The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-01
SHE FEARED NOT BULLETS.
A Vivandierc who Won n Medal for
Bravery in the Field.


Bravery in the Field.
Pittsburg Correspondence New York
World.
The remarkable history of a woman who
received official recognition for bravery on
the battlefield has just been disclosed by
the petition of Marie Leonard for divorce
from her husband, Richard Leonard,
whom she married thirty-four years ago.
Aug. "a. 1894, there was born at Bres;
France, a girl whose father was a fun
blooded Turk. Her mother was French.
When she was 10 years old her father
was beheaded. The shock of his death
killed the mother of the child. and the
litte one when fifteen was brought TO
America. Five years later she married
Bernardo Tebe in Philadelphia. Tebe was
a tailor, and at the breaking out of the
rebellion enlisted in Company ], Twenty
seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, Col,
Einstein, on April 16, 1851. Tebc wanted to
leave his wife at home to manage the
email tailor shop, but she refused TO stay
and went out with the regiment as Vi
Vandiere. Her uniform was similar 20 that
of the women who followed the eagles OF
France. She wore a blue zouave jacket
a short skirt trimmed with red braid,
which reached TO Just below the knees
She wore a mans sailor hat turned
down. She purchased a store OF tobacco,
cigars, hams and other things not issued
by the government and sold them to the
soldiers. She also did a thriving trade
selling contraband whisky. She carried
the whisky in a small oval keg strapped
teen times. She was in the first bat
tie of Bun Run, witnessed the slaughter
at Fair Oaks, and campaigned with Nc
Clellan near Richmond When the reGl-
ment was not in action she cooked, wash
ed and mended for the men. She drew
the pay of a soldier and was allowed p
cents per day extra for hospital and head
quarters services, making her pay $2l45
per month for over two years. Then some
friction in the paymaster's department
about enlistment of a woman stopped her
pay, but did not dampen her patriotism.
She continued selling goods to the sol
diers and s. per pint for whisky was not
an unusual price.
one night some soldiers, among whom
was her husband, broke into the VIVIAN
diere's tent, and stole 81, 600. The men were
afterwards punished, but the wander
decided TO quit the regiment. She refused
to have anything to do with her husband,
and, despite the pleadings of Col Elm
stein, made preparations to go back to
Philadelphia. Col. Einstein asked her to
stay until after the regiment was review
ed by Col. Mcclellan The latter was told
the circumstances of the case, and person
ally requested her TO continue with the
regiment, but her indignation was so great
that she left. When the One Hundred and
Fourteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, Col
lis Zouaves d'Afrique, was organized In
Philadelphia by Charles II. T. Coils, now
of New York, he prevailed upon her to go
with the regiment.
At the battle of Fredericksburg she re
ceived a bullet in her left ankle. it is still
there, and frequently pains her. After this
battle she was called before the brigade,
and Gen. Phil Kearny gave her medal
The medal is in the form of a Maltese
cross, and is worn constantly on the wo-
mans breast. On one side is 'kearny' 8
Cross" on the other, "Birney's Division"
She also has a silver cup presented by
Lieut. Col. Spanish Of the one Hundred
and Fourteenth. II is inscribed: ITO Ma
RE for noble conduct on the field of bat
tie" Another treasured possession is a let
ter, dated Dec. q, 1862 from Col. Coils,
thanking her for her bravery at Freder-
icksburg From the time she left the
Twenty seventh. and went back to the seat
Of war, she had not heard from her hus-
band Tehe About four o'clock one morn
ing. during the Gettysburg slaughter, a
soldier crawled into the lines of the one
Hundred and Fourteenth, and asked for
French Mary" as the woman was called.
He said a member of his regiment, the
Twenty which was nearby, was
dying, and begging his comrades TO bring
French Mary to him. With bullets fly
ing around her, she found the man, and
recognized her husband. He died in her
arms. After dragging her husbands body
out of the range of fire, French Mary
saw that it was buried, and then went
back to her regiment.
Col. Coils handsome young orderly,
Richard Leonard, fell in love with her,
proposed and was accepted. They were
married by the chaplain at Culpepper Va,
and the ceremony was interrupted by
sharp orders 70 move. French Mary
says she did not get a marriage certificate
because the trumpet went tara, tara,
pack-up, pack-up tara, pack-upr Then
everybody grabbed his belongings and got
in line"
She remained with the One Hundred and
Fourteenth until her husband was mus
tered out. The couple then came to Pitts
burg, and have been living IN Baldwin
township, on the outskirts of that city,
ever since. Shortly after their arrival in
Piftsburg, French Mary" insisted upon
having another marriage ceremony per-
formed, and this time she received a GER
tificate. With the money she had saved
she opened a small stores, which she con-
tracted until a few weeks ago, when she
left her husband she married on the bat
tlefeld, and has since been living with
friends.
10 II ~