The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-23
Twenty Women Soldiers of the World

, tack the ancient city of Ssragossa-a
place then Of about g. 90 inhabitants. The
Spanish garrison was small. the wall
around the city was in q dilapidated con
dition, the French approach was unoD-
served and, worst of all, there were trail
tors in the city and its defender were
TO experience the terrors Of night al
| tack
Late one evening treacherous hands
within the Spanish lines fired a magazine
under a portion Of the city wall. huge
/ breach was made and in moment
I column Of French. Uttering loud cheers.
rushed to the attack. The Spanish were
| instantly demoralized; tise little garrison
J abandoned their posts. the citizens fled
shrieking through the streets and appar :
emily nowhere was there any thought OF
resistance Fortunately many Of the PEG
pie. including a portion Of the soldiers,
made their way toward the cathedral as
a place of refuge-and there upon the
steps Of the sanctuary, clothed in white
and holding sloft her crucifix, appeared
Agustina. Bounding down the steps, her
shTil feminine voice called. To the wall,
TO the wall quickly death or victory.
Fresh from her devotiOns the girl led
the way and the men inspired by a new
courage followed. Mounting the wall.
Agustina seized a linstock from the hand
of a dying cannOneer and fired her first
gun into the head of an approaching col
umn. Strong men quickly rallied around
her and aided her; and again and again
the cannon answered to her touch and
beloved a roaring repetition Of her chal-
lenge-'death or victory. All night long
and the greater portion of the next day
the maid remained at her post serving her
gun and inspiring the whole city. At
tack after attack was beaten back and at
length Lefebvre withdrew his troops to
distant hill and reduced his operations
70 an Intellectual bOmbardment. For two
months the struggle lasted and through
il all the girl was the Inspiration OF the
defense. Finally the French were with
IL 4
gOssa for a time breathed freely.
But not for long. In December follow
ing the relentless Napoleon sent Marshal
Lahnes' corps with that Of Befebyre to
renew the attack Agustina, who had re-
tired to domestic life, again came to the
frOnt-this time with a lieutenants COM
mission and uniform and with a new
name la Artellera' (the artillerisD,
given her by the Worshipping people.
When Marshal Lannes made a formal de-
mand of surrender il was to her that the
Spanish commander. Palafox, turned for
counsel; and her undaunted answer was
war to the knife,"
Then followed a conflict Of almost IN
eXampled horror. Famine and disease
entered SaragOssa; the french troops
forced their way into the city and the
fight proceeded from street to street and
from house TO house. All through il the
maid, apparently bearing a charmed life.
was in the vortex of the battles. She
fought behind barbados. led sorties han
u!eu tne cannOnS ana gave counsel TO her
commander. Her lover was killed at her
side, but she fought on. The unburied
dead Of the city lay everywhere. but she
remained unterrified; and. eventually
when the French army retired down the
road to Pampeluna La ArteIlera" led
the pursuit.
She lived to see the last Of the French
armies driven out Of Spain to hear of
the great Corsican as q fretful melan-
choly exile dying in St. Helena to. re-
ceive for herself high honors from her
countrymen and their English allies and
to become a theme of poets and artists
for all ages to remember Excepting her
military experiences she never exhibited
any eccentricities and she died at ripe
old age in Ceuta. Spain, in 1851