The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-04-25
" Momcn and War.

| 10 WV COHtcmpL OF the woman Tor
the coward, her preference for the
smart, wellset soldier rather than the
sleek civilian, which leads, and always
will lead, thousands of men to con-
front death in battle.
Napoleon fell only when the wives
and mothers in France had turned
against him. So long as they thought
he was fighting for France alone they
freely gave their own, and not ill
they realized that he was fighting end
less wars for his own ambitious pur-
poses did they revolt against the per-
petual sacrifices. Woman is always
patient and ready to bear suffering;
tears and broken heart are too Of
ten her lot in such times as were
these. But she will not give
forever for another's purely selfish
aims
In the American Civil War women
played great part-especially the
Southern women. They more than
anyone compelled every able.bodied
man in the South to go into the line
Of battle. They frowned on every
laggard and loved the rags the Con-
federate soldiers wore. "God bless
those Virginia women" said a Con-
federate general, They're worth a
regiment apiece" II think it sin
to eat anything that could be used for
rations,' said one great lady at the
time when Lee troops were starving.
She kept her word, and died of her
sclf-enforced privations. There was
perhaps there is still-at Washing
ton strange and sad collection of let
ters taken from dead soldiers on both
sides and never claimed. In these
mothers and wives everywhere
preach devotion and stimulate to noble
deeds.
In the Franco-G German war the Ger.
man women showed the same spirit
the same self-denial. They met
the awful lists of casualties at Worth,
at Mars-la-Tour, at Gravelotte, at
Sedan, with heroic fortitude and calm.
In many past wars the women have
taken an actual part in the fighting.
At Petersburg, in the Civil War, q
bevy of Southern girls stood under ire
and sang Bernard Taylor's "Song of
the Camp" to cheer the Southern
troops. Girls acted as guides to scout
ing parties on the most dangerous err
rands in this war.
Under Marlborough the famous
Christina Ross served as dragoon in
many actions, was twice wounded and
ended as Chelsea out.pensioner. At
the Nile the women of the British
feet-for mems wives were then car
fied by custom Of the SERVICES actually
went to inc guns vF heiped with the
powder division. Many were wound
ed, and it is fact that the Sultan
sent special present Of money.
The same thing happened at Trafalgar,
and probably in every great battle
which at that time our ships fought &C
sea.
In the French invasion Of Spain the
Spanish women especially distinguish
ed themselves by their furious aud re-
lcntless hostility to all things French;
at Saragossa and Corona they stood
beside the men upon the ramparts or
loaded muskets for them, and woe be-
tide the wounded Frenchman who fell
into their hands.
In the Franco-German war there
was more than one occasion where wo-
men took part in the fighting. In the
hand-to-hand conflict which surged
around Bazeilles during the battle oe'
Sedan che Bsvarians were maddened
by the conduct Of the women Of the
village, who fred repeatedly at them
from the houses and ill-treated the
wounded. One old woman, wdo was
seen dragging an injured Bavarian
soldier toward blazing house, was
shot in the sight Of all, and it is an un-
questionable fact that many Of the
gentler sex perished in the combat.
Official German accounts spoke Of the
"fanatical and savage participation of
the inhabitants in the fight itself,''
and Zn1o IN bso r,ook etnobooI, r..
given us true and terrible picture Of
their deeds.
In the Boer struggles of the past
with the Kafirs the Boer women have
always helped, when present in lager,
by loading muskets or rifles for the
men; sometimes even by firing them
selves. They are credited with hay
ing attacked our 'lancers after the bat