The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
MAJOR BELLE REYNOLDS.
THE ONLY WOMAN WHO HE'LL A
COMM ISSION IN THE CIVIL VAR.
Gov. Yates OF Illinois Saw Her NIiniSterinE TO
the wounded AFTER the Battle or shiloh
and Made Her a Msjnr or Illinois Eoiun-
teers-Now Living In California.

Gov. Yates OF Illinois Saw Her Numbering TO
the Wounded AFTER the Battle or shiloh
and Made Her a MsJnr or Illinois Volun-
~teers-Now Living In California.
SPRINGFIELD. H., June l5.-The only woman
officer of the civil war was commissioned by
Richard Yates when he was Governor of Illinois.
The document was registered in the Illinois
State House and remains there. II is dated
April lG. 1862. and says that Mrs. Belle Rcy-
nolds WAS appointed TO the honorary position
of Daughter Of the Regiment for meritorious
conduct in camp and in the field OF Pittsburs
Landing, with the rank Of Major" In two
places in the "Oiicial Record of tho Army Of
Illinois Gen. Sherman mentions Major Rey-
nolds in Il complimentary way.
Major Belle Reynolds, as she is known in the
army, lives in Santa Barbara, CAL. and is Prosi-
dent of the Woman's Parliament OF Southern
California. Before marriage she was Arabclla
.Macombcr. She is a native OF Shclbourne Falls.
Mass. She went West with her people. re-
manned in Iowa for II while, returned East. COM
plcted her education, went back West and had
charge of the first school in Cass county. Ia.
She married John 6. Reynolds in 1860 and
went to Peoria, III.
Her husband enlisted in the Seventeenth Hi.
nois Infantry, which went Mt once to the front.
While the regiment was in Missouri Mrs. Rcy-
nolds. in the face of opposition by her friends.
Joined her husband in camp. She WAS 19-tall,
hand some and vivacious. The whole camp was
delighted to have her there. The officers
begged her to accept better and different fare
than theirs. but she declined, preferrinE to ac-
cept the lot of her husband and to be where she
might do the most good in the cause for which
her husband and the other soldier boys had en-
listed. She ate the same food as did the SOL
diers, slept on the ground for days at a time.
drank from pools and brooks, as did the poorest
private, and never at forty or fifty
mile forced marches. Sbo was busy all day
long with her needle and thread for the soldiers
and passed many nights with the sick and
wounded soldiers. Her letters to newspapers
at the North did good in Informing the Union
women what they might do in allie viating the
hardships and suffering Of the boys Mt the front.
Mrs. Reynolds saw her first battle Mt Fred
erickstown, Mo. She remained In the rear, but
she heard all, and saw many OF the wounded.
Twice during the engagement she heard that
her husband was mOrtally wounded. But she
never hinchcd. She said she was prepared to
hear of his death. Her courage and unsclfsh-
ness on that occasion commended her to the
admiration OF the regiment. When tho battle
was over she went on the field, ministering TO
the needs OF the sick and dying. She WAS the
first woman on the field, and the good she did
| there is incNpressiblc. The official war de-
spatches to Washington all told OF her labors
for the wounded and dying. For three days
and nights she worked with the wounded and
dying. She made no distinction between tho
blue and the gray.
She was al Fort Henry on the Tennessee
River when Commodore FoOte sheled the en-.
crny while Grant made the advance by land.
Tho weather was severely cold. Mrs, Rey-
nolds worked for week with little sleep and
Without removing her clothing among the
hundreds OF soldiers TINT crowded the hospi.
tails. She on her own responsibility organized
n corps of young people, whose duty was TO
cheer the last hours OF the dying. When tho
Seventeenth OF Illinois was ordered TO move
southwark. Mrs. ReynoldS's request to go with
the troops TO what every ono felt WAS TO be the
mightiest battle IN the West was denied. The
officers believed the campaign was too rapid
and ssvere.tor any woman. 80 while the Hi.
nois regiments marched hastily away, with no
camp outfits or extra baggage OF any descrip-
ton Mrs. Reynolds remained al Fort Henry
and labored for the comfort of the men in the
hospitals. But a week later ghe hastened TO
Fort Donelson. There were oyer 900 wounded
in the hospitals and IN the country homes OF
that locality. and the woman-then just 20
years old-threw all her yigor into her hosnitbl
| went SOuthWard TO join the camp OF the Sc ven