Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-08-21

attempted To play the part of soldier.
II may seem incredible to the men and
women of this day that young women
could enter the military service, escape
detection by the mastering officers. and
associate with worldly wise men, with
4 1t the connivauce of coufederates. But
II must he remembered that In the first
year OF the war there were in every
company many fresh-faccd beardless
young men, diffident In manner and hes
liant in speech, among whom boyish
faced young woman. playing a boys
part did not seem out Of place
II was a time, too, when few ques
tions We're asked and when mastering
officers were not oyerparticuar 4 time
when men from different neighborhoods.
counties and States were thrown to-
gether to form in a day uuexplaiuable
and romantic attachments time
when, in the strangcness of environ
ment and in inconsistencies, the reserve
Of individuals was common, and when
All sorts of eccentricities were excused
At such a time II was easy for high
spirited girl of rugged build to dress in
the Garibaldi shirt and loose blouse and
trousers, and join some squad of eager
recruits ON their way to camp. and 1t
is ndisputable that many escaped de
) lection for months, and did good ser
vice as soldiers
Il cannot remember now single ease
III our division of the army where a girl
who had worn soldier clothes through
skifmiSh or battle was not ON discovery
treated with the greatest respect even
by the toughest men. | cannot renem-
Der case In which scandal was asso-
eiated with a young woman who had
been carried into the army. through
OF self ana sex. Men who had them
selves been overwhelmed and mastered
BY newly discovered, passionate deyo-
ton to flag and country seemed to I'M
derstand the young women who risked
everything to follow the flag. and there
WAS little criticism or censure.
"On one occasion rumor few
through camp that a woman had been
discovered IN one OF the companies
There was excitement at once, hut when
froliesome young fellow IN Company
+ was marched up 10 headquarters UNI
der guard no one suspected that the
person under arrest was a woman. Men
in the same mess were as uususpicious
Al, .
dalized when il was declared that for
six months they had been cutting and
swearing AZ a woman. But the whole
regiment was lined up 10 see her taken
out Of camp, and, much 10 the surprise
of the officers, there was nothing said
that had the slightest flavor Of ribaldry.
On every hand II was 'Good-by Joe :
better luck next time And from the
woman came, 'GoOd-lY, boys; whatever
else you do, remember that did my
duty with the best of YOU And We did
that. me boy, shouted an freshman.
and | viii lick the man that says We
didn't
What became OF her? She was TAX
en- in charge by the colonel's wife. aud
led as honest life as any one. though
possibly not very comfortable one
And, by the way, do not believe that
any OF these soldier girls turned ont
badly | have in mind n girl who served
in another regiment She was the only
child Of our village physician, and had
a boys training. She drove, rode hunt,
ed, and fishcd with her father, who
called her his boy At the very begin
ming OF the war the doctor volunteered.
and in II speech urging young men 10
enlist expressed his regret that his girl
was not boy, as it would give him
inexpressibe pride to have son wear
ing the army blue His daughter took
a resolve then and there, and she ear
rled it out.
Before many weeks she was seeing
hard service IN It Union regiment. and
was associated with three young fell
lows Of sllghter figure aud fairer COM
plexion than herself One day one "
these young men fweaked her nose. aud
she boxed his ears Quick as a fash
the man struck back. and there was a
lively scrap. The orderly sergeant in
terfered. and was surprised To find the
young fellow who had got the best II
the skirmish Respondent and penitent.
The next day the young man told the
orderly that III the midst Of the fight
be OWNED his antagonist was a woman.
She didn't strike-she slapped and
scratched and in her anger and excite
ment betrayed herself The two con
suited with the colonel. and tine girl
was quietly detailed for nurses duty In
the hospital Then she was sent to n
distant hospital. at which she appeared
10 woman's dress, and from that she
was sent to her father, with whom she
remained the greater part Of the war
There are In Chicago said the ma
jor, probably a score Of Southern WON
en who married Union officers. There
is romance ia nearly every such mar
riage, but ! cannot enter that field