Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-26
BUS Woman Secret Service Agents in Civil War

through the war with il and making
an enviable record. Mary Morris Hus-
band, granddaughter of Robert Morris
of revolutionary fame. left her home
and became a nurse at Gettysburg. not
only nursing. but doing valiant service
for the helpless prisoners. Sarah Tay-
lor of East Tennessee. who was called
Joan of Arc by her comrades and who
carried sword and silver-mounted
pistols. marched with the troops and
cheered them on. Miss Mary Hancock
of an Illinois regiment was the first
woman recruit in the service OF the
district seemed slow about enlisting she
went forward and was followed by two
of her friends.
There was no drawer soldier in the
Union army than Frances Hook. four
teen-year-old girl of Chicago. who en-
listed with her brother in the 65th
Illinois. After three months she was
mustered out and then enlisted in the
18th. Her brother was killed at Shiloh,
but the girl. still wearing the uniform
of man. fought through the war until
Chickamauga. when she was captured
and shot through the leg in an at
tempt to escape. While she was pris-
oner in Atlanta jefferson Davis is said
to have offered her lieutenancy IL she
would consent to join the Confederate
forces. She is said to have replied
that she would be hanged before she
would take up arms against the Union.
She enlisted under the name of Frank
Miller.
Another little girl of twelve years en-
listed as drummer boy in a Penn
sylvania regiment under the name or
Charles Martin. She seemed unusually
clever and made herself useful to the
officers of the regiment as a clerk.
She was in five battles. escaped without
a bullet wound and her sex was never
suspected until she was taken to hos
pita1 in Philadelphia suffering from
typhoid fever.
One brave woman who fought in the
battle of Gettysburg was Mary Siezgle.
wife of soldier in the 44th New York
regiment. She first served as a nurse.
but later put on soldiers uniform
and did her share of actual fighting.
Many young girls enlisted in the arm
les on both sides because they did not
wish to be separated from their sweet
hearts. One of the best known of these
was Fanny Wilson of the Gath New
Jersey. who enlisted in the same regi-
ment with the young man to whom she
was engaged He knew nothing of her
action, but she saw him every day. and
on one occasion came near being as
signed to the same mess tent with him.
At Vicksburg she was shot and so was
the young man. Miss Wilson nursed
him, but did not reveal her identity
until just before his death. She re-
manned with him. closed his eyes and
then went north to Cairo, ILL., But the
spirit OF battle was too strong for her
and she re-enlisted. still wearing male
uniform in the Sd Illinois Reg ment Be
ing suspected as Confederate SPY,
she was taken to the Headquarters Of
the commanding officer, where she
made it clear that she was a loyal Fed
eral soldier.
Another case of this sort was Annie
Lillybridge of Detroit, who was be-
trothed to a lieutenant in the 21st
Michigan and decided to put on a SOL
diers uniform that she might be near
him. Miss Lillybridge enlisted in the
same regiment without his knowledge.
but in a different company. One Of
her comrades after several months be-
came aware OF her sex. She was dis
abled by shot in the arm, and, her
sex again being discovered, she was
sent home.
One of the distinguished woman de.
to the encampment. She is Mrs. Lottie
B. Mccartney of Allegheny, Pa, who
was captured by the Confederates when
she was a girl of nineteen, charged
with being q spy and confined in Gas
tie Thunder at Richmond. On the
26th of June. 1863, she was taken at
Cacapon River bridge, w. Va, by Lieut..
Bell, a nephew of Gen. Bell, c. S. A.,
and by order of Gen. Lee was confined
in prison until December /. 1868. when,
by Gen. Lees order, she was exchanged
with 1000 male prisoners at City Point.
In company with the other prisoners
she sailed up Chesapeake hay on a
United States vessel to Baltimore and
from there went to Pittsburgh.