine eros. the cantiniere of the Battal-
ion of the Guard. SIZE was not only wound
3 ed at Palestro. but, also at Magenta. Nine.
eros also received the military medal
q Nine. Vermelin. of the Thirty-first Regi-
ment of the line, was at Sedan, where, in
, the midst of cross fire, aided by MEM
Der of the ambulance corps, she picked up
the wounded and brought them to her wag-
on
/ Nine. Bourget, the viyandiere of the
First Regiment of Algerian Rifles has
eight campaigns to her credit. Nine. Pet
titlean, the cantiniere of the l37th Battal-
ion Of the National Guard, at Paris. ois-
+ tinguished herself by her bravery on the
plain of Avon. and was decorated for
r bravery on the field.
8 Nine. Bonnemere was all through the
g campaign of 1901 as cantiniere of the
Twenty first of tie line. She was intrusted
, with dispatch, but was captured by de-
tachment of Prussians. The moment she
saw that escape was impossible. she swal-
lowed the dispatch at the risk of being shot.
She not only wears the military medal, but
. also the cross of Medjidie. ne Crimean med
al, and he italian medal.
Nine. Telyman, cantiniere of the Second
regiment of zouaves att Reeichshofen lift
i ed up Colonel Detrie, who WAS badly
wounded and did so-under the very lances
, of the Uhlans. She took part in a memoir
a BILE defense of Ritohie. The poor woma
is now blind.
Finally. we have Nine. Bondu, of the
> Thirty fourth regiment of the line, who
: DISTINGUISHED herself in the combats OF
> Paiay and Coulmieres.
t A few days after these battles. in which
!, she displayed the most remarkable courage,
i she gave birth son. Speaking of the
e baby. she said: ''There is chap that will
: never be afraid of the rattle of artillery
t There are also cantinieres who are deco
rated with the Legion of Honor, among