The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-08-14
A BRAVE WOMAN
Mrs. Alexander Forsythe, Who Lived
in the Smoke Of Cannon.
Philadelphia Times.

Few American women have had
their lives so crowded with draniat iC
incidents as Mrs. Alexander FOrsythc,
Of Chicago, sister OF Gen. John Nor.
gan, whose daring raid made him con.
spicuOus in two continents.
For four years Mrs. Forsythc lived
under the smoke Of the cannon, being
one OF the soldiers wives who went
through the entire civil war with her
husband. Thrice welded and thrice
widowed, twice the mother OF a post.
hum0us child, and again on the last
day OF the war left desOlate with a
tiny babe in her arms, her experience
as wife and mother is almost unpre.
cedcnted. Fortunate in marriages,
the wine OF life has been sweet, hut
its dregs exceedingly bitter.
After the death Of her first hus.
band, Calvin McClung. she married
Gen. A. p. Hill, one Of the most dis.
tinguislied generals in the Confederate
army--;l man whose name was on the
dying lips of StOncwall Jackson and
Robert Il. Lee.
AS Il bride she went to the front
with her husband and was actively in
terestcd in his company-the lnvinci-
bles, Thirteenth Virginia. Among
other things she presented them with
Il handsome silk flag, but during an
engagement the color bearers arm
was shot of, and the fag. grppcd in
the bloody hand, was captured by a
Union soldier. Mrs. Hill promptly
made another, and it is now hanging
In the White House at Richmond.
Gen. Hill was killed the last day Of
the war at the fall OF Petersburg.
Gen. Lee made charge and recovered
his body, and II few moments after
the general had departed from his
wife he was brought back to her shot
through the heart, his wedding ring
still on his finger and his cape cover
ing his dead face. That night the
army retreated In haste and Mrs. Hill
was tile last woman to cross the pom
t0on at Petersburg. 1t was an awful
journey, for the roads were choked up
with dIsorganized troops. Sometimes
they were In the enemy's lines and
again in their own, but all through
that dreadful night Mrs. Hill sat in
the ambulance by her dead husbands
body, holding her baby and little
daughter in her arms. The wheels
on the ambulance belonged to four
different vehicles, and the variations
in size and tire added to her discOm-
fort, but the soldiers carried it over
the ravines and places where it could
not be drawn by horses.
She buried Gen. Hill mt Goochland,
Va, laid him away in the uniform lie
wore when he fell; in his lighting
jacket and famous red shirt, glovcd,
booted and spurrcd, for in his tomb
are the spurs that the Southern wo.
men melted their silver spoons to
make. Afterward he was removed To
Hollywood, but few years ago Major
Ginter donated the spot In Richmond
where Gen. Hill organized his FIRST
company, and his body was taken
there and a splendid monument erect.
ed to his memory.
His youngest daughter, Miss Lucy
Lee Hill, the babe OF the retrcatine
army, is now a beautiful woman and
was one Of the Board of Lady Managers
at the Worlds Fair from Kentucky.
She Is Gen. Lees god-daughter, and
his tears fell on her baby face as he
held her in his arms at the baptismal
font. Some years after Gen. Hills
death she came to Chicago, and now
resides at 10l Pine street. She was q
noted beauty in her youth and her
gracious cordlality endears her to
friends new and old.
The home life OF the Morgan family
was singularly happy. for there were
six sons and six daughters to flll the
big hospitablc home with merry max
Ing. Gen. Morgan was the oldest
child. He was passionately fond OF
children, and Mrs. Forsythc says that
on Sunday morning he used to take a
quantity Of bread and an immense
bright tin pan full Of molasses and
gather all the plantation picaninics
on the lawn and let them sop the
sweet stun to their hearts content
In the winter the poor, both black