The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-10-11
First Woman Prisoner.

The first woman captured as prisoner
in the War of the Rebellion is now liv-
ing quietly in Rochester, y. Y, support
ing herself by drcssmaking.
\ slender little woman is Mrs. Jennie
\. Curtiss, with gray hair and Il gentle.
demrrc manner that holds no trace of
the madcap rccklessness that got her
into a Southern prison in 1861. Mrs.
Curtiss, although but Il year or two on:
of her teens. was Il widow when the
war broke out. She came of abolition
ist stock. and her brother, Il lad of IL
years, went out with the three
months" men. Soon afterward 4 false
report Of her brothers illness took her
to Washington. Learning that he was
with his regiment in McDowells army.
then encamped near Arlington, she Wis
tied him. Nearby lived Il family named
Pierce. To whom she had letters of in
PRODUCTION. As the army was about to
begin the march TO its defeat at Bull
Run it was thought best for her to re-
main at the Pierce house rather than
encounter the difficulties of return
to Washington.
Then came the terrible defeat. and
the beaten army was swept back past
the Pierce house. Chaos followed, and
for some days no one seemed 10 know
where the Confederates wore. After
twitting a visiting Union officer one
evening on the general lack of knOwl-
a.I,v .,ft I,n Ia, ,.Ft I'm,
Mrs. CurtiSS. on a wager of pair of
gloves, declared that she would water
her horse at Falls Church, nine miles
from Arlington. on the road to Fairfax.
Next day she started to redeem her
word. Mounted on Il roam horse belong
ing to the Confederate Gen. Bee, which
had been captured at Bull Run, size
started with her hostess, Miss Pierce,
as companion, and Lieut.. Eldrijge as
escort.
Leaving her companions Il mile from
the church at a toll gate. Mrs. Curtiss
rode forward to carry out the terms OF
the wager. She reached her goal. but
as the horse was drinking she heard
the tramp of soldiers and saw COM
pany of Confederates rounding a turn
Cf the road. With the readiness of an
expert hOrsewoman she sprang into the
saddle and pnt the roam at a gallop.
Coming to the toll gate she found it
closed. but she took it as easily as
threerail fence. One mile further she
was forced TO halt by line of fixed
bayonets across the road. Then she
was captured.
The officer in command, Capt. Pres
ton, told Mrs. Curtiss he had an order
for her arrest as a spy.
Mrs. Curtiss was taken to Col. Stew
arts headquarters at Fairfax He told
her he considered her arrest a mistake,
but as the order had come from Rich
mond before Bull Run he would he
obliged to send her there. Stewart ac-
cepted Mrs. Curtiss' parole and she
was treated with courtesy. Soon she
acquired a reputation for satirical
repartee. One of the Confederate OIL
GERS who called upon her was Fitzhrgh
Lee, who remarked with 4 laugh after
one of her sharp speeches:
After we take Washington | will
ruI up TO your New York home and
We'll open a bottle of champagne"
Before you get Washington she re
torted. you will have all. the pain you
want no sham pain either"
After two weeks Mrs. Curtiss was
taken to Gen. JOhnson's headquarters
at Manassas. where for slapp:ng the
generals nephew, who struck her on
the face with switch. she was placed
under guard by the provost marshal.
From there she was sent TO Richmond
in charge of Capt Tremol While IN a
restaurant Oh the way 4 man brushed
past and whispered:
Don't be discouraged. You have
friends near"
Tremol heard the whisper and de-
manded:
"What did that man say?'
"Only another insult" she replied
without hesitation.
At Richmond Mrs. Curtiss was close
ly questioned and placed in charge of
Taylor, afterwards keeper of Libby
prison.