The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-12-10
The Daughters Of the American Revolution
Celebrate the Battle Of Great Bridge.
1.-THE HERolAES OF THE REVOLUTION. "
Mr.. Robert NJ. Hughes Delivered n
Fine Address, In which He Tells
or the IIcroissn Displayed by tho
Women OF the Pcriod-A LarEe
Number Present.

bration of the anniversary or the but
tie Of Great Bridge and between the
ton, serving tea. chocolate and Ices
to many callers The rooms We're hand
somely decorated with flags and lighted
with wax candles. while around the
walls hung colonial portraits. Even the
tea tables were set with colonial china
ware.
After the reception Mr.. Robert M
Hughes delivered an address on "He-
roines OF the Revolution in which he
paid high compliment to the valor
Of woman during the dark days Of
hundred years ago. He was introduced
by Mrs Phil Yeatman, secretary of the
chapter.
MI. Hughes recounted in ancedotal
style q few exploits Of the revolutionary
women. which serve 10 add lustre to
the period and brighten the pages of
our national story not less than the
laurel-crowned heroes who led our
armies and the obscure privates whose
gallantry and endurance placed those
laureis upon their brows.
In the course of his address, Mr..
Hughes said:
when we walk through the Capitol
grounds ut Richmond we see among the
figures around the Washington statue,
Thomas Nelson lmmortaltzed In bronze.
His lofty patriotism levelled cannon ut
his own residence when occupied by the
L
town. He is entitled TO all the honor
which n grateful country can bestow,
yet he only initiated the unselfishness
of Mrs. Motto. Her house was occupied
as Il British outpost. and when the
Americans besieged II, she furnished
them with the arrows and tow by which
they were enabled to set fire to the roof
and capture It's garrison.
I "lSut the woman did not shrink from
extreme peril to serve their country.
Lydia Dorragh riding alone through the
darkness of night and Drawing the perils
III British utpoStS and the fate OF Il
spy In case of discovery. to warn the
patriot army of impending danger. Mrs.
'!rntten firing magazine with her own
hands to save II from the approaching
foe, were, after all. but types. When
occasion demanded, feminine ingenuity
was always ready to supplement mas
auline valor.
IN one section of the country the
risks and demands upon the women
were hardly less than upon the men.
! alludc TO our Western frontier. There
nature has been prodigal OF her choicest
%itts. and the tourist little thinks thut
every acre of that bountcous land was
won from II merciicss foe. whose war
, rare was determination regardless of
age or sex. whose tactics were not the
soldiers fight In open field. but the
skurkng alnhuscGdc nad the midnight
surprise. Into that region the settler
penetrated. rifle I'm hand. First attack
ing the giants of the forest. he clears
breathing space and garden and util-
ICES tile timber to erect lol; cabin with
cap boards for Its roof and a short
:nud-daubcd chimney as its only
1rcrturc. Proud that he is at last q
lrec-holder. he returns TO the settlement
anu does not hesitate to take his wife
INTO the wilderness to share his la
bors aud perils But the very smoke
n &c fal,,
tracts the attention of Il foe whose
eyes arc as keen as their tomahnwks.
the allies of his most Christian Males
~, George III, whose Canadian repre-
sentative. Hamilton, the hair-buyer,
pavs as high prices for female MS for
male scnlps. And soon the pioneer In
his new home is welcomed by the clamor
of u band Of bowling demons. whose
proffcred quarter Is but a device to gain
safe admit'ance for their murderous
purposes. II he has constructed his hut
in the style shown by experience best
calculated for defense. his answer Is
the crack of rifles aimed not only by
himself. but by his wife as we'll hardly
less skillful than he in dealing death
TO their red-skin foe. Indeed. occasions
were not irfrcQucnt v'''e~" ~" w%o'o
defense OF home and children devolved
upon the We. One of the most won
1erful was the exploit OF Mrs. Merrill.
One night while quietly rcposinC with
lcT HuSDHIld anu Stlull CElluGcn. III their
lonely cabin on the outskirts Of civiliza-
ton. noise was heard without Her
husband, on opening the door to asccr-
tain the cause. fell desperately wounded
and entirely disabled. She dragged him
Inside and then, arming herself with
an axe. awaited at the half-closed dccr
the approach of the murderers AS they
attempted singly to force their way In
through the crack, she killed five In
dams In succession. The remaining
three concluded that the chi'nney was
an easier way Of entering that house
than the door. Detecting this by the
noise. she stuffed mattress up the fire
place and smothered two more by the
smoke. The sole survivor vanished into
the darkness. leaving the victor in that
midnight combat. surrounded by seven
dead enemies, and q desperately wound
ed husband.
"The feat OF Mrs. Bozarth was SINH
lar. In an attack on her house the In
dams, forcing an entrance. killed one
of the men there and disa bled the other.
In the melee she snatched up an axe
and killed the two Indians who had
Another, with more curiosity
than discretion. thrust his head In AT
the door. and the axe. I'm the hands of
this intrepid woman, at once split It
open. The survivors fed. defeated by
a woman.
Near Frankfort, Ky. lived two broth
ers. named Cook. The Indians, coming
suddenly upon them. killed one in
stantly and so wounded the other that
he expired as he entered the house.
The newly-made widows had barely
time to close the door when the Indians