Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-06
By F. Cun1iff 60 w e n
Drawings by Joseph Clement Coll

previously must likewise be included in this list of
royal heroines of modern times. She is the only
woman Knight of the Russian Order of Saint George
which, like the English Victoria Cross and the Con
gressiona Medal of the United States is conferred
only in recognition of exceptional feats of military
and naval heroism. She received this distinction
from Emperor Alexander ii for the courage she dis
played in the defense of Gaeta
The siege of that last remaining stronghold of the
Bourbons in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
mains record as one of the most brilliant exam
pies of stubborn resistance against overwhelming
odds in the military history of the nineteenth CEN
fury So great the admiration excited by the
defense, that when at length became impossible to
hold the place any longer the garrison allowed
to march out with all the honors of WARMTH colors
flying and bands playing, and without surrender1ng
either standards, or being deprived OF free
DOM
1t was Queen Marie that belonged all the credit
for this defense 1t was she who induced her hus-
band to make a last stand for his throne in the
fortress of Gaeta, instead of joining the widowed
Queen and other members of the reignlng family
we'll most of the leading statesmen and pr1n-
cipal dignitaries of the army and navy, IN their
flight after the capituation of Naples to Garibald
and King Victor Emmanuel 1t was she too who
prevented King Francis from aCCedlng until further
resistance had become impossible either to the re-
peaed requests surrender to the offers OF refuge
board the English and French warships which
held themselves in readiness to receive him. When
the royal residence in the fortress destroyed by
the fire of the enemy Ito give idea of the intensity
of the fire. may mention that on January ~, 1901
less than eleven thousand projectles were hurled
against the doomed fortress from and land) the
royal couple took up their quarters in the classmates
The Queen divided her time between nursing and
caring for the wounded, and encouraging the Of
1cers and soldiers the ramparts.
AS illustration of her indomitable courage and
presence of mind, l may repeat the absolutely
authentic story of how day during the siege
shell burst in the very where she the King
and the members of their staff seated at dinner
There a rush for doors and windows The only
entirely unmoved was the Queen. Walking up
to the chimneypece. she looked at herself with
certain amount of coquetry in what had been
left of the mirror and seeing that her hair was
literally sprinkled with white dust from the shat
tered plaster and stucco walls, exclaimed, Dear
me! l never dreamt how well powder becomes my
hair. I must really let the soldiers in this
guise
When the King and Queen ultimately left Gaeta.
after siege OF ninety days, more than two-th1rds OF
the garrison had succumbed to typhus, the fire of
the enemy, and the explosion of everyone of the
Magazines and it in recognition of the gallantry
of the defense and the heroism of the Queen that
by the direction of the late Victor Emmanuel the
Italian flag not hoisted over the fortress by the
vicors until the vessel carrying the Queen and King
to Civitavecchia, en- route to Rome had passed out
of sight.
1t is quite in keeping with the character of Queen
Marie that when Alexander ii. of Russia announced
his intention of comforting upon her his Order of