The broad ax., 1898-09-10
WOMEN IN WARTIME.
NEARLY ALL THE GOOD ONES
STAY AT HOME.
The Penehant for NOtoristy Il No Al
traction for the Bsst-Thers Are Some
Exceptions = Noble Pitcher Grsatly
Honored-Ths Fake Nurses.

As sthe spectacle Of war becomes
common to q nation much Of the pic
turesQueness and sentiment associated
with It dies out, and hard, practical
common sense takes their place, the
want that is provided for making no
claim on the sympathy OF the non-com-
Blatant. Already the question Of vol
unteer nursing has been disposed Of,
and the woman whose heart goes out
to the soldier (whither sick or well, but
especially when he Is well) must con-
tent herself by staying at home in on
forced inactivity, for even the max
ing Of bandages and scraping OF lint
have been established in a commercial
way by the mustard plaster warehouse.
An edict has also gone forth from army
headquarters to the effect that women
will not be sent to the seat Of war as
nurses. And It Is a wise measure, for
there should be found in the ranks OF
the unemployed male assistants to en-
force the orders Of the trained doctor,
who can do everything fer the sick and
wounded that a woman can do.
To tell the truth the front is no place
for women, and few good ones ever go
there.
Frantic pictures Of Annie Ether
idge, riding dashing cavalry horse
and waving a nag, are found among
pictorial histories of the war. but as
fact Annie neither carried q nag nor
musket, although she had a pair Of ar
my revolvers in her holsters, and
would have used them, too, had she
needed their help. She did ride a ca
valry horse, and dressed in the uni
form OF a daughter Of the regiment.
military cap and jacket, with short
blue shirt. Her presence was so REIN
ing that she was named "the Angel OF
the Regiment" and Gentle Annie" by
the soldiers.
As a fitting sequence to her army
service, Annie was given a permanent
position in the government depart
ments at Washington, where her career
closed amid the monotonous ayoca-
tons Of peace.
Another, and very different charac-
ter, was that Daughter OF the Regi-
ment" Molly Pitcher, who was fam
Gus for her bravery in the days Of the
colonial wars, and whose grave on
the grounds Of the private estate Of a
wealthy Americans summer home on
the Hudson is known to a few interest
ed individuals. There was no sham
and hypocrisy about her. She went
to the front for business, and not for
sentimental adventure and a chance 70
get Q soldier husband near to the
grave. And though more than a hun
dred years have passed her name shines
brightly In history's pages. Molly
Pitcher was the wife OF a soldier, and
she attached herself to the command
earned the name of Pitcher from her
occupation-that Of carrying water 10
the soldiers, over whom she exercised
The influence Of martinez She wore
q semi-regimental dress, consisting of
q blue skirt, a red coat and a cooked
hat. She rated the men for coward
ice, and II their accoutrements were
not in order they feared Capt Molly
more than they did their own officers.
She manned a gun at the capture of
Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton,
when word was received that the Hes
slams were advancing rapidly, and
panic would have ensued. but Molly
mounted the ramparts and shouted:
Come on, Hessians or redcoats, and
Wen give ye a supper Of bullets that
will tx ye for life"
When urged to run and save her own
LIE she retorted:
"Diyil q shstep win 1 run till thot
guns fired"
And she touched on the last cannon
That was discharged in Fort Clinton,
while the enemy was pouring over the
ramparts.
Gen. Washington was attracted to-
ward Molly at Monmouth. where her
husband was killed, and she asked for
his place as gunner, where she held
the position for a whole day, loading |
and firing. her husbands dead body
dashed to the cannon beside her.
When Molly retired from the army
at the close Of the war she was put on |
the pay roll for life, being made q |
captain by brevet- She spent the-rest |
Of her days at West Point, among |
whose archives her history Is record |
ed. Her money was sent to her regu- ]
larry from Washington. for she was |
considered in exactly the same light |
as q soldier drawing a pension. Be-
fore she was made q captain she had 1
been distinguished by Gen. Greene for
her bravery by sergeant's commits
sion, which was presented to her in
person by Washington himself, while !,
she asked him. to excuse her appear
ance. sha being covered with dirt and
blood.
This q the daughter Of the Regi-
ment" who Hes sleeping among the
tail cedars on the banks Of the Hud-
son. and whose letters Of credit are on |
fls At West Point.