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diff --git a/43647-8.txt b/43647-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fdeb17a..0000000 --- a/43647-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5290 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Female Warriors, Vol. II (of 2), by Ellen C. Clayton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Female Warriors, Vol. II (of 2) - Memorials of Female Valour and Heroism, from the - Mythological Ages to the Present Era. - -Author: Ellen C. Clayton - -Release Date: September 5, 2013 [EBook #43647] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FEMALE WARRIORS, VOL. II (OF 2) *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - -FEMALE WARRIORS. - -MEMORIALS OF - -_FEMALE VALOUR AND HEROISM, FROM THE MYTHOLOGICAL AGES TO -THE PRESENT ERA_. - -BY ELLEN C. CLAYTON (_MRS. NEEDHAM_), - -AUTHOR OF "QUEENS OF SONG," "ENGLISH FEMALE ARTISTS," ETC. - -IN TWO VOLUMES. - -VOL. II. - - - LONDON: - TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. - 1879. - - [_All Rights Reserved._] - - PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND CO., - 10, LITTLE QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - Page - - Captain Bodeaux, Female Officer in the French Army--Christian - Davies, _alias_ Mother Ross--Female Soldier in the 20th - Foot--Women of Barcelona--Hannah Snell, Private in the Line - and Marines--Phoebe Hessel, Private in the 5th Regiment--"Paul" - Daniel, a Female Recruit--Hannah Whitney, and Anne Chamberlayne, - Female Sailors--Mary Ralphson--Miss Jenny Cameron--"Pretty Polly - Oliver"--Anne Sophia Detzliffin, Prussian Female Soldier--Madame - de Drucourt (Siege of Louisbourg)--Madame Ducharmy (Capture of - Guadeloupe)--Chevalier d'Eon--Deborah Samson, Private, and Molly - Macaulay, Sergeant in the American Revolutionary Army--Elizabeth - Canning--Catherine the Second of Russia and the Princess - Daschkova--Doña Rafaela Mora, Female Captain in the Spanish - American Service (How Nelson Lost an Eye)--Female Sailor on Board - Admiral Rodney's Ship 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - THE FRENCH REVOLUTION--The Furies--Rose Lacombe--Théroigne de - Méricourt--Madame Marie Adrian (Siege of Lyons)--Renée - Langevin--Madlle. de la Rochefoucault--Madame Dufief (War in La - Vendée)--Félicité and Théophile de Fernig, Officers on Dumouriez's - Staff--Mary Schelienck--Thérèse Figueur, French Dragoon--"William - Roberts," the Manchester Heroine, Sergeant in the 15th Light - Dragoons and the 37th Foot--Mary Anne Talbot, Drummer in the 32nd, - Cabin Boy on board the Brunswick, and Middy on board the - Vesuvius--Highland Soldier's Wife at the Storming of New - Vigie--Susan Frost--Peggy Monro (IRISH REBELLION)--Martha Glar - and other Swiss Heroines--Queen of Prussia at Jena--Marie Anne - Elise Bonaparte, Princess Bacciocchi--Maid of Saragossa--Manuella - Sanchez, Benita, and other Heroines of Saragossa--Spanish Female - Captain--Mrs. Dalbiac (Battle of Salamanca)--Ellonora Prochaska, - Private in Lutzow's Rifle Corps--Augusta Frederica Krüger, Prussian - Soldier--Louise Belletz, French Artillery Soldier--Mrs. Heald and - Mrs. Helm (Chicago Massacre) 43 - - - CHAPTER III. - - Bobolina (GREEK REVOLUTION)--Doña Maria de Jesus, Private in the - Brazilian Army (War of the Reconcave)--Russian Female - Soldiers--Juana de Arieto (Civil Wars in Spain, 1834)--Anita - Garibaldi--Appolonia Jagiello (Rebellions in Poland, 1846-48, and - Vienna and Hungary in 1848)--Bravery of the Croatian Women--Countess - Helene St. ----, a Hungarian Patriot--Garde Mobile--Louisa - Battistati (Milanese Revolution, 1848)--Fatima, a Turkish Commander - (Russian War)--Lady Paget (Attack on the Mamelon, 1855)--Miss - Wheeler (Cawnpore Massacre)--Ex-Queen of Naples--Polish - Insurrection--Mdlle. Pustowjtoff, Adjutant to Langievicz--Female - Chasseurs--Female Lieut.-Colonel in the Mexican Army--Civil War in - America--Female Privates in the Potomac Army--Female Lieutenant and - Privates in the Army of the West--Mrs. Clayton, Private in the - Federal Army--Emily ----, Private in the Drum Corps of a Michigan - Regiment--Female Confederates at Ringgold, Chattanooga--Mrs. - Florence Bodwin--Female Mulatto Sergeant--Native Contingent in New - Zealand--Herminia Manelli, Corporal of Bersaglieri (Battle of - Custozza, 1866)--Lopez's Amazons--Cretan Amazons--Women of - Montenegro--Maria L----, French Sergeant--Female Brigands--German - Order to reward Courage in Women--Minna Hänsel (Franco-Prussian - War)--Miss Jessie C. Claffin (American Colonel) 96 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - Indian Amazons--Cleophes, Queen of Massaga--Moynawoti, Queen of - Kamrup--Ranee of Scinde--Sultana Rizia--Gool Behist--Booboojee - Khanum and Dilshad Agha, Mother and Aunt of a King of - Bijapur--Durgautti, Queen of Gurrah--Khunza Sultana, Regent of - Ahmednuggur--Chand Sultana, Regent of Ahmednuggur--Nour Mahal, - Empress of Hindostan--Princess Janee Begum--Juliana--Madam - Mequinez, Colonel in the Service of Hyder Ali Khan--Begum Somroo, - General in the Service of the Emperor Shah Aulum and Grandmother - of the eccentric Dyce Sombre--Begum Nujeef Cooli--Mrs. W., Native - Wife of a British Sergeant in India--Lukshmi Baee, Ranee of Jhansi - (Indian Mutiny)--Female Mutineer captured before Delhi, - 1857--Female Guards in the Zenanas of Indian Princes--Begum of - Oude--Bantam Amazons 138 - - - CHAPTER V. - - SOUTH AFRICA. - - Judith, Queen of Abyssinia--Workite and Mastrat, Gallas - Queens--Shinga, Queen of Congo--Mussasa, Queen of - Matamba--Tembandumba, Queen of the Jagas--Amazons in Dahomey 185 - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -FEMALE WARRIORS. - - - - -I. - - Captain Bodeaux, Female Officer in the French - Army.--Christian Davies, _alias_ Mother Ross.--Female - Soldier in the 20th Foot.--Women of Barcelona.--Hannah - Snell, Private in the Line and Marines.--Phoebe Hessel, - Private in the 5th Regiment.--Paul Daniel, a Female - Recruit.--Hannah Whitney and Anne Chamberlayne, Female - Sailors.--Mary Ralphson.--"Pretty Polly Oliver."--Miss - Jenny Cameron.--Anne Sophia Detzliffin, Prussian Female - Soldier.--Madame de Drucourt (Siege of Louisburg).--Madame - Ducharmy (Capture of Guadeloupe).--Chevalier d'Eon.--Deborah - Samson, Private, and Molly Macaulay, Sergeant in the - American Revolutionary Army.--Elizabeth Canning.--Catherine - the Second of Russia and the Princess Daschkova.--Doña - Rafaela Mora, Female Captain in the Spanish American Service - (How Nelson Lost an Eye.)--Female Sailor on Board Admiral - Rodney's Ship. - - -During the eighteenth century there were to be found in nearly -every European army, one or more female soldiers. They sometimes -held commissions as officers, but more frequently served as -non-commissioned officers or privates. Those women and girls who -enlisted in the British Army were generally wives or sweethearts of -soldiers whose regiments had been ordered abroad, and the women, -preferring to encounter the dangers and hardships of a foreign campaign -rather than the miseries of separation, disguised themselves in male -attire and enlisted in some battalion which was embarking for the seat -of war. Sometimes, indeed, women, deserted by their husbands, resolved -to follow their unfaithful spouses all over the world: and, unable to -afford travelling expenses, enlisted at the first recruiting depôt, and -trusted to chance for meeting with or hearing of the object of their -search. As no personal examination of recruits took place in those -days, either in Great Britain or elsewhere, there was no way of finding -out the imposture until afterwards, more especially as the female -soldiers behaved themselves quite as _manly_ as their comrades. - -Of course in every country there have been local celebrities whose -names even are unknown beyond the frontiers, for a man or woman must -perform very great deeds to become famous in foreign lands. Thus it -happens, while we are familiar with the names of many an English -female soldier, we know of only two or three women who served during -the last century in the armies of France. Yet the world well knows -that Frenchwomen are second to none in warlike _esprit_. One of these -Gallic warriors was Captain Bodeaux, an officer holding a commission -as lieutenant in one of the regiments which went over to Ireland under -the command of St. Ruth, to assist James the Second. This gallant -officer distinguished herself at the battle of the Boyne, July 1st, -1690, where she met with Mr. Cavanaugh, father of Christian Davies. She -stopped at the house of that gentleman (who was also fighting for King -James) till about three in the morning, when, being alarmed, they fled -together precipitately. Christian Davies describes this officer as "a -very handsome young French gentleman," though the real sex of Bodeaux -was not unknown to her. At the siege of Limerick, June, 1691, she held -Thomond bridge, over the Shannon, with a small body of troops, against -the English, till at last she fell, covered with wounds. Such was the -bravery of this young French officer that her death was lamented even -by the foe. Great was their astonishment when they found their valiant -antagonist was a woman. - - * * * * * - -The most famous woman who has ever served as a private in any modern -European army, was Christian (or Christiana) Davies, _alias_ Mother -Ross. She was born in 1667, in Dublin, "of parents whose probity -acquired them that respect from their acquaintance which they had no -claim to from their birth." Her father, Mr. Cavanaugh, was a brewer -and maltster, employing upwards of twenty servants, exclusive of those -engaged on his farm at Leslipp, where his wife and daughter resided. -Christiana never liked sedentary work, and in the matter of education -never made much progress. She had barely sufficient patience to learn -reading, and to become a good needle-woman. Open air exercises were her -delight; ploughing, hay-making, using the flail, and, above all, riding -on horseback. "I used," she says, "to get astride upon the horses and -ride them bare-backed about the fields and ditches, by which I once -got a terrible fall and spoiled a gray mare given to my brother by our -grandfather." Mr. Cavanaugh never discovered the offender; but, to -purchase the silence of a cowherd who saw her and the mare fall into a -dry ditch, she was obliged, for a long time, to give him a cup of ale -every night. - -In 1685, when the Irish were arming for King James, Mr. Cavanaugh sold -his corn and equipped a troop of horse, with which he joined that -monarch. After enduring great hardships he was dangerously wounded at -the battle of Aughrim, June 12th, 1691, and died a few days after. His -property was confiscated by Government. - -Previous to this, shortly after the departure of Mr. Cavanaugh from -home, the Roman Catholic inhabitants of Leslipp blocked up the door of -the parish church during divine service, with logs of wood, butchers' -blocks, and any other heavy articles which came to hand. Christiana -was at home when this occurred; but her mother being, with others, -blockaded in the sacred edifice, she seized up a spit and ran to the -rescue. Being resisted by a sergeant, she thrust the spit through -his leg; then removing the things which blocked up the door, set the -congregation free. Christiana was arrested for wounding the sergeant, -but was afterwards liberated. - -After the death of her father, Christian went on a visit to her aunt, -the landlady of a public-house in Dublin, who, at her death, left -the establishment to her niece. The latter married Richard Welsh, a -good-looking young fellow who acted as barman and general assistant. -After two boys had been born, her happiness was suddenly blighted by -the mysterious disappearance of Richard, of whom nothing was heard for -several months. At last, when she had given him up for dead, a letter -arrived (the _twelfth_ he had written) telling her how, on the day of -his disappearance, he had been invited by an old friend on board a -transport with recruits on board; the vessel set sail, and they had -reached Helvoet Sluys before he could get ashore. Having no way of -getting back to Ireland, he enlisted in a foot-regiment. - -Christian resolved to follow her husband to Flanders. Letting the -public-house, leaving her furniture with different friends, and placing -one child with her grandmother and the other with a nurse, she dressed -herself in a suit of her husband's clothes, cut her hair short, and -went to the "Golden Last," where Ensign Laurence told the new recruit -that she was "a clever, brisk young fellow," and enrolled her, under -the name of Christopher Welsh, in the Marquis de Pisare's regiment of -foot. - -The recruits were disembarked at Williamstadt, in Holland. Thence they -marched to Gorkhum, where they received their uniforms; and the next -day they advanced to Landen, which they reached a day or two before the -great battle of July 19th, 1693. Here they were incorporated into their -respective battalions. Christian found the drill very easy, "having -been accustomed," as she says, "to soldiers, when a girl, and delighted -with seeing them exercise. I very soon was perfect," she adds, "and -applauded by my officers for my dexterity in going through it." - -The same night that she arrived at Landen, being on night-guard at the -door of the Elector of Hanover (afterwards George I.), Christian was -wounded by a musket-ball which grazed her leg, barely missing the bone. -She was thus laid up for two months. - -During the summer of 1694, Christian being out with a foraging party, -was made prisoner, and brought, together with three-score English and -Dutch, to St. Germain-en-Laye. When the ex-Queen of England heard -that Christian and her companions were English soldiers, she ordered -that each man should have a pound of bread, a pint of wine, and five -farthings each per diem, with clean straw every night. But the Dutch -prisoners were not allowed these luxuries. The Duke of Berwick, a -Marshal of France, visited the prison, and tried to persuade the -British to follow his example and enter the service of the Grand -Monarque. The chief annoyance which Christian suffered was the fear of -being recognised by her cousin, Captain Cavanaugh, a French officer, -who visited the prison nearly every day. - -About nine days later, the English prisoners were exchanged, and -on being set free they waited upon the Queen to thank her for her -kindness. Her regiment passed the winter of 1694-5 in Gorkhum, where -Christian passed her time "very merrily" by making love to the young -and pretty daughter of a wealthy burgher. After a few weeks' courtship -"the poor girl grew absolutely fond" of her military wooer. This -_harmless frolic_ led to a duel between Private Welsh and a sergeant -of the regiment who wished to engage the girl's affections. Having -dangerously wounded the sergeant, Christian was ordered under arrest; -but the old father, who was in ignorance of the real state of the case, -exerted his influence with the authorities, and procured her discharge -from the regiment. - -Bidding farewell to the girl, under pretence of going to purchase a -commission, Christian enlisted in the 6th Dragoons, commanded by Lord -John Hayes, and served all through the campaign of 1695, including the -siege of Namur. Nothing remarkable happened to her till the Peace of -Ryswick, Sept. 20th, 1697, when she was discharged, and went home to -Ireland. None of her friends recognised the stalwart dragoon as being -identical with Mrs Welsh; so, in place of claiming her property she -found other means of support, until the War of the Spanish Succession -broke out, in 1701. Returning to Holland, Christian re-enlisted in the -6th Dragoons. - -She served through the campaigns of 1701-2, under the Duke of -Marlborough, without being wounded. She was one of the captors of -Venlo, Sept. 23rd, 1702, which proved a profitable investment for the -English, for they found more than thirty pieces of cannon, twenty -thousand florins, and a quantity of plate and jewellery. Christian -complains that, the Grenadiers having the start of the Dragoons, she -"got very little of the plunder." "I got, however," she confesses, "a -large silver chalice and some other pieces of plate," which prize was -sufficient to console her. - -The Dragoons wintered at Venlo, and a night or two after their arrival -she was ordered, with others, to escort the Duke of Marlborough along -the banks of the Meuse. "During our march," says Christian, "by the -darkness of the night we mistook our way, and going up the country -fell in with a hogstye where was a sow with five pigs, one of which I -made bold with. I was possessed of it some time," she adds, "when one -Taylor, a corporal belonging to Brigadier Panton's Regiment of Horse, -attempted to spoil me of my booty, whereupon some words arising, he -drew, and made a stroke at my head, which I warding with my hand, had -the sinew of my little finger cut in two; at the same time, with the -butt-end of my pistol I struck out one of his eyes." Pretty discipline -for British soldiers! - -After serving all through the campaign of 1703, including the battle -of Eckeren, and the sieges of Bonn and Lembourg, she was wounded in -the hip at the battle of Donawert, July 2nd, 1704. The musket-ball -lodged so firmly in the bone that the efforts of three surgeons in the -hospital near Schellenberg were insufficient to extract it. Christian -with difficulty warded off the discovery of her sex. - -She left hospital just in time to assist in plundering the Bavarians. -"We spared nothing," says she; "burning or otherwise destroying -whatever we could not carry off. The bells of the churches we broke to -pieces that we might bring them away with us. I filled three bed-ticks, -after having emptied them of the feathers, with bell-metal, men's and -women's clothes, some velvets, and about one hundred Dutch caps which I -had plundered from a shop." Besides these things she got several pieces -of plate, as spoons, mugs, cups, etc. - -After the battle of Blenheim, August 2nd, 1704, in which she was in -the midst of the fight, under the hottest of the fire, Christian -was appointed one of the guard despatched with the prisoners to -Breda. Having halted to refresh themselves with a pint of beer and -a pennyworth of bread each (the prisoners being allowed the same -indulgence), Christian saw the long-lost Richard Welsh, now a sergeant -in the Earl of Orkney's regiment of foot, making love to a Dutch woman. -She abused him heartily at first, but she soon forgave him. It was -agreed that she should remain in the army and pass as his brother. On -her return to her regiment she assisted in the siege of Landau. Nothing -of any consequence happened to her during the campaign of 1705. - -On the 23rd of May, 1706, was fought the great battle of Ramilies. -When the French were retreating, Christian, who had fought valiantly -during the engagement, was struck in the head by "an unlucky shell" -fired from a mortar planted on the steeple of the church. Her skull -was fractured, and she was carried to the hospital of Meldré or -Meldret, where her head was trepanned. During a ten weeks' illness the -long-dreaded discovery of her sex was made. The surgeons sent word to -Brigadier Preston that his "pretty Dragoon" was a woman. The Brigadier, -who would at first scarcely believe the news, told Christian that he -had always looked upon her "as the prettiest fellow, and the best man -he had." The story soon spread through the regiment, and Christian was -visited by Lord John Hayes and all her officers and comrades. Lord -John gave strict orders that she should want for nothing, and promised -that her pay as a dragoon should be continued till she had quitted the -hospital. - -Of course she could no longer stop in the regiment. "Brigadier Preston" -she says "made me a present of a handsome silk gown; every one of the -officers contributed to furnishing me with whatever was requisite for -the dress of my sex, and dismissed me the service with a handsome -compliment." Her husband having been questioned relative to their -previous acquaintance, it was thought prudent to have them married -again; and this second wedding was celebrated with much solemnity, in -presence of all the officers, "who, everyone, at taking leave, would -kiss the bride, and left me," adds Christian, "a piece of gold, some -four or five, to put me in a way of life." - -For a short time she carried on the business of cook to the 6th -Dragoons; but finding the work too heavy, she turned sutler, and was -permitted, as a special favour, to pitch her tent in the front of the -army, the other sutlers being driven to the rear. She spent much time -in marauding; and one day in 1708, being in male garb, she and her -mule were taken prisoner. However, she persuaded the French officer to -let her go. Shortly before this she hired herself as cook to the head -sutler of the British army, Mr. Dupper, who afterwards kept a tavern on -Fish Street Hill, London. - -Richard Welsh was slain at the siege of Mons, in September, 1709. Her -grief, she tells us, was something terrible. It was on this occasion -that she first came to be styled Mother Ross. "Captain Ross came by, -who seeing my agony, could not forbear sympathizing with me and dropped -some tears, protesting that the poor woman's grief touched him nearer -than the loss of so many brave men. This confession from the Captain -gave me the nick-name of Mother Ross, by which I became better known -than by that of my husband." - -Eleven weeks after the death of Welsh, his sorrowing widow was -persuaded to bestow her hand on Hugh Jones, Grenadier, who was killed -at the siege of St. Venant, 1710. During this and the following year -Christian held the post of under-cook in Lord Stair's kitchen. - -On the close of the campaign of 1712 she returned to England, and -called on the Duke of Marlborough; but he, being in disgrace, advised -her to wait on the Duke of Argyle. The latter told Christian to -draw up a petition to the Queen. Her majesty received Mother Ross -very graciously, and gave her an order on the Earl of Oxford for -fifty pounds. But having waited on the Earl several times and seen -neither him nor the money, she petitioned the Queen again. Anne -granted a second order for the same sum, payable this time on Sir -William Windham, and Christian was also put on the pension list for -a shilling a day. Sir William at once paid the fifty pounds; but the -Earl of Oxford, without speaking to Queen Anne, cut down the pension -to five-pence. On the accession of George I., she succeeded in having -it raised again to a shilling; and this pension she retained till her -death. - -Immediately after receiving the money, Christian returned to Dublin; -but being unable to recover either her house or furniture, she set up -a beershop. She was keeping herself very comfortably, "till my evil -genius," she laments, "entangled me in a third marriage." This time -the bridegroom was named Davies, and belonged to the Welsh Fusileers. -His regiment was ordered, soon after the marriage, to England; -Christian therefore sold her effects, and returned to London, where she -established a shop in Willow Walk, Tothill Fields, Westminster, for -the sale of strong liquors and farthing pies. This was in 1715. She -prospered so well, that after the return of her husband from Preston -(where he had gone to fight the Pretender), she was able to purchase -his discharge; but "in two days after his arrival in London, being -drunk, he enlisted in the Guards." During the November of this year, -Mother Ross kept a sutler's tent in Hyde Park where the Life and Foot -Guards were encamped. - -Her husband was a constant source of trouble and vexation. Some friends -having obtained his discharge, he spent her money so fast that she -was obliged to give up, successively, public-houses at Paddington -and in Charles-street, Westminster. She returned to Dublin, when the -Lord-Lieutenant granted her the exclusive privilege of selling beer in -the Phoenix Park on review-days. Tiring of this, in less than a year, -she returned to England; and after living three years in Chester, she -entered Chelsea College as a Pensioner. She also succeeded in obtaining -a sergeantcy in the College for her husband. Here she resided till her -death: being supported by the benevolence of several members of the -nobility--principally officers who had known her as Mother Ross. She -went to Court twice a-week to keep herself in the minds of her patrons; -"but," she laments, "the expense of coach-hire, as both my lameness and -age increases, for I cannot walk ten yards without help, is a terrible -tax upon their charity, and at the same time many of my old friends no -longer going to Court, my former subsistence is greatly diminished from -what it was." - -For some months previous to her death Christian Davies's health was -undermined by dropsy, scurvy, and other disorders. But the chief -cause of her last illness was sitting up several nights by the -bed-side of her husband. This brought on a severe cold, which threw -her into a fever, of which she died, July 7th, 1739. She was interred -with military honours in the burial-ground of Chelsea College. Her -autobiography, edited by Daniel Defoe, was published in 1740. A second -edition came out in 1741, with a vignette frontispiece representing -Christian Davies first in her Dragoon's uniform, and then in the dress -of a sutler. - - * * * * * - -According to the embarkation returns of the 20th Foot, dated 1st July, -1702, preserved among the Harleian MSS. at the British Museum, one of -the soldiers in Captain St. Clair's Company was found to be a woman. -The regiment was embarking to join the expedition against Cadiz. - - * * * * * - -During the war of the Spanish Succession, Catalonia having declared -against Philip, the French claimant to the crown, was invaded and -ravaged by the forces of Louis Quatorze. Barcelona, the capital, was -invested for several months, and the formidable artillery of France -played, almost unceasingly, on the walls. But the people, nothing -daunted by the arrival of Marshal Berwick with twenty thousand men -to reinforce the besiegers, made a most resolute defence. All who -could bear arms flew to aid in the defence; the priests and the women -enrolled themselves in the ranks, and fought with the same desperate -valour as the rest. Their courage, however, was unavailing; for the -city was taken by assault, Sept. 11th, 1714. - - * * * * * - -Hannah Snell, another British heroine, was born in Fryer-street, -Winchester, on the 23rd of April, 1723. Military predilections ran in -the family; her grandfather served under King William and the Duke of -Marlborough, and was slain in the battle of Malplaquet. Her father, -however, was a simple dyer and hosier. Hannah was the youngest but one -of a family of three sons and six daughters. - -On the death of her father and mother in 1740, Hannah came to London, -and lived for some time in Ship-street, Wapping, in the house of one -of her sisters, Mrs. Gray, whose husband was a carpenter. She had -not resided in the house very long before she became acquainted with -James Summs, a Dutch sailor, whom she married, Jan. 6th, 1743, after a -courtship of about two years. Her marriage was not a happy one. After -squandering the little property belonging to his wife, spending it -in the lowest debauchery, James became heavily involved in debt, and -deserted her altogether. Hannah, left without the means of support, was -obliged to return to the house of her sister, where, two months after, -her child, a girl, was born. - -Notwithstanding his vile conduct, Mrs. Summs still dearly loved her -husband; and on the death of her child, she resolved to set out in -search of the truant. Dressing herself in a suit of clothes belonging -to her brother-in-law, which, together with his name, she borrowed, -Hannah left London, Nov. 23rd, 1743, and reached Coventry without -hearing any news of her missing husband. On the 27th of the same month -she enlisted, under the name of James Gray, in General Guise's regiment -of Foot (the 6th, or Royal First Warwickshire). After remaining about -three weeks in the town, during which she made numberless inquiries -about James Summs, Hannah was sent with seventeen comrades to join her -regiment at Carlisle. - -She was soon very proficient in the drill; but at the same time she had -the misfortune to incur the enmity of Davis, a sergeant in her company, -who wished to employ the new recruit in a somewhat dishonourable affair -with a girl who lived in Carlisle. Hannah, however, disclosed the real -intentions of the sergeant to the intended victim, and gained the love -of the girl, while she made a bitter enemy of Davis. The latter, from -seeing Hannah and the other very frequently together, grew terribly -jealous; he seized the first opportunity to charge his supposed rival -with neglect of duty. Hannah was sentenced to receive six hundred -lashes. After five hundred had been administered, the officers -interceded, and obtained for her the remission of the other hundred. - -The tyranny of Davis soon became unbearable; and, to make matters -worse, a carpenter from Worcester, who had lodged in the house of -Hannah's brother-in-law, enlisted in the regiment, and she was in -constant terror lest he should recognise and betray her. To get away -without the discovery of her sex was now the great object of her -thoughts. She borrowed a small sum of money from the girl in Carlisle, -deserted, and set off on foot for Portsmouth. About a mile from -Carlisle she saw several men and women picking peas; their clothes -lay about, at a short distance, and Hannah very speedily exchanged her -soldier's coat for an old jacket. - -At Liverpool she entered a small public-house; and, by affecting to -make love to the landlady, made the landlord so jealous that a match of -"fisticuffs" ensued. Boniface, however, got the worst of it, and was -compelled to keep his bed all next day. Hannah borrowed some money of -the landlady, and made the best of her way to Chester, where she took -genteel lodgings in a private house. - -It chanced that a pretty young mantua-maker lodged in the same house. -Hannah contrived to make the acquaintance of the girl, and speedily -won her heart, together with five guineas. The handsome young suitor -levanted to Winchester, where, in an attempt on the heart of a widow, -she met her match. She speedily quitted the town, with only a few -shillings in her pocket. - -In about a month from the day she left Carlisle, Hannah reached -Portsmouth, where she enlisted in Colonel Fraser's Regiment of Marines. -With others of her regiment, she embarked, three weeks later, for the -East Indies. The "Swallow" formed part of Admiral Boscawen's fleet. -Hannah soon earned the praises of the officers for her dexterity in -washing, mending, and cooking. Mr. Wyegate, Lieutenant of Marines, was -so greatly interested in the young private, that he invited her to -become one at the officers' mess. - -The "Swallow" suffered from some terrible storms, which destroyed -almost all her rigging, and reduced the vessel almost to the condition -of a wreck. It was refitted at Gibraltar; proceeding thence by the Cape -of Good Hope to the Mauritius, which Admiral Boscawen unsuccessfully -attacked. Thence the fleet sailed to Fort St. David on the Coromandel -coast; where the marines being disbanded, joined the British force -encamped before Areacoping. The place surrendered after a siege of -ten days. During the siege Hannah displayed so much courage that she -received the commendations of all her officers. - -The British next laid siege to Pondicherry; but after suffering -terrible hardships, they were forced by the rainy season to raise the -siege in eleven weeks. Hannah was one of the first body of British -soldiers who forded the river, breast high, under an incessant fire -from the French batteries. She was also for seven nights successively -on duty in the picket-ground, and worked exceedingly hard for upwards -of fourteen days in the trenches. - -She was dangerously wounded in one of the attacks. During this action -she fired thirty-seven rounds, and received in return six shots in her -right leg, five in the left leg, and a dangerous wound in the abdomen; -the last-named being excessively painful. She was terrified lest these -wounds would lead to the discovery of her sex; so in place of letting -the army-surgeons dress all her wounds, she kept silence about the most -dangerous of them, though it was at the risk of her life. Entrusting -the secret to no one but a black woman who waited on her, Hannah -extracted the bullet with her finger and thumb; the negress obtained -lint, salve, and other necessaries for dressing, and the wound was soon -perfectly cured. - -Hannah was removed for the cure of her other wounds to the hospital at -Cuddalore; and before her recovery, the greater part of the fleet had -sailed. She was sent on board the "Tartar Pink," and performed all the -regular duties of a sailor, till the return of the fleet from Madras, -when she was turned over to the "Eltham" man-of-war. On board this ship -she sailed to Bombay. The vessel sprang a leak, and they were obliged -to stop here five weeks to repair. - -One night the Lieutenant of the "Eltham," who commanded in the absence -of Captain Lloyd, wishing to pass the time agreeably, asked Hannah for -a song. She declined, on the plea of being unwell; but the officer -would take no denial. Hannah became obstinate, but soon she had cause -to regret her folly. Shortly after, she was accused of stealing a -shirt belonging to one of her comrades. The Lieutenant, having a -grudge against Hannah, ordered her to be put in irons; and after five -days' confinement, ordered her to the gangway, where she received five -lashes. The shirt was afterwards found in the box of the very man who -had complained of losing it. - -Returning to Fort St. David, the "Eltham" rejoined the squadron, -which departed soon after on its homeward voyage. Hannah was terribly -"chaffed" during the voyage because she had no beard; and she became -known among the sailors by the name of Miss Molly Gray. But in place of -resenting this, Hannah, to show she was as good a man as any of them, -plunged headlong into all the amusements and enjoyments of the others, -and they soon forgot the old nickname, for which they substituted that -of "Hearty Jemmy." - -One night, in a house of entertainment at Lisbon, she learned, from an -English sailor who had been in a Dutch ship at Genoa, that James Summs, -her husband, was dead. He had murdered a gentleman of high position in -Genoa, and for this crime he was put into a bag full of stones, and -flung into the sea. - -The British fleet arrived at Spithead in 1750. Hannah left the -"Eltham," and came to London, where she was cordially welcomed by her -sister. The strange story of Hannah Snell soon became generally known; -and as she had a good voice, the managers of the Royalty Theatre, -Wellclose Square, engaged her to appear before the footlights as -Bill Bobstay, Firelock, and other military and naval heroes, and to -go through the manual and platoon exercises with a musket. But she -did not long remain on the stage, as, in consideration of the wounds -she received during the siege of Pondicherry, she was put on the -out-pensioners' list at Chelsea Hospital. Her pension was increased -by a special grant to twenty pounds a year, and paid regularly to the -day of her death. With the assistance of some friends she set up a -public-house at Wapping, by which she realized a very good income. On -one side of the sign-board there was painted the figure of a jovial -British tar, on the other a portrait of herself in her marine's -uniform. Underneath the last was inscribed, "The Widow in Masquerade, -or the Female Warrior." - -Hannah preferred masculine attire, and continued to wear men's clothes -for the rest of her life. She lived long to enjoy her prosperity; but -during the latter years of her life she became a lunatic, and died, at -the age of sixty-nine, in Bedlam. - - * * * * * - -Phoebe Hessel (or Hassel) was for many years a private in the 5th -Regiment, and served under the Duke of Cumberland in many engagements, -amongst others the battle of Fontenoy. The fatigues and hardships of -war certainly did not tend to shorten her days. Born during the reign -of Queen Anne, she lived to see the accession of George IV. Indeed, it -was through the liberality of the last-named monarch that Phoebe was -enabled to live comfortably during the latter years of her life. When -the Prince Regent visited Brighton, he saw old Phoebe, who was living -there, maintained by some of the more benevolent inhabitants. Having -heard her strange story, the Prince told some one to ask her what sum -she required to make her comfortable. - -"Half-a-guinea a week," replied Phoebe, "will make me as happy as a -princess." - -This annuity was, by order of the Prince Regent, paid to her as long as -she lived. - -Phoebe Hessel was a woman of good information, and very -communicative. Her stories were always worth hearing. She retained -all her faculties till within a few hours of her death, which took -place Dec. 12th, 1821. She was buried in Brighton Churchyard, and a -tombstone erected over her grave by public subscription. The following -inscription was carved thereon:-- - -"Sacred to the memory of Phoebe Hessel, born Sept. 1st, 1713. She -served for many years as a private soldier in the 5th regiment, in -different parts of Europe, and in 1745 fought under the Duke of -Cumberland in the battle of Fontenoy, where she received a bayonet -wound in the arm; her long life which commenced in the reign of queen -Anne, induced his present Majesty George IV. to grant her a pension. -She died at Brighton, where she had long resided, Dec. 12th, 1821, aged -108 years." - - * * * * * - -In August, 1761, as a sergeant was exercising some recruits on board a -transport at Portsmouth, he noticed that one of them, who had enlisted -under the name of Paul Daniel, had a more prominent breast than the -others. When the firing was over, the sergeant sent for Daniel to -the cabin, and told him his suspicion that he was a woman. After -some evasions the recruit confessed her sex; and said that she had a -husband, to whom she was devotedly attached, who, after squandering a -plentiful fortune, had reduced himself and her to beggary, and had then -enlisted. His regiment had been ordered to Germany in 1759 to serve -against the French, and had remained abroad ever since. Not having -heard from him for two years, she had resolved to roam the world in -search of him. She heard that the British Government were sending more -troops to Germany, so she enlisted in one of the regiments ordered -thither, thinking to meet her husband. When the discovery of her sex -frustrated this design, she declared herself to be inconsolable. - - * * * * * - -In October of the same year, a young woman aged about twenty, attired -in nautical garb, was seized at Plymouth by the Press-gang, and sent -to Captain Toby. On her capture she was placed for safety in the town -jail. Not relishing her imprisonment, she roundly abused Captain Toby, -told him she was a woman, that her name was Hannah Whitney, that she -was born in Ireland, and had served on board several British men-of-war -for upwards of five years. She concluded by informing the astounded -captain that she would never have discovered her sex if they had not -placed her in a common jail. Of course she was immediately released. - - * * * * * - -There is (or was) a monument in Chelsea church, commemorative of -the masculine courage of Anne Chamberlayne, only daughter of Edward -Chamberlayne, Doctor of Laws. She appears to have been infected with an -ardour for naval glory by her two brothers, who were both distinguished -officers on board men-of-war. Putting on the dress of a sailor, she -joined the crew of a fine ship, commanded by one of her brothers; and -in an engagement with the French, she fought most gallantly for upwards -of six hours. - - * * * * * - -On the 27th of June, 1808, died at Liverpool Mary Ralphson, a Scottish -heroine. She was born in Lochaber, June 1st, 1698; and married Ralph -Ralphson, then a private in the British army. She followed her husband -in all his campaigns under the Duke of Cumberland, and was present with -him in several famous engagements. On the breaking out of the war in -French Flanders she embarked with the troops, and shared their toils -and vicissitudes. Being present on the field of Dettingen during the -heat of the conflict, surrounded with heaps of the slain, she saw a -wounded dragoon fall dead by her side. She disguised herself in his -clothes, and regained the British camp; then returned with her husband -to England. After this she accompanied him in his later campaigns -under the Duke of Cumberland. She lived to a fine old age, and was -supported during her declining years chiefly by some benevolent ladies -of Liverpool. - -There is just a hint of a loyal Jacobite heroine in a curious old -Scotch ballad called "Polly Oliver's Ramble." The song commences:-- - - "As pretty Polly Oliver lay musing in bed, - A comical fancy came into her head; - Nor father nor mother shall make me false prove, - I'll list for a soldier and follow my love." - -There is an old song on the Pretender which appears to be a parody on -this ballad. This begins:-- - - "As Perkin one morning lay musing in bed, - The thought of three kingdoms ran much in his head." - -In June, 1745, Charles Edward Stuart, the young Pretender, landed in -Scotland to assert his father's right to the British crown. He was -joined by most of the Highland chieftains with their clans, and he -sent to all those lairds who had not yet paid their allegiance, to do -so without delay. Lochiel, his lieutenant, wrote to Cameron, the Laird -of Glendessary, commanding him to appear at head-quarters immediately, -with as many of his clan, armed, as he could muster in so short a -notice. - -The laird was a minor, and, moreover, a youth of little capacity; so -his aunt, Miss Jenny Cameron, roused the clan to arms, and marched, -at the head of two hundred and fifty claymores, to the camp of Bonnie -Prince Charlie. She rode into camp on a bay gelding decked out in green -trappings, trimmed with gold. She wore a sea-green riding habit with -scarlet lappets edged with gold. Her hair was tied behind in loose -buckles, and covered by a velvet cap with scarlet feathers. In her -hand, in lieu of a whip, she carried a drawn sword. - -A female soldier was a sight not to be seen every day. The Prince -immediately quitted the lines to receive her. Miss Jenny rode up to him -without the slightest embarrassment; and giving the military salute, -told him "as her nephew was not able to attend the royal standard, -she had raised men, and now brought them to his highness; that she -believed them ready to hazard their lives in his cause; and that, -although at present they were commanded by a woman, yet she hoped they -had nothing womanish about them; for she found that so glorious a cause -had raised in her own heart every manly thought and quite extinguished -the woman. What effect then must it have on those who have no feminine -fear to combat, and are free from the incumbrance of female dress. -These men," she added, "are yours; they have devoted themselves to your -service, they bring you hearts as well as hands. I can follow them no -farther," she said, "but I shall pray for your success." - -The clansmen then passed in review before the prince. When this was -over, he conducted Miss Cameron to his tent, where she was entertained -with the utmost courtesy and hospitality. Prince Charlie gave her the -title of "Colonel Cameron," and by this epithet she was distinguished -for many years. - -Miss Jenny remained with the Jacobite army until it invaded England, -and joined it again on its return, in Annandale. She was still in camp -in January, 1746, and fought in the battle of Falkirk on the 23rd; -when she was made prisoner, and lodged in Edinburgh Castle. She was -ultimately set at liberty, and returned to the guardianship of her -weak-minded nephew. - -A Highland song was composed in her honour, relating how: - - "Miss Jenny Cameron, - She put her belt and hanger on, - And away to the Young Pretender." - -Anne Sophia Detzliffin, who served four years in the Prussian army, was -born in 1738 at Treptow on the Rega. In 1757, during the Seven Years' -War, she was excited by a thirst for glory to quit her father's house -and go to Colberg, where she enlisted in Prince Frederic's regiment -of cuirassiers. She remained in this corps for two years, and fought -in several actions; in one of which, near Bamberg, she received a -sabre-wound in her left arm. - -She next fought in the battle of Kunnersdorff. Her regiment returned -some days later to Saxony, where Anne fell dangerously ill, and was -sent to the hospital of Meissen. She soon recovered, but having no -opportunity for rejoining her regiment, she enlisted in a battalion -of Grenadiers, which was decimated shortly after in the actions of -Strechlin and Torgau, in 1760. In the latter, fought on Nov. 3rd, -Sophia Detzliffin received two severe wounds on the head, and was -captured by the Austrians, who took her to the hospital at Dresden. - -When she had almost recovered, the heroine found means to escape from -the hospital. Passing through the Austrian outposts without being -discovered, she enlisted (in 1761) with Colonel Colignon, who sent her -to a regiment of Le Noble's Volunteers. - -After serving in this corps for two months, she was accused on the -14th of July by one of her comrades of robbing him of fourteen-pence. -There was not the slightest foundation for the accusation; but a -subaltern immediately placed her under arrest. Anne was determined not -to submit to such an indignity. Sending for her lieutenant, she told -that she was a female, and declared that during four years' service in -various regiments she had never once been ordered under arrest, nor -even received a blow for neglect of duty. She concluded by telling -the officer that after this insult she would no longer remain in the -army--which was, however, a needless remark, as she would not have been -permitted to stop after her sex was known. - -This heroine, when she quitted the army, was twenty-three years old, -with strongly-marked features, and a brown complexion. - - * * * * * - -On the 8th of June, 1758, General (afterwards Lord) Amherst, with -an army of twelve thousand men, in which General Wolfe served as -a brigadier, landed on the island of Cape-Breton, in Canada, and -commenced the siege of Louisbourg. This town was so strongly fortified -that the French, believing it to be impregnable, left only two -thousand eight hundred men for its defence. The military commander, -the Chevalier de Drucourt, was a brave and resolute soldier, and made -a gallant defence. The British, however, determined to make up for all -their recent disasters, commenced the siege with more than ordinary -vigour and energy. The Chevalier was ably assisted in the defence -by his wife; who, appearing on the walls among the common soldiers, -exhorted them to fight bravely in defence of the town. And not only did -she thus cheer them by encouraging words; she carried round food and -ammunition to the exhausted soldiers, and occasionally took her turn -at the guns, which she loaded and fired with skill and rapidity. But -the efforts of the Chevalier and his wife were of no avail against the -superior numbers of the English. Louisbourg surrendered on the 26th of -June; and the Chevalier and Madame de Drucourt were made prisoners. -However, General Amherst treated his brave captives with the greatest -respect and hospitality. - - * * * * * - -In 1759, when the British were besieging Guadaloupe, the native -planters were incited to resist the invaders by M. Dutril, the French -Governor. Amongst others, Madame Ducharmy, wife of a planter, armed her -servants and negroes, and led them to an attack on the British forces. - -Amongst the celebrities of the eighteenth century, none was more -famous than the Chevalier d'Eon. Even before the strange question as -to his real sex had been raised, the Chevalier was well known in every -European court as a skilful diplomatist and a brave soldier. In 1761, -having attained the summit of his glory in the political world, he -sighed for military renown. As aide-de-camp to Marshal Broglio, he -distinguished himself most highly against the British and Prussians. -Being entrusted with the removal of the military stores from Hoxter, -which the French were evacuating, he passed the Weser with several -boats, under a heavy fire from the enemy, and saved all the baggage. -Shortly after this he was wounded in the head and thigh in a skirmish -at Ultrop. - -On the 7th September, at the head of the Grenadiers de Champagne -and the Swiss Guards, the Chevalier attacked a Highland regiment -("Montagnards Ecossais," Broglio styles them in his despatch) near the -village of Meinsloff, and after a slight skirmish, drove them back to -the British camp. At Osterwick, with about fifty dragoons and hussars, -D'Eon charged a Prussian battalion six or seven hundred strong, which -was intercepting the communications of the French with Wolfembutel. The -Prussians, seized with a panic, threw down their arms, and surrendered. -The capture of Wolfembutel by Marshal Saxe was the result of this -brilliant action. - -The preliminaries of peace in September, 1762, terminated the -Chevalier's military career, and he returned to the political world, -where he had already made himself so distinguished. He was sent to -London, as Secretary of Legation under the Duc de Nivernois, the -Ambassador-Extraordinary. On the return of the Duc to Paris, the -Chevalier remained in London first as resident, and afterwards as -minister plenipotentiary at the Court of St. James's. At this period -his star was at its zenith. Fortune lavished her favours upon him -with the most profuse liberality. Suddenly the wheel turned; and, -without any reason being assigned, D'Eon was dismissed from all his -appointments, and compelled to reside, disgraced, in London. The French -ministers who had negotiated the peace now effected his ruin. The -treaty had been considered disgraceful to France, both by the king and -the people; and the negotiators, afraid of the Chevalier, who knew too -much, found means to disgrace him. Louis XV., however, settled upon -D'Eon a pension of twelve hundred livres. - -During the Chevalier's residence in London, suspicions arose in the -minds of several persons that D'Eon was a disguised woman. The notion -soon reached the Continent; and both in England and abroad, some very -extraordinary wagers were made on the subject. In July, 1777, a trial -took place before Lord Chief Justice Mansfield on an action brought -by a Mr. Hayes against a Mr. Jacques, the latter of whom had received -several premiums of fifteen guineas, to return one hundred whenever it -should be proved, beyond a doubt, that the Chevalier D'Eon was a woman. -MM. Louis Legoux and de Morande deposed to this as a fact so thoroughly -established, that the defendant's counsel actually pleaded that the -wager was unfair, because the plaintiff knew, before it was laid, that -the Court of France had treated with the Chevalier as a woman. The -plaintiff, however, obtained a verdict, which was afterwards set aside -on the ground of the bet being illegal. - -Shortly after the conclusion of the trial, the Chevalier d'Eon, for -some unaccountable reason, put on female attire, which he contrived to -wear until his death. - -Everybody now believed that D'Eon was a woman. Several portraits were -published representing him in various characters--as an officer of -dragoons, as a French minister, as a fashionable lady, etc. Mr. Hooper, -of Ludgate-hill, published a mezzotinto engraving of the Chevalier -as Pallas, a casque on her head, a lance in her right hand, and the -ægis on her left arm. Round the edge of the shield were the words _At -nunc dura dedit vobis discrimina Pallas_. On each side were drums, -muskets, pyramids of cannon-balls, heavy pieces of ordnance, and a -pair of colours on which were written, _Impavidam serient ruinæ_. In -the middle distance might be seen a citadel and a camp. The lower part -of the engraving contained representations of the principal events -of the Chevalier's life, with a eulogy, in English, on his talents -and virtues. After rapturously praising the genius, the courage, the -personal beauty of D'Eon, this eulogy concludes by saying that "her -military comrades offer this homage as an eternal monument of their -affection." - -The breaking out of the French Revolution deprived D'Eon of his -pension. He returned to France in 1792 and offered his services to the -National Assembly. But they were declined; and on his return to England -his name was placed on the list of Emigrants. He was now plunged into -the depths of poverty, and supported himself as best he could by giving -lessons in fencing. But he depended chiefly on the kindness of Elisée, -first surgeon to Louis XVIII., and other friends. He died May the 21st, -1810, when Elisée assisted in the dissection of his body; and declared -that the Chevalier belonged to the male sex. - - * * * * * - -During the American War of Independence several women donned masculine -attire and enlisted in the Revolutionary Army. One of these heroines -was named Deborah Samson. Born at Plymouth, U.S., of very poor parents, -she was received at an early age into a respectable family, where -the members treated her with great kindness. Her education was at -first totally neglected, though she remedied this, to the best of her -ability, by teaching herself to read and write; later in life she saved -enough to pay for her schooling. In 1778, having dressed herself in -male attire, she enlisted under the name of Robert Shirtliffe for the -whole term of the war. - -Deborah was used to all kinds of hardships, so the fatigues incident -to her new life had as little effect on her as on her comrades. Her -courage and obedience to military discipline, soon gained for her -the esteem of the officers. She served as a volunteer in several -expeditions, where her regiment was not engaged, and received two -severe wounds--one in the head, the other in the shoulder. She managed, -however, to avoid the disclosure of her sex. - -At last Deborah Samson was seized with a brain fever in Philadelphia. -The physician who attended her made the dreaded discovery, and sent -word to the colonel of her regiment. When her health was restored, the -colonel sent her with a letter to General Washington. Deborah saw that -the truth was known, and it was with great reluctance she obeyed. -Washington read the missive, without speaking a word. When he had -finished, he handed Deborah Samson a discharge in which was enclosed -some money and a letter containing good advice. - -Some years after her discharge Deborah married Benjamin Garnett, of -Sharon, Massachusetts. For her services as a revolutionary soldier, she -was presented with a grant of land and a pension for life. - -Another American heroine was Molly Macauley, a Pennsylvanian woman, who -rose to the rank of sergeant in the national army, and fought bravely -in several battles and skirmishes. Nobody suspected that she was other -than she seemed to be--a brave, enthusiastic young American patriot. -She was tall and stout, rough-looking, with all the manners of a -soldier. In the enthusiasm of the moment she would swing her sabre over -her head, and hurrah for "Mad Anthony," as General Wayne was styled. - -She was wounded at Brandywine, and her sex discovered. She then -returned home. - -Another woman, whose name was long remembered in American homes, was -Elizabeth Canning. She was at Fort Washington, her husband was slain, -she took his place at a gun, loading, priming, and firing with good -effect, till she was wounded in the breast by a grape shot. - -Besides these examples, many women were frequently detected, -disguised, in the American armies; and as they endured the same -privations, with even less murmuring than the men, there was nothing, -save accident, to reveal their sex. The instances are numerous of women -and girls who aided in the defence of private houses. Their names, -however, have very seldom reached Europe. - - * * * * * - -When Catherine the Second of Russia was conspiring to dethrone her -husband, Peter III., she based her hopes of success almost entirely on -the belief that the Imperial Guard would declare in her favour. On the -26th of June, 1762, she was seated in her palace at St. Petersburg, -taking a slight repast in company with her early friend and confidant -Catherine Romanowna, Princess of Daschkow, or Daschkova. The latter -was born in 1744, a descendant of the noble family of Woronzoff, and -became a widow at the early age of eighteen. She applied all her -woman's wit to place Catherine on the throne. When their repast was -concluded, Catherine proposed that they should ride at the head of -their troops to Peterhoff; and to make themselves more popular with -the soldiers, the Empress borrowed the uniform of Talitzen, a captain -in the Preobraginsky Guards, while the Princess Daschkova donned the -regimentals of Lieutenant Pouschkin, in which, she says, she looked -"like a boy of fifteen." It chanced by good luck that these uniforms -were the same which had been worn from the time of Peter the Great -until superseded by the Prussian uniform introduced by Peter III. - -On the 29th July the Empress and her friend, still in uniform, passed -in review twelve thousand soldiers, besides numberless volunteers. As -Catherine rode along the ranks, amidst the cheers of the soldiers, a -young ensign, observing that she had no tassel on her sword, untied -his own and presented it. Thirty years afterwards, this man died a -field-marshal and a Prince of the Russian Empire. His name was Potemkin. - -It is said the Princess (though she makes no mention of it in her -memoirs) requested, as the reward of her services, to be given the -command of the Imperial Guard. The Empress refused; and the Princess, -finding her inflexible, gave up her military aspirations and devoted -herself to study. After her return from abroad in 1782, she was -appointed Director of the Academy of Sciences, and President of the -newly-established Russian Academy. She wrote much in her native tongue; -amongst other works, several comedies. She died at Moscow in 1810. - - * * * * * - -It is a curious fact that no one has been able to say precisely when -and where Nelson lost his left eye. Some say that the disaster occurred -during the siege of Bastia, in 1793, while others decide that it was -at the siege of Calvi. According to Signor D. Liberato Abarca, general -in the service of the Nicaraguan Republic, both these accounts are -false. He says that it was in the year 1780, when the future "god of -the seas," then a post-captain in the royal navy, was cruising along -the coast of Central America, that he received the wound which added -him to the list of one-eyed warriors. After inflicting every possible -injury on the Spanish colonies, Nelson resolved to take the Castle of -San Carlos de Nicaragua by assault. He rowed up the river of San Juan, -which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, with a flotilla of launches and -other flat-bottomed boats. The Spanish commander was laid up in bed -with a severe illness; and the garrison, terrified at the imposing -preparations of the English sailors, hastily evacuated the fort. Doña -Rafaela Mora, the wife or daughter of the commander, was left alone -in the castle; and with great--what would at first sight appear to be -reckless--daring resolved to drive the enemy from before the place. The -guns were pointed towards the river, and nearly all loaded. Snatching -up a burning match which the terrified soldiers had thrown down in -their hasty retreat, Rafaela fired all the cannons one after another. -One of the balls struck the boat in which Nelson stood; a splinter -from the bulwark hit him in the face, just below the left eye. Such -was the force of the blow, he was knocked down, and rendered perfectly -insensible. This disaster broke up the siege, and the flotilla -descended the stream with all speed. - -The heroine received by royal decree the brevet of a captain on active -service, together with a full suit of regimentals, which she was -permitted to wear whenever she pleased. Besides this, a pension was -settled upon her for the rest of her life. General Thomas Martinez, -Director of the Republic of Nicaragua, is a descendant of Doña -Rafaela Mora. General Abarca says the truth of this story is proved -incontestably by documents which he has seen in the archives of the -city of Granada, in Nicaragua. - - * * * * * - -During a sea-fight between the British and French fleets, Admiral -Rodney observed a woman helping at one of the guns on the main deck of -his ship. He asked her what brought her there? - -"An't please your honour," said she, "my husband is sent down to the -cock-pit wounded, and I am here to supply his place. Do you think, your -honour," she added, "I am afraid of the _French_?" - -After the battle was over, the Admiral sent for the woman, and told her -that she had been guilty of a breach of discipline in being on board at -all. However, he modified his rebuke by a gift of ten guineas. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -II. - - The Furies--Rose Lacombe--Théroigne de Méricourt--Madame - Cochet--Marie Adrian (Siege of Lyons)--Renée - Langevin--Madlle. de la Rochefoucault--Madame Dufief (War - in La Vendée)--Félicité and Théophile de Fernig, Officers - on Dumouriez's Staff--Mary Schelienck--Thérèse Figueur, - French Dragoon--"William Roberts," the Manchester Heroine, - Sergeant in the 15th Light Dragoons and the 37th Foot--Mary - Anne Talbot, Drummer in the 82nd, Cabin Boy on board the - Brunswick, and Middy on board the Vesuvius--Highland - Soldier's Wife at the Storming of New Vigie--Susan - Frost--Peggy Monro (Irish Rebellion)--Martha Glar and other - Swiss Heroines--Queen of Prussia at Jena--Marie Anne Elise - Bonaparte, Princess Bacciochi--Maid of Saragossa--Manuella - Sanchez, Benita, and other Heroines of Saragossa--Spanish - Female Captain--Mrs. Dalbiac (Battle of Salamanca)--Ellenora - Prochaska, Private in Lutzow's Rifle Corps--Augusta - Frederica Krüger, Prussian Soldier--Louise Belletz, French - Artillery Soldier--Mrs. Heald and Mrs. Helm (Chicago - Massacre). - - -The Furies were the female warriors of the Reign of Terror. When we -think of their ferocious bravery, their barbarous, maniacal cruelty, -the ascendency which they held, even over the great Republican -leaders, their wild cries and still wilder deeds, they seem more like -the weird figures in some hideous German legend than real, living, -sentient women, with human hearts. Women, indeed, they could scarcely -be termed; Amazons they were, as brave and as cruel as those of the -Euxine. Yet, fiends though they appeared, they had often the pangs of -hunger to goad them on; and if cruelty such as theirs _can_ be excused, -starvation is the most reasonable plea that could be advanced. - -Though many of the large towns possessed Furies in those days, Paris -was their proper home. There they lived on the sight, the smell, -the taste of human blood. To picture their history rightly, the pen -should be dipped in blood. Blood, since they were denied bread was -all they cared for; and when aristocratic heads grew scarce, these -fiends turned on one another, like famished wolves, to glut their -insatiable thirst. The Guillotine was a central rallying point for the -Furies. Round it they danced and sang by day; its steps formed their -pillow by night. There they crowded together--Tricoteuses, Fileuses, -Poissardes--shouting, gesticulating, screaming the "Marseillaise" or -the "Ça Ira" with their wild, demoniac voices, as they watched the red -cart deposit its living freight at the foot of the National Razor. When -hunger pressed them very sore, they would snatch up swords, pikes, -or scythes, and rush in crowds along the narrow, muddy, ill-paved -streets, beating drums, waving red flags, brandishing their weapons, to -demand bread from those who professed to guide the Republic. - -There was always some female leader, brave and eloquent, round whom -the Furies would rally, and who was, if possible, more bloodthirsty, -more ruthless than the rest. The great leaders of the Parisian Women -were Rose Lacombe, the actress, and Théroigne (or Lambertine) de -Méricourt, the Amazon of Liége. These two women, equally beautiful, -equally brave, and equally popular, had wholly different reasons for -plunging into the seething whirlpool of blood. Rose Lacombe (who was -born in 1768, and was therefore past twenty when the Revolution broke -out), appears to have joined in the scenes of atrocity through a love -of excitement, a wish to be a leader, that feeling so natural in the -breast of an actress. She was a wild, excitable girl, and although -not great on the stage, had a certain fiery eloquence, which, though -bombastic, exaggerated, even grotesque, was suited to an audience -chiefly gathered from the Halles. Théroigne de Méricourt, however, had -quite another object in coming forward as a Republican leader; this was -an unquenchable thirst for revenge on the entire aristocracy, to one of -whom she owed the shame of her life. - -Théroigne was the daughter of a wealthy farmer in the village of -Méricourt near Liége, and received a finished education. When scarcely -seventeen her excessive beauty attracted the notice of a young Belgian -noble, who owned a château close by her father's home. In those days -of the old _régime_ an aristocrat would never have recovered the -disgrace of marrying a farmer's daughter; so the consequences of their -mutual passion might easily have been foreseen. Deserted by her lover, -Théroigne fled to England, and remained here for some months, in an -agony of shame and grief. When Paris rose against the ill-starred Louis -Seize, she returned to France, and became acquainted with Mirabeau, and -through him she was introduced to to the Abbé Siéyes, Joseph Chénier, -Brissac, Danton, Marat, Robespierre, Camille Desmoulins, Ronsin, Romme, -and others of the Republican party. - -Théroigne de Méricourt was barely eighteen in '89, when the first -rumblings of the storm were heard. Plunging headlong into the vortex -of Revolution, she soon acquired for her daring the names of "the -Amazon of Liége" and "the Jeanne d'Arc of the Revolution;" while her -surpassing beauty procured for her the title of "La Belle Liégoise." -Attired in a blood-coloured silk riding-habit, and a hat surmounted -by a magnificent plume of feathers, she made herself conspicuous in -all those deadly conflicts between the People and the Royalists. She -was first amongst the infuriate mob who burst open the gates of the -Invalides and seized the cannon. She was foremost in the storming of -the Bastille, June 14th, 1789; and such was her reckless valour on this -occasion, that the victors, assembling on the spot, voted her a _sabre -d'homme_. Another of the heroines who joined in the attack on the -Bastille, afterwards joined the army, and fought against the enemies of -the Republic, for which she was made Captain of Artillery. Her husband -was a soldier. - -On the 5th of October, Théroigne and Rose led eight or ten thousand -starving Parisian Women against Versailles. Previous to this, Rose had -commanded a body of Furies in the attack on the Hôtel de Ville, August -7th. Théroigne rode to Versailles astride on a cannon. By her side came -Cut-Throat Jourdan, the "Man with the Long Beard." The expedition owed -its success almost entirely to the Amazon of Liége. The triumph of the -people was complete. _Le Boulanger, la Boulangère, et le petit Mitron_ -were brought to Paris, escorted by a seething, howling mob, preceded -(as a hint to the aristocrats) by two pikes, on which were placed the -heads of two Gardes-du-Corps. Several Poissardes performed the return -journey on the backs of cannon. - -For a time the popularity of Théroigne de Méricourt and Rose Lacombe -was unbounded; they were estimated by the Parisians as the first of -their sex. Rose founded a female club on the same plan as the Jacobins, -and became the chief speaker there. Théroigne held a club at her own -house, and frequently spoke at the "Old Cordeliers," of which Danton -and Camille Desmoulins were the leaders. Speaking of the enthusiasm -with which her orations were received, Camille says "Her similes were -drawn from the Bible and Pindar. It was the eloquence of a Judith." - -One evening Théroigne proposed that the Temple of the Representatives -of the People should be erected on the site of the Bastille, the scene -of their first triumph. - -"To found and embellish this edifice," said she, "let us strip -ourselves of our ornaments, our gold, our jewels. I will be the first -to set the example." - -And with these words she tore off all her jewels and flung them on the -table. - -Her power increased every day. She was appointed commander of the 3rd -corps of the army of the Fauxbourgs; and so great was her ascendancy -over the mob, that she could by a single word acquit or condemn a -victim. She thus became both feared and hated by the Aristocrats. -One day when she was at the zenith of her power, she recognised her -faithless lover. He sought to avert his impending fate and humbly -implored her forgiveness; but Théroigne had not the generosity to save -him. He perished in the September massacres, 1792. - -A fearful doom was reserved for the beautiful and unfortunate Théroigne -de Méricourt. Like Robespierre, she believed that her power was such -that she could at any moment arrest the progress of the Revolution. -Only a few months after the death of her seducer, the very Furies whom -she had commanded, by whom she had been almost worshipped, suspecting -her of being a Girondist, turned against their Amazon leader with -all the fury they had formerly displayed against Marie Antoinette. -They surrounded her on the terrace of the Tuileries, May 31st, 1793, -stripped her naked, and subjected her to a public flogging. - -Abandoned and despised by all, the beautiful amazon became a raving -lunatic. Years crept on. The Directory superseded the Convention, the -Consulate the Directory, the Empire the Consulate, and the Restoration -the Empire, and still, in a cold grated cell of the Bicêtre, in Paris, -a gibbering, white-haired, wrinkled hag crawled on all fours to and -from the bars of the window, whence she shrieked forth warlike orations -to phantom meetings of Republicans; again and again calling for the -blood of Suleau, the Royalist author. From the day of her fall till her -death in 1817, she refused to wear clothes. Her only covering was her -long white hair. - -Rose Lacombe terminated her career more happily than her -sister-in-arms. True, she also had her downfall, but it did not -terminate so horribly. She fell violently in love with a young nobleman -who was imprisoned in one of the dungeons of the Republic. With her -usual wild impetuosity she tried to save him; but so far from rescuing -him, she very nearly shared his fate. From this day Rose Lacombe's -power was gone. Her voice was no longer listened to as it had once -been. Jacobins and Cordeliers no longer strove to gain her support. -Taking a more sensible view of the matter than one would expect, she -retired from public life, and became a small shopkeeper. In this -capacity she ended her days, selling petty articles over a counter all -day long. The date of her death is unknown. - - * * * * * - -The citizens of Lyons, unlike those of Paris, were devoted to the Royal -cause. At last the Convention resolved to tolerate this no longer; -and General Kellermann was despatched against the city in August, -1793. The people made a gallant defence; never did the female sex show -greater bravery. The city fell on Oct. 8th; and, furious at having been -resisted, Collot d'Herbois, Couthon, and the other emissaries of the -Convention tried to stamp out the very existence of Lyons. Wholesale -massacres were perpetrated daily; and the friends of liberty were if -possible more enraged against those brave women, who so nobly aided -in the defence, than they were against the male leaders. One of the -most intrepid female soldiers, named Madame Cochet, when she was on -her way to the guillotine, addressed her countrymen from the tumbril, -and upbraided them with their cruelty, and their cowardice in tamely -submitting to the Terrorists. The crowd at first followed in silence; -at last a cry of "Mercy," was heard: but the falling of the National -Razor cut short the appeal. - -Another heroine of Lyons was Marie Adrian, a young girl of seventeen, -whose features bore a strange resemblance to Charlotte Corday. She -fought desperately by the side of her brother and her lover in one of -the batteries. After the city had fallen she was made prisoner. - -"What is your name?" demanded the judges, struck by her youth and -beauty. - -"Marie," she replied. "The name of the mother of that God for whom I am -about to die." - -"Your age?" - -"Seventeen. The age of Charlotte Corday." - -"How could you combat against your country?" - -"I fought to defend it." - -"Citoyenne," said one of the judges, "we admire your courage. What -would you do if we granted your life?" - -"I would poignard you as the murderers of my country," was her daring -reply. - -She was, of course, condemned to the guillotine. She ascended the -scaffold in silence, and refused the aid of the executioner. Twice she -cried with a loud, clear voice "Vive le Roi!" After her death a note -was found among her garments; it was the farewell letter of her lover, -who had been shot some days previously in the Plaine des Brotteaux. - -This letter was written in blood! - - * * * * * - -The same loyal, unselfish courage was displayed by the Royalist -insurgents in La Vendée. The rough, yet kind-hearted Chouans form a -striking contrast to the ferocious, bloodthirsty Republicans, far from -advantageous to the latter. There was not one Republican leader who -could bear comparison with the enthusiastic self-sacrificing young -Rochejacquelin, who risked everything for his King. - -The most prominent Vendéan leaders, next to Rochejacquelin, were La -Rochefoucault de Beaulieu and the Marquis de Lescure. The former -was one of the first to raise the standard of Louis XVIII. Scarcely -had he called together a few hundred neighbours and their peasant -tenantry when he received a visit from Madlle. de la Rochefoucault, a -near relative, and at this time only eighteen. She was accoutred _en -Amazon_, with a sword by her side and a brace of pistols in her belt. -She presented the troops with embroidered standards, worked by her own -hands, and declared her resolution to fight personally for the royal -cause. - -Mademoiselle de la Rochefoucault displayed the greatest possible daring -in the numerous encounters between the contending armies. She was -always the first to advance and the last to retreat. But though she was -so fierce while the battle raged, directly it was over she showed her -kind and humane disposition by the care which she took of the wounded. -She made no distinction between friends and foes; the unfortunate, -whether Royalists or Republicans, were always sure of her sympathy and -assistance. - -In the disastrous battle of Chollet, when the superior numbers of -the Republicans spread such confusion through the Chouan ranks, -Mademoiselle de la Rochefoucault rallied her troops three times -successively, and charged the foe. Repulsed a fourth time, she ascended -a slight eminence, and addressed seven hundred of her followers in a -speech well calculated to rouse their sinking energies. Once more she -led them against the foe. This time they returned without her! - -But the most famous heroine of this war was Renée Bordereau, commonly -called Langevin, known as the "Military Heroine of La Vendée," who -afterwards wrote and published her autobiography. She was born in June, -1770, at the village of Soulaine, near Angers, of poor, but honest -parents. When the insurrection of 1793 broke out, the Republican troops -ravaged and massacred without mercy throughout La Vendée. It chanced -that forty-two of Renée's relatives fell victims, successively, to this -fury. At last the barbarous murder of her father before her eyes so -transported Renée with rage and a thirst for revenge that she devoted -herself thenceforth to the royal cause. - -She bought a light musket with double sights, and learned privately to -load, fire, and aim at a mark. She also practised the military drill; -and when she considered herself sufficiently expert, she procured -a suit of masculine clothes, and joined a corps commanded by M. -Coeur-de-Roi--whose name, by the way, was only a _nom de guerre_. -She enrolled under the name of Hyacinthe, that of her brother, but her -comrades soon gave her the soubriquet of Langevin, a name she never -lost. - -During a war of six years, the heroine was engaged in over two hundred -battles and skirmishes. She usually fought on horseback, but sometimes, -to be nearer the foe, she combated on foot. She always solicited to -be placed in the most dangerous posts, and never quitted the field -till compelled by her wounds, or the toils and fatigues of the battle. -Although no one at this time suspected her sex, she was conspicuous -all through the country for her bravery. All the Royalists strove to -emulate her deeds of valour, but none could ever equal her daring. She -had entered on the war with a firm determination to conquer or die, and -her resolution never flagged. Her only ambition, her sole passion, was -to drive the Republicans from France, and restore the legitimate Church -and King. - -When Napoleon had subdued La Vendée, he was so afraid of the brave -Langevin that he excepted her from the general amnesty, and set the -price of forty million francs on her head. She was betrayed into the -hands of her enemies; and the Emperor threw her into a loathsome -dungeon, weighting her limbs with iron chains lest she should escape. -She remained in the prison of Angers for three years, and in that of -Mount St. Michael for two, and was fed on nothing save the coarsest -bread, and rainwater which she collected for herself in a basin. Her -piety and fortitude, however, never forsook her during these cruel -hardships. She was at last set free on the Restoration of that King for -whom she had fought so bravely and endured such privations. - -The sex of Renée had become known by an accident before her -imprisonment; so it was no surprise, at least to her comrades, when her -autobiography appeared, to learn that she was a woman. In 1816, she was -presented to Louis XVIII.; but what recompense if any, was awarded, her -memoirs do not say. She was still living in 1818. - -Madame Dufief, a native of Nantes, was another heroine of this war; -and, in reward she received at the Restoration the Ribbon of the Order -of St. Louis. - - * * * * * - -The French Revolution, it must be confessed, aroused throughout the -land a feeling of earnest, self-sacrificing patriotism, which no -monarchical government, however popular, had ever called forth. A wild, -enthusiastic desire spread through France to drive the enemies of the -Republic from its sacred soil or perish in the attempt. Young and old -were alike infected with the eager longing to die for the Republic. -"Married men," says Lamartine, "dragged themselves from the arms of -their wives to rush to the altar of their country. Men already advanced -in life, old men, even, still green and robust, came to offer the -remainder of their life to the safety of the Republic. They were seen -tearing off their coats or jackets, before the representatives, and -exposing, naked, their breasts, their shoulders, their arms, their -joints still supple, to prove that they had strength enough to carry -the knapsack and the carbine, and to brave the fatigues of the camp. -Fathers, devoting themselves with their children, themselves offered -their sons to the country, and demanded to be allowed to march with -them. Women, in order to follow their husbands or their lovers, or -themselves seized with that delirium of the country, the most generous -and the most devoted of all passions, divested themselves of the -garments of their sex, put on the uniform of volunteers, and enrolled -themselves in the battalions of their departments." - -The greater number of these brave women and girls left their bones -to bleach on the various battle-fields of the Republic without their -sex being ever discovered. Those who became known were but few. -Amongst these latter were the two sisters Félicité and Théophile de -Fernig, who held the nominal rank of orderly officers on the staff of -General Dumouriez, wearing the uniform, and performing all the duties -appertaining to their position. Their father, M. de Fernig, was Captain -of Dumouriez's Guides; while their brother was lieutenant in the -regiment d'Auxerrois. Thus the entire family were fighting in defence -of the Republic. - -The De Fernigs were natives of French Flanders, whence they were -driven in August, 1792, by the invading Austrians, who amongst other -atrocities, burnt the house of this family. Having no longer a home, -they joined the army of Dumouriez which arrived shortly after in the -neighbourhood. The girls, whose sex was known to all, when on the march -rode near their father or brother; but during battle they acted as -aide-de-camp to one or other of the French generals. - -They entered at once on active service, and marched to the woody -heights of Argonne in Champagne, which General Dumouriez was vainly -endeavouring to hold against the Austrians. On his retreat to St. -Ménéhould the De Fernigs distinguished themselves, September 20th, -during the famous cannonade of Valmy by the Duke of Brunswick; when the -superior skill of Kellermann forced the Allies to retreat. - -The Convention, informed of the gallant conduct of the Desmoiselles -de Fernig, sent them horses and arms of honour in the name of the -Republic. Dumouriez, in the camp of Maulde, made a striking example of -these two young girls to inspire his soldiers with courage. - -In October, Dumouriez returned to Paris, and formed a plan with the -Executive Council for the winter campaign. On his return to the army -he issued a proclamation calling on the Belgians to rise against their -sovereign; and on the 6th of November, he attacked the Austrian camp -at Jemappes. In this battle, which was perhaps the most hotly contested -of all those fought during the entire war, Félicité, the eldest -girl, acted as aide-de-camp to the Duc de Chartres, afterwards Louis -Philippe, King of the French, while her sister performed the same duty -for the brave veteran, General Ferrand, who stormed the redoubts on the -heights. Both girls were young and exceedingly pretty--Félicité was -scarcely sixteen; and "their modesty, their blushes, and their grace," -observed Lamartine, "under the uniform of officers of the staff, formed -a contrast to the masculine figures of the warriors who surrounded -them." - -Before the battle, while reviewing his troops, Dumouriez pointed out -the heroines to his soldiers "as models of patriotism and auguries of -victory." Throughout the day they were conspicuous for their reckless -bravery, which rendered them of inestimable price in an army composed -of raw soldiers. When the regiments which formed the centre of the -French army gave way before the overwhelming masses of Clerfayt's -cavalry, the Duc de Chartres and his brother, the Duc de Montpensier, -followed by Félicité de Fernig and half-a-dozen aides-de-camp, rode, -sword in hand, through the Austrian hussars which separated him from -the infantry. The latter were restored to their former courage, partly -by the words of the Duc, but more especially by the reproaches of a -fragile girl of sixteen, who, a pistol in each hand and her bridle -between her teeth, accused them bitterly of cowardice in flying from -dangers which she fearlessly braved. - -After the battle had raged for several hours the Austrians were driven -from the field. The capture of Mons followed shortly after; and the -French entered Brussels, November 14th, after a series of skirmishes -between their advance-guard and the rear-guard of the Austrians. -During one of these contests, Félicité de Fernig, while bearing the -orders of Dumouriez to the heads of the columns, was surrounded by a -troop of Uhlans, from whom she extricated herself with difficulty. -As she was turning her horse's head to rejoin the column, she saw a -young officer of Belgian Volunteers, who had just been flung from his -horse, by a shot, defending himself desperately against several Uhlans. -Riding hastily to the spot, Félicité with her pistols shot two of his -assailants, and the rest took to flight. - -Dismounting from her horse, she confided the care of the wounded -officer to her hussars, and with their assistance conveyed him to the -military hospital of Brussels. - -The spring of 1793 saw the popularity of Dumouriez wane rapidly. He was -suspected firstly of Girondism, and, worse again, of wishing to rescue -Louis Capet, the unfortunate ex-King, whose trial was in preparation, -or, some said, he meditated placing Philippe Egalité on the throne. In -addition to all these accusations, he had the misfortune to lose nearly -as many battles as he had previously gained; and, knowing well that -his head was very far from secure on his martial shoulders, he entered -into negotiations with Austria. But he mistook the patriotism of his -soldiers for personal attachment to himself. On the 7th April his army -was in a state of open mutiny; but hoping to set matters right, he set -out for Condé, followed by the Duc de Chartres, Colonel Thouvenet, -Adjutant-General Montjoie, eight hussars of ordnance, and his immediate -staff, including the sisters De Fernig. On the road he met three -battalions of Versailles Volunteers who were marching without orders to -Condé. Dumouriez commanded them to halt; but the Volunteers fired on -his escort. Dumouriez fled amidst a rain of bullets, sprang, on foot, -across a canal which interrupted his flight, and made his escape over -the Dutch marshes. - -Théophile de Fernig was not wounded, though her horse was slain. -Félicité dismounted, and gave her steed to the Duc de Chartres. The -two young girls and nearly all their companions reached the opposite -shore of the canal safely; when they dispersed in all directions. The -girls, who were acquainted with the country, guided Dumouriez to the -ferry-boat, in which he, they, and the Duc de Chartres passed the -Scheldt. On landing they returned to the French camp at Maulde; but -very soon the fugitives had to take refuge in the camp of Clerfayt, the -Austrian general, at Tournay. - -In those days one star eclipsed another so fast, that the soldiers were -only too ready to forget their former idols. Of course when the troops -could easily forget the general who had first led them to victory, they -could hardly be expected to trouble themselves about two friendless -girls. When Vanderwalen, the young Belgian officer, recovered from -his wounds, he could not banish from his mind the young Amazon who -had saved his life. But neither his brother officers nor the soldiers -could give him any information respecting the De Fernig family. -Vanderwalen left the army, and wandered all over Germany and northern -Europe seeking his preserver. For a long time his search was vain; but -at last, when he had almost given up the search, he found the family -buried in the heart of Denmark. - -The sisters had resumed "the dress, the graces, and the modesty" of -their own sex. The love of Vanderwalen was very soon reciprocated; and -they returned, as man and wife, to Belgium. Théophile accompanied her -sister to Brussels; where, after spending a few years in the study -of music and poetry, she died, unmarried. She has left, it is said, -several exquisite poems. - -"These two sisters," says Lamartine, "inseparable in life, in death, as -upon the field of battle, repose under the same cypress--in a foreign -land. Where are their names upon the marble monuments of our triumphal -arches? Where are their pictures at Versailles? Where are their statues -upon our frontiers bedewed with their blood?" - - * * * * * - -Mary Schelienck, or Shellenck, was one of the most remarkable women -whose names occur in the roll-call of warriors. She was a native of -Ghent, but nothing is known of her early youth. In March, 1792, she -entered the Second Belgian Battalion, as a male Volunteer. At the -battle of Jemappes, in the succeeding November, she distinguished -herself by her bravery, and received six wounds. Afterwards she entered -the 30th Demi-Brigade (Batavian), and made the campaigns of Germany. -She was next removed to the 8th Light Infantry, and displayed great -bravery at the battle of Austerlitz. Unfortunately for her, she there -received a severe wound on the thigh, and was left for dead on the -field, which led to her real sex being discovered. In spite of this, -she continued to follow the regiment, and at last presented a petition -with her own hand to Napoleon. The Emperor received her with "marked -distinction:" he invested her with the cross of the Legion of Honour, -giving her the very decoration he had himself worn, and he placed her -tenth on the list of lieutenants. In 1807, Napoleon granted her a -pension of 673 francs (£20). On her return from Italy, Mary Schelienck, -in her military uniform, waited on the Empress Josephine. That imperial -lady, either in kindness or as an ironical compliment, presented her -with a velvet robe. Mary Schelienck's commission of lieutenant, the -decoration of the Legion of Honour, and the velvet robe were afterwards -(1841) in the possession of William Shellenck, cloth merchant of Ghent. -Mary Shelienck died in January, 1841, at Menin, where she was buried. -Her funeral was attended by every member of the Legion of Honour -belonging to the garrison, and an immense concourse of people. - - * * * * * - -Thérèse Figueur, better known as "Le Dragon sans Gêne," was born, -January, 1774, at Talmay, a town six leagues from Dijon. She became a -dragoon in the 15th and 9th regiments, and, from 1793 to 1812, served -in all the campaigns of the Republic and of the Empire. At this time -she was known to her comrades by the soubriquet of "Sans Gêne." - -One day the Comité du Salut Public issued a decree forbidding any woman -to remain in the regiments. The commissioned officers and generals of -the army of the Pyrenees, however, begged that an exception might -be made in favour of the Citoyenne Thérèse Figueur; and special -authorization was granted, permitting her to remain in the service. - -At the siege of Toulon, 1793, Thérèse received an English bullet in -her left shoulder. She had the misfortune to be placed under arrest -during the same siege by General Bonaparte, for being guilty of a -delay of twenty-five minutes in the execution of an order. Some years -subsequently, when the former Commandant d'Artillerie had become First -Consul, he wished to see once more the Dragon sans Gêne, who came -willingly enough to St. Cloud under the escort of M. Denon. The First -Consul made some complimentary remarks to the "Dragon," and added that -"Mademoiselle Figueur est un brave:" then gaily pledged her in "a glass -of something stronger than wine." - -Thérèse Figueur served in the "Armée d'Italie" in 1792, and in the army -of the Eastern Pyrenees during the 2nd and 3rd year, and in the Army of -Italy during the years 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Among her exploits were -several campaigns in Germany, and she took part in the war in Spain. In -July, 1812, she was made prisoner by the Guerillas of the Curé Marino, -and sent off to England, where she remained until the Peace in 1814. - -She was frequently wounded, and had horses killed under her. At the -battle of Savigliano, she was wounded four times. - -A modest pension hardly sufficed for her simple wants, yet being -very generous, she constantly helped others poorer than herself. In -disposition she was remarkable for piety, delicate tact, singleness of -heart, and self-forgetfulness. - -About 1840, Thérèse Figueur, then _veuve_ Sutter, was admitted into -the Hospice des Ménages. In that retreat her last years glided calmly -away, enlivened by the frequent visits of her many faithful friends, -who delighted in hearing her military reminiscences. In June, 1861, her -simple funeral passed from the gates of the Hospice. - - * * * * * - -During the long wars between England and the French Republic, women -continued to enlist in the British Army. One of the best known -female soldiers of this period was a woman named Roberts, afterwards -styled the "Manchester Heroine" from the place of her death. On the -15th November, 1814, a middle-aged woman applied for relief at the -Church-Warden's offices in Manchester; and on being questioned, it -appeared that she had in days gone by served her King as a soldier. Her -romantic story afterwards appeared, in great detail, in the _Manchester -Herald_. - -The father of this heroine, William Roberts, was a bricklayer, -and used to employ his little girl, dressed in boy's clothes, as a -labourer. When she was about fourteen years old, being tall of her -age, Miss Roberts enlisted in the 15th Light Dragoons. In the course -of two months she learned the drill sufficiently for all purposes of -parade; and the rough-riding master told her she was the best rider in -the squad he was teaching. Private William Roberts was promoted in the -course of a few years, first to be a corporal, and then a sergeant; -and at the expiration of her twenty-one years' service, the colonel -tendered her discharge. She demurred accepting it; but being under -size, was, with her own consent, transferred to the 37th foot; which -she joined at the island of St. Vincent, in the West Indies. - -At St. Vincent the heroine was attacked by the yellow fever; and this -being the first time in her life that she was ever laid prostrate by an -illness, her sex was soon made known. On her recovery she was obliged -to resume (or rather put on) female habilaments. But being still -enamoured of a soldier's life, she married, in May, 1801, a private -in the 37th, named Taylor. She followed her husband through various -climates; and in time became the mother of three children. She was -imprisoned for two years with her husband in France, and they were only -set free at the general peace of July, 1815. Her husband died the same -day they landed in England; leaving his widow in great distress. - -During the course of her military career, Mrs. Taylor visited the East -and West Indies, and fought in Flanders, Spain, Italy, and Egypt. -She received many wounds, none of which, however, were serious, -though they left their scars all over her body. Her head was graced -by a sabre-wound, while her leg showed where a musket-ball had been -extracted. Yet despite the dangers and hardships of war, this woman -sighed after the life of a soldier to the very last. She said that the -only really miserable part of her life was the two years' imprisonment -in France; which, she said, did her constitution more harm than even -the terrible march, under a blazing African sun, from the Red Sea -to Egypt. Like a brave old veteran, she kept up her spirits even in -adversity, "fought her battles o'er again," and loved to "shoulder her -crutch and show how fields were won." Like most old soldiers, she was -very fond of relating anecdotes about her past career--the battles she -had fought in, the wounds she had received, and the various noble or -distinguished officers she had seen. - - * * * * * - -Another of these British heroines was Mary Anne Talbot, who served -as drummer-boy in the 82nd regiment when it was despatched to the -Netherlands in 1793. The career of this young woman was so romantic, -so very much out of the ordinary routine of every-day life, it is -strange that her story has not become more generally known--especially -as a long and detailed memoir was published, which she was supposed to -have written herself. - -Mary Anne Talbot was born in a house in Lincoln's Inn Fields on the 2nd -February, 1778, and was the youngest of sixteen natural children, whom -her mother, whose name has not transpired, had by the Earl of Talbot. -Until she had reached the age of five, Mary Anne was kept at nurse at -a little village about twelve miles from Shrewsbury. Her mother died -when she was an infant; and at the death of Lord Talbot, Mary Anne was -removed to a boarding-school in Foregate-street, Chester. Here she -remained for nine years under the care of her only surviving sister, -Mrs. Wilson. On the death of Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Sucker, of Newport, -Shropshire, came forward as guardian of Mary Anne Talbot. He was a -harsh man, and treated her so cruelly that she trembled at the sound -of his voice. She had not been in her new home very long when Essex -Bowen, a captain in the 82nd, appeared at the house; and the girl was -commanded by Sucker to consider him as her future guardian, under whose -protection she was to finish her education on the continent. - -Early in the year 1792 they proceeded to London and stopped at the -Salopian coffee-house, Charing Cross; where, taking advantage of -the poor girl's friendless situation, Captain Bowen acted the part -of a villain. Immediately after this the 82nd was ordered to the -West Indies; and the captain forced his victim to dress herself as a -foot-boy and follow him. By his directions, too, she assumed the name -of John Taylor. They sailed on the 20th March, from Falmouth, in the -Crown Transport; and during the voyage her tyrant used her like a -slave, and forced her to eat and drink with the common sailors. - -Early in the following year the regiment was remanded to Europe, to -join the army of the Duke of York at Tournay. Bowen again intimidating -the forlorn girl by the threat of sending her up the country to be sold -for a slave, compelled her to enlist under him as a drummer, though he -plainly told her that this would not release her from her duties as his -servant. - -When they arrived in Flanders, Mary Anne was obliged to endure all the -horrors of war. During the frequent skirmishes which took place between -the English and French, she was compelled to keep up a continuous -roll of the drum to drown the groans and cries of wounded and dying -comrades. On the 2nd of June, the Duke of York besieged Valenciennes; -within a few days of its surrender, the female drummer received two -wounds--one from a musket-ball which glanced between her collar-bone -and breast-bone, and struck one of her ribs, the other in the small of -her back from the sabre of an Austrian trooper, who mistook her for a -Frenchman. Being in dread and fear lest her sex should be discovered, -she had the fortitude to conceal her wounds, and cure them herself by -the use of some lint, Dutch drops and basilicon. - -Captain Bowen had the reward of his villainy and tyranny, by being -slain during the attack on Valenciennes, July 25th, 1793. Having no -longer the wrath of a tyrant to fear, Mary Anne disguised herself as -a sailor boy, deserted from the regiment, and started for the coast. -Carefully avoiding all towns or large villages, she reached Luxembourg, -which being in the hands of the French, hindered her further progress. -She was compelled, through sheer want, to hire herself to the captain -of a French lugger. The vessel turned out to be a privateer, and -cruised about the Channel for four months. Mary Anne was compelled to -do all the rough work. At last the vessel was captured by the British -fleet, and the crew were taken prisoners on board the "Queen Charlotte" -to be examined by the admiral, Lord Howe. Previous to their capture, -Mary Anne was severely beaten because she refused to fight against her -countrymen. - -Lord Howe questioned Mary Anne as to who and what she was, and how she -had got on board a French ship. She stated, in explanation, that she -had been foot-boy to an English gentleman travelling on the continent, -that on his death she had been obliged to seek employment, and had -taken Le Sage the French captain, for an honest trader. The Admiral was -satisfied; and the girl was sent on board the "Brunswick" man-of-war, -where she was appointed powder-monkey on the quarter-deck. Her cleanly -habits, and her quiet respectful demeanour, attracted the notice of -Captain Harvey, who raised her to the post of principal cabin boy. - -The "Brunswick" having fallen in with a French ship, in June, 1794, a -sharp action ensued, in which Captain Harvey was slain, and Mary Anne -received a grape-shot in the ankle of her left leg. So severe was the -wound that, though she tried three several times to rise, the broken -bone protruding through the skin gave her such agony she fell back -almost fainting. A few minutes after this a musket-ball pierced her -thigh, just above the knee of the same leg. After the engagement she -was carried to the cock-pit, and after numberless attempts had been -made to extract the grape-shot (inflicting excruciating agony all the -while on the sufferer), the surgeons were obliged to leave it where it -was, fearful of cutting the tendons of the leg. - -When the "Brunswick" arrived at Spithead, Mary Anne Talbot was placed -in Haslar Hospital, where she was attended as an out-door patient -during four months. She lived meanwhile on the money which Captain -Harvey had given her. When she was at last discharged from the -Hospital, she went as a midshipman on board the "Vesuvius," which -formed part of Sir Sydney Smith's squadron. After cruising some time on -the coast of France the "Vesuvius" sailed to Gibraltar and back again -without meeting the enemy until near Dunkirk, where she was boarded and -captured by two privateers, after keeping up a running fight for seven -hours. - -Mary Anne and another middy named William Richards were taken on board -one of the privateers, and imprisoned for eighteen months in Dunkirk, -where they were treated very harshly--being allowed nothing but bread -and water, and a bed of straw which was never changed. An exchange of -prisoners took place at last; and Mary Anne Talbot was engaged almost -immediately after by a Captain Field to go as ship's steward on a -voyage to America. - -She sailed from Dunkirk on board the "Ariel," August, 1796, and arrived -in due time at New York. During her stay there she resided in the -family of Captain Field at Rhode Island; and the pretty niece of the -captain was so absurd as to fall in love with her uncle's steward. -Before Mary Anne's departure she was obliged to pay eighteen dollars -for a portrait of herself in the uniform of an American officer to give -to her affianced as a memento. - -The "Ariel" dropped anchor in the Thames in November, 1796; and some -days after their arrival, Mary Anne and the mate went on shore, where -they were seized by the press-gang. To obtain her freedom she was -obliged to reveal her sex. - -Mary Anne applied several times at the Navy-Pay Office for moneys due -to her for service on board the "Brunswick" and "Vesuvius." One day -she became abusive, and was taken to Bow Street Police Court; whence -of course she was very soon discharged. Several gentlemen who were in -court made up a subscription, the amount of which was twelve shillings -a week, to last until she received her pension from Somerset House. - -Mary Anne Talbot wasted her money shamefully at the theatres and at -certain public-houses near Covent Garden, where her real sex was not -even suspected; all her friends giving her the name of _bon compagnon_. -In February, 1797, owing to her fondness for grog, the grape-shot -worked itself out of her ankle, and left her leg in so bad a state that -she was taken into St. Bartholomew's Hospital. After her discharge she -was attended in different hospitals by several medical men, none of -whom were able to effect a permanent cure. She became at last so famous -that a beggar was sent to the House of Correction charged with passing -himself off as John Taylor, the midshipman. In 1799, she became, for -the second time, an inmate of Middlesex Hospital. - -For some years her principal support was a pension of twenty pounds -a year from the Crown; besides this she received frequent presents -from the Duke of York, the Duke of Norfolk, and other members of the -nobility. She was advised by Justice Bond, the magistrate of Bow -Street, to endeavour to find out something about her early life. She -went to Shrewsbury and called on Mr. Sucker, in Newport. Being unable -to procure an interview while in "coloured" clothes, she returned to -Shrewsbury, dressed herself in an ensign's uniform, hired a horse, and -rode back to Mr. Sucker's. She sent in word that an officer, a friend -of the late Captain Bowen, had an important message to deliver. This -_ruse_ succeeded; she declared who she was, and, drawing her sword, -demanded an explanation of Mr. Sucker's conduct towards her. He stared -as though an apparition had risen from the grave, and, trembling -violently, repeated that he was a ruined man. Three days after this he -was found dead in his bed. - -Mary Anne Talbot lived for many years after this, maintaining herself -in various ways. At one time she thought of going on the stage, -and joined the Thespian Society in Tottenham Court Road; where she -performed the parts of Irene, Lady Helen, Juliet, Floranthe, and -Adeline, and sometimes appeared in low comedy as Mrs. Scout, or Jack -Hawser. However, she gave up the stage, which was to her more amusing -than profitable. - -Once she was summoned before the Commissioners of the Stamp Office -for wearing hair-powder without a licence. But she was honourably -discharged; whereupon she made the observation that "although she had -never worn powder as an article of dress, she had frequently used it in -defence of her King and country." The clerks were so tickled with her -wit that they immediately made up a subscription. - - * * * * * - -In June, 1796, the British attacked the New Vigie, in the Island of -St. Vincent. The Royal Highlanders were conspicuous for their valour, -as Highlanders have ever been. Major-General Stewart, at that time a -captain in the regiment, relates how one of the men of his company -was followed to the scene of action by his wife. He (Captain Stewart) -ordered the man to remain behind and guard the knapsacks, which the -soldiers threw down preparatory to charging up the hill. The woman, -however, perhaps thinking that the family honour was at stake, rushed -up the hill, and made herself conspicuous, cheering and exciting the -troops. When the British had captured the third redoubt, Captain -Stewart was standing at a short distance, giving some directions -relative to the storming of the last entrenchments, when he was tapped -on the shoulder by the female Highlander, who seized his arm, and -exclaimed: - -"Well done, my Highland lads! See how the brigands scamper like so many -deer! Come, lads, let us drive them from yonder hill." - -And she charged off again, much to the delight of her Gaelic -brothers-in-arms. When the storm was over, she helped the surgeons in -looking after the wounded. - - * * * * * - -During the Irish Rebellion of '98, women very often risked their lives -both on the battle-field and in the defence of houses. Amongst the -latter was Susan Frost, a Suffolk woman, nurse to General Sir Charles -James Napier. During the temporary absence of the Napier family in -England, this woman remained at Celbridge House, in Ireland, with a -few of the younger children. The "Defenders" having ascertained that -this mansion contained a great number of arms, surrounded it one night. -The only persons in the house, besides Susan and the children, were -a few maids and Lauchlin Moore, an old serving-man. The rebels, who -numbered several hundreds, anticipated an easy capture; but the house -was strongly built, and, besides, was defended by Susan Frost, of -whose obstinate courage they were as yet ignorant. Collecting all the -children together in one room, she stationed herself with a brace of -pistols outside the door. The "Defenders" called on the little garrison -to surrender; but Lauchlin Moore, acting under the orders of Susan, -shouted out defiant refusals. Every time he passed a window, volleys of -shot whizzed around his head. - -When the assailants began to batter the door with a beam of wood, -Moore's courage failed him, and he wished to give up the arms. But -Susan invariably answered "No! No! Never! Never!" At last the arrival -of some men-servants, from a neighbouring mansion, put the rebels to -flight. - -Another heroine of the Irish Rebellion was Peggy Monro, who fought -bravely in the battle of Ballinahinch, where the rebels were commanded -by her brother. - - * * * * * - -At the latter end of 1797 the French invaded Switzerland, with the -ostensible view of spreading liberty, equality, and fraternity. -However, in place of being welcomed by the republican Swiss, they were -met on all sides by armed peasants who defended every foot of ground -before giving way. The women acted with the same courage as the men. -The most conspicuous was Martha Glar, a peasant-woman. When the war -broke out she was far from young; being then in her sixty-fourth year, -and having both children and grandchildren. - -In February, 1798, her husband marched with the rest of the farmers and -peasants to check the advance of the French. On the last Sunday in the -month, Martha collected all the women and girls of the parish in the -church-yard, half an hour before divine service, and addressed them -in an impressive oration, inciting them to take up arms in defence of -their native land. - -Two hundred and sixty women, urged by her patriotism, armed themselves, -and marched to meet the invaders. In this little regiment were two of -Martha Glar's daughters, and three of her grand-daughters, the youngest -of whom was only ten years old. After exciting the admiration of both -friends and foes by their extraordinary bravery, this female corps was -decimated in the battle of Frauenbrun, March 3rd, 1798. One hundred -and eighty of them were killed, and the rest carried, more or less -wounded, from the field. Martha Glar, together with her husband, her -father, her two sons, both her daughters, her brother, and her three -grand-daughters were amongst the slain. - -In 1806, when Prussia was arming against the "Colossus of Europe," the -Queen, who was young, beautiful, and fascinating, appeared several -times at the head of the troops attired in a military uniform, which, -it is said, became her exceedingly well; and in this costume she made -fiery speeches inciting the people to rise against the "Modern Attila." - -Besides this display of martial ardour, the Queen, mounted on a superb -charger, accompanied the Prussian army to the field of Jena, Oct. 14th, -1806, and remained in the midst of the fight till her troops were -routed. On her head she wore a helmet of burnished steel, overshadowed -by a magnificent plume. She wore a tunic of silver brocade, reaching -to her feet, which were encased in scarlet boots with gold spurs. -Her breast was protected by a cuirass glittering in gold and silver. -Accompanied by the _élite_ of the young Berlin nobility, she rode along -in front of the most advanced ranks, whence, the day being clear, -she was easily seen by the French. As she approached each regiment, -the flags, embroidered by her own fair hands, besides the blackened -rags--all that remained of the time-honoured banners of Frederick the -Great--were lowered respectfully. - -When the battle was over and the Prussians in full rout, the Queen -remained on the field, attended by three or four equerries, who, for -some time, contrived to defend her against the French troops, who -had strict orders to capture the Queen at all risks. A squadron of -hussars riding up at full speed soon dispersed the little escort of -her Majesty. The horse ridden by the Queen fortunately took fright, -and galloped off at full speed. Had it not been for his swiftness, the -royal heroine would inevitably have been captured. - -Pursued by the detachment of hussars, who were several times within -a few yards of the royal fugitive, she arrived at last within sight -of Weimar, and was congratulating herself upon having escaped so -imminent a danger, when, to her dismay, she observed a strong body of -French dragoons endeavouring to cut off her retreat. However, before -they could come near, she was inside Weimar, the gates of which were -immediately closed upon the discomfited troopers. - -The Queen found her costume exceedingly inconvenient during her flight; -and it was principally owing to this that she was so very near being -made prisoner. - - * * * * * - -Marie-Anne-Elise Bonaparte, sister of the first Napoleon, was a -woman of superior intellect, and shared to a considerable extent her -brother's military predilections. When she married Bacciochi, Prince -of Lucca and Piombino, it was she who conducted the government, while -the Prince was kept in a subordinate position. From her fondness for -military shows she acquired the title of the "Semiramis of Lucca." -Whenever she reviewed the troops, Prince Bacciochi discharged the -duties of aide-de-camp. - - * * * * * - -Next to Joan of Arc, the Maid of Saragossa is the most famous female -warrior that ever lived. Pictures and statues without number have -been exhibited commemorative of this Spanish girl's heroism; and what -renders her resemblance even greater to Jeanne is the fact that the -Maid of Saragossa was young, handsome, and interesting. - -The siege of Saragossa (or Zaragoza), was one of the most extraordinary -recorded in modern history. The town was not even properly fortified, -but merely enclosed by a badly-constructed wall twelve feet high and -three feet in breadth. This was, moreover, intersected by houses, -which, with the neighbouring churches and monasteries, were in a most -dilapidated condition. The inhabitants numbered only sixty thousand, -and amongst these there was barely two hundred and twenty soldiers. The -artillery consisted of ten dilapidated old guns. - -When the rest of Spain was at the feet of Napoleon, Marshal Lefebvre -was despatched in June 1808, with a strong division of the French -army to besiege Saragossa. Never, in our days at least, have the -inhabitants of a beleaguered town displayed such courage. Women of all -ranks assisted in the defence; they formed themselves into companies -of two or three hundred each, and materially aided the men. They were -always the most forward in danger, and the great difficulty was to -teach them prudence and a proper sense of their own danger. - -The French Marshal, astounded at this unexpected resistance, bribed -the keeper of a large powder-magazine to blow it up on the night of -June 28th. The French immediately pressed forward to the gates, and -commenced a vigorous cannonade. The confusion within the walls was -fearful. The people, terrified by the explosion, stupefied by the noise -of the cannon thundering in their ears, were paralysed with terror. -It was at this critical moment, when the French were pouring into the -town, already considered it as their own, that Agostina (or Angostina) -the Maid of Saragossa performed that heroic action which has made her -name famous throughout the world. - -According to the popular version of the story current at the time, the -deed was unpremeditated, and simply the result of a sudden impulse. -She was carrying round wine and water to the parched and fainting -soldiers; entering the Battery of El Portillo, she found that all its -defenders had been slain. She tore a match from the hand of a dying -artilleryman (whom Southey incorrectly supposes to have been her lover) -and fired off a twenty-six pounder gun which was loaded. But in Mrs. -Hale's "Woman's Record," and some other biographical dictionaries, -Agostina is represented as having gone to the battery with the previous -determination of performing great deeds. - -"At this dreadful moment," says Mrs. Hale, "an unknown maiden issued -from the church of Nostra Donna del Pillas, habited in white raiment, -a cross suspended from her neck, her dark hair dishevelled and her -eyes sparkling with supernatural lustre! She traversed the city with a -bold and firm step; she passed to the ramparts, to the very spot where -the enemy was pouring in to the assault; she mounted to the breach, -seized a lighted match from the hand of a dying engineer, and fired the -piece of artillery he had failed to manage; then kissing her cross, -she cried with the accent of inspiration--'Death or victory!' and -re-loaded her cannon. Such a cry, such a vision, could not fail to call -up enthusiasm; it seemed that heaven had brought aid to the just cause; -her cry was answered--'Long live Agostina.'" - -The people, inspired with new courage, rushed into the battery, and -blazed away at the French. Agostina swore not to quit her post while -the assault continued. The enthusiasm soon spread through the town. -Shouts of "Forward! Forward! We will conquer!" resounded from all -sides, and the besiegers were driven back at every point. - -Marshal Lefebvre saw it would cost too many soldiers to take the -town by storm; so he endeavoured to reduce it by famine, aided by a -heavy bombardment. The horrors of war--people dying of hunger, shells -bursting in the streets, the destruction of houses--reigned paramount -in Saragossa. Agostina risked her life daily to assist the wounded. -But she was seen daily working a heavy gun in the battery at the -north-western gate. - -The French, from their superior numbers and their determined -perseverance, soon became masters of nearly half the town. Lefebvre -sent to General Palafox, the Spanish Commandant, requesting him, -once more, to surrender. Palafox read this message in the public -street. Turning to Agostina, who, completely armed, stood near him, he -asked:--"What answer shall I send?" - -"War to the knife!" said she. - -And this answer, echoed by all, was sent back to the Duke of Dantzic. - -The latter gave immediate orders for his troops to press the siege by -every possible means. For eleven days and eleven nights the town was -like the crater of a volcano. The Spaniards disputed the possession -of every street, every house, sometimes every room in a house. -Agostina was seen at all points, wherever there was most danger to be -encountered. Running from post to post, she fought almost incessantly. -At last the French, thoroughly exhausted, retired from before Saragossa -early on the morning of the 17th August, and the brave townspeople -had their reward when they saw the legions of France retiring towards -Pampeluna. - -When General Palafox was rewarding the surviving warriors, he told -Agostina to select whatever reward she pleased; for, said he, anything -she asked for would be granted. The only favour she asked was -permission to retain the rank of an artillery-soldier, and to have the -privilege of taking the surname, and wearing the arms of Saragossa. -This was at once granted, with the double-pay of an artilleryman and a -pension; while she was decorated with medals and crosses by the Spanish -Junta, and given the additional surname of La Artillera. - -During the second siege of Saragossa, Agostina distinguished herself -again as a warrior. When the French sat down before the gates, she took -up her former station at the Portillo battery, beside the same gun -which she had served so well. - -"See," said she to Palafox, pointing to the gun, "I am again with my -old friend." - -Her husband was severely wounded, but Agostina took his duties, while -he lay bleeding at her side. Besides loading and firing this famous -gun, Agostina frequently headed sallying parties; when, knife or sword -in hand, her cloak wrapped round her, she cheered and encouraged the -soldiers by her example and her words. Although constantly under fire, -she escaped without a wound. Once, however, she was flung into a ditch, -and nearly suffocated by the bodies of dead and dying which fell upon -her. - -When the town capitulated in February, 1809, Agostina became a -prisoner. She was too much feared for Marshal Lannes to let her escape. -Fortunately for herself, she was seized with a contagious fever then -raging in the town, and was removed to the hospital; where, as it was -supposed she lay dying, so little care was taken in watching her that -she contrived to escape in a few days. - -When Lord Byron visited Spain in 1809, the maid of Saragossa used to -walk every day on the Prado at Seville, attired in the Spanish military -uniform--retaining, however, the petticoat and skirt, of her sex. Byron -devoted half-a-dozen verses of "Childe Harold" to her praises. Sir John -Carr, who was introduced to her about the same time, describes the -heroine as "about twenty-three," with a light olive complexion. "Her -countenance soft and pleasing, and her manners, which were perfectly -feminine, were easy and engaging." When he saw Agostina she wore the -national black mantilla; but on the sleeve of one arm she had three -embroidered badges of honour, commemorative of three different acts of -bravery. - -"The day before I was introduced to this extraordinary female," says -Sir John, "she had been entertained at dinner by Admiral Purvis on -board his flag-ship.... As she received a pension from Government, -and also the pay of an artilleryman, the admiral considered her as a -military character, and, much to his credit, received her with the -honours of that profession. Upon her reaching the deck, the marines -were drawn up and manoeuvred before her. She appeared quite at home, -regarding them with a steady eye, and speaking in terms of admiration -of their neatness, and soldier-like appearance. Upon examining the -guns, she observed of one of them, as other women would speak of a cap, -'My gun,' alluding to one with which she had effected a considerable -havoc among the French at Saragossa, 'was not so nice and clean as -this.'" - -Agostina lived to the age of sixty-nine, and died at Cuesta in July, -1857; when her remains were interred with all the honours due to her -public position as a Spanish patriot. - -Although the women of Saragossa had been ordered to leave the town in -November, 1808, previous to the commencement of the second siege, most -of them remained, and assisted bravely in raising fortifications. -During the siege they exceeded even their past valour. In the short -space of two months no fewer than six hundred women and children -perished by the bayonets and musket-balls of the French; without -reckoning the thousands who owed their deaths to the frequent -explosions of powder-magazines and the constant bursting of shells in -the streets. A girl named Manuella Sanchez was shot through the heart. -A noble lady named Benita, who commanded one of the female corps raised -to carry round provisions, to bear away the wounded, and to fight in -the streets, narrowly escaped death again and again; and at the last -she only survived the dangers of war to die of grief on hearing that -her daughter had been slain. - - * * * * * - -All through the Peninsula women displayed the same Amazonian prowess. -Those towns which ventured to resist the Imperial Eagles were as much -influenced in their stubborn patriotism by the courage of the women as -by the exciting speeches of the priests or the promise of assistance -from England. And all those places which were besieged by the French -were defended by women as well as by men. In 1810 there was, it is -said, a woman holding the commission of Captain in a Spanish regiment. - -In 1811, Mrs. Dalbiac, wife of a British colonel, "an English lady of -gentle disposition and possessing a very delicate frame," accompanied, -or perhaps followed, her husband to the Peninsula, and shared in all -the hardships of more than one campaign. At the battle of Salamanca, -July 22nd, 1812, she rode into the midst of the fight, and was several -times under fire. - - * * * * * - -The King of Prussia, unable to shake off the yoke of Napoleon in 1806, -when the star of the "Modern Attila" was at its zenith, took advantage -of the Emperor's misfortunes in 1813 to call upon the Germans to rise -against the tyranny of France. His call was warmly responded to from -all parts of the realm; and, like France in the early days of the -Republic, almost all who could bear arms hastened to enrol themselves -as volunteers, and march away to fight the Gaul. Perhaps the best -known rifle-corps was that commanded by Major Lutzow. Young men of the -best families, men of genius (amongst others, Körner the poet, who has -celebrated it in verse) joined this battalion. In this corps there was -a female soldier, who enrolled under the name of Renz. A monument was -erected to the memory of this heroine at Dannenberg, in September, -1865. It is in the form of a pyramid, one foot high. Nothing further is -known concerning her history, beyond what is told by the inscription -on this memorial. - -"Ellonora Prochaska, known as one of the Lutzow Rifle Volunteers, -by the name of Augustus Renz, born at Potzdam on the 11th March, -1785, received a fatal wound in the battle of Göhrde on the 15th -September, 1813, died at Dannenberg on the 5th October, 1813. She fell -exclaiming:--'Herr Lieutenant, I am a woman!'" - -In 1869 a young man was received, by the express order of the King of -Prussia, as a candidate for an ensign's commission into the second -company of the first battalion of the 9th regiment, in Stargard, the -same company in which his grandmother had served as a subaltern officer -during the war of liberation against the French, and bravely won the -Iron Cross and the Russian order of St. George. This lady--Augusta -Frederica Krüger--was a native of Friedland, in Mecklenberg. Not -content with offering, like many of her countrywomen, her trinkets and -her flowing hair on the altar of patriotism, she entered the ranks -as a volunteer, under the name of Lübeck, and distinguished herself -by her intrepidity on many a hard-fought field. On October 23, 1815, -she received her discharge, and her services were mentioned in this -document in the most flattering terms. In January, 1816, being present, -dressed in the garments of her own sex, at the festival of the Iron -Cross, held at Berlin, she attracted the attention of a sub-officer of -Lancers, named Karl Köhler, to whom she was married, in the garrison -church of Berlin, on March 5, of the same year. The church was densely -packed with spectators on the occasion, every one anxious to witness -the marriage of two Prussian subaltern officers. The heroic bride -appeared in a handsome silk gown, and wore on her breast the orders she -had honourably won, which, with her short hair, were the only signs or -symbols of her former military career. - - * * * * * - -Marshal Massena once related how, during an action between the French -and Russians at Buezenghen, he observed a young soldier, apparently -scarcely more than a child, who belonged to the French Light Artillery, -defending himself bravely against several herculean Cossacks and -Bavarians. This young artilleryman, whose horse had been slain by the -thrust of a Cossack lance, displayed the most determined courage. "I -immediately despatched an officer and some men to his assistance, but -they arrived too late. Although the action had taken place on the -borders of the wood and in front of the bridge, the artilleryman had -alone withstood the attack of the small body of Cossacks and Bavarians -whom the officers and men I had despatched put to flight. His body was -covered with wounds inflicted by shots, lances, and swords. There were -at least thirty. And do you know, Madame," asked the Marshal, "what the -_young man_ was?" - -"A woman!" - -"Yes, a woman, and a handsome woman too! Although she was so covered -with blood that it was difficult to judge of her beauty. She had -followed her lover to the army. The latter was a Captain of Artillery; -she never left him, and when he was killed, defended like a lioness -the remains of him she loved. She was a native of Paris, her name was -Louise Belletz, and she was the daughter of a fringe-maker." - - * * * * * - -It was in 1812 that the Chicago Massacre took place. For more than a -year before, the Indian tribes residing near the remote lakes and the -sources of the Mississippi had displayed great hostility towards the -pale-faces; though for a long time they did not venture to proceed to -extremities. But after the declaration of war between the United States -and Great Britain, on the 18th May, 1812, the savages came forward -in great numbers as the allies of the British, and acted with their -customary barbarity. One of their worst deeds was the Massacre of -Chicago, August 15th, 1812. - -The Fort of Chicago was commanded by Captain Heald. On the 7th August, -he received despatches announcing that the Pottawatomie Indians had -declared war against the United States, and commanding him to evacuate -the place. He marched out on the 15th, accompanied by all the women and -children, and had not proceeded very far before they were surrounded -by overwhelming numbers of redskins. The Americans defended themselves -with their usual bravery; and though hardly more than one to twenty, -they sold their lives dearly. - -Mrs. Heald, who was in the thick of the fight, received seven wounds. -Her horse, a splendid animal, was prized by the Indians, who valued it -far higher than its rider, and tried their best to avoid hurting it. -A savage was in the act of tearing off Mrs. Heald's bonnet to scalp -her, when one of the St. Joseph's tribe ransomed her for ten bottles of -whiskey and a mule. - -Mrs. Helm, wife of the officer second in command, fought bravely for -her life. She was wounded slightly in the ankle, and had her horse shot -under her. Being attacked by a young savage who aimed a blow at her -head with his tomahawk, she sprang on one side, and the stroke fell on -her shoulder, inflicting a severe wound. She seized him round the neck, -and endeavoured to snatch his scalping-knife; but another Indian came -up and dragged her away. The new-comer proved to be a friend. Plunging -Mrs. Helm into the lake, he held her there, despite her struggles, till -the firing was over. - -After fighting with desperate valour, until only twenty-seven of them -were left, the Americans were compelled to surrender. The wife of one -of the soldiers, hearing of the tortures which the savages inflicted on -their prisoners, resolved to die sooner than let herself be taken. When -her companions had given up their arms, the Indians wished to capture -this woman; but rejecting all their promises of kind treatment, she -fought so desperately that she was literally cut to pieces. - -Captain Helm, twice wounded, was sent with his wife and children to -Mackinaw on the eastern coast of Michigan, and delivered as prisoners -of war to the British general, who received them kindly, and sent them -to Detroit. Lieutenant Helm, also wounded, was taken to St. Louis; -where he was liberated through the entreaties of Mr. Forsyth, an Indian -trader. Mrs. Helm was taken to Detroit, where she was exchanged, -together with Captain and Mrs. Heald, some time after. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -III. - - Doña Maria de Jesus, Private in the Brazilian Army (War of - the Reconcave)--Russian Female Soldiers--Juana de Areito - (Civil Wars in Spain, 1834)--Anita Garibaldi--Appolonia - Jagiello (Rebellions in Poland, 1846 and '48, and Vienna - and Hungary, '48)--Bravery of the Croatian Women--Countess - Helena St. ----, a Hungarian Patriot--Garde Mobile--Louisa - Battistati (Milanese Revolution, 1848)--Fatima, a Turkish - Commander (Russo-Turkish War)--Lady Paget (Attack - on the Mamelon, June, 1855)--Miss Wheeler (Cawnpore - Massacre)--Queen of Naples--Polish Insurrection--Mdlle. - Pustowjtoff, Adjutant to Langievicz--Female Polish - Chasseurs--Female Lieut.-Colonel in the Mexican Army--Civil - War in America--Female Privates in the Potomac Army--Female - Lieutenant and Privates in the Army of the West--Mrs. - Clayton, Private in the Federal Army--Emily ----, Private in - the Drum Corps of a Michigan Regiment--Female Confederates - at Ringgold, Chattanooga--Mrs. Florence Bodwin--Female - Mulatto Sergeant--Native Contingent in New Zealand--Herminia - Manelli, Corporal of Bersaglieri (Battle of Custozza, - 1866)--Lopez's Amazons--Cretan Amazons--Women of - Montenegro--Female Brigands--German Order to Reward Courage - in Women--Franco-Prussian War--Minna Hänsel's Amazon Corps. - - -Since the first French Revolution, monarchs have not always sat easily -upon their thrones. They fancied they had cut down the Tree of Liberty -after the downfall of Napoleon, and that it would never grow up again; -but in a very short time it brought forth new branches, and has since -borne fruit in a way which the most sanguine Republican of olden times -would scarcely have ventured to predict. Since the battle of Waterloo, -Europe and America--even parts of Asia and Africa--have been convulsed -by rebellions, civil wars, and revolutions, which have often shaken -the world to its centre. The peoples learnt to hate their rulers; and -one nation after another, catching the revolutionary fire from the -smouldering brand half stamped out in France, rose in rebellion against -the monarch who refused them immediate enfranchisement. Again and -again have the nations been compelled by force of arms to submit; but -they rise again whenever they fancy they see a favourable opportunity. -Thus it happened that almost every war, fought in Europe or America -since Waterloo up to some ten years since, had its origin in the same -cause--the struggles of nations to cast off their rulers. - -Amongst those states which took the initiative in raising the standard -of revolt, the South American colonies of Spain and Portugal were -foremost. Brazil declared its independence in 1821, and elected Don -Pedro, the Crown Prince of Portugal, to be Emperor. The latter had a -hard struggle to maintain his throne against not only the Portuguese -troops, but against the Republicans, who composed a large party in -Brazil. His emissaries were despatched all over the country, to the -most distant plantations, to raise recruits for the Imperial Army. One -of these messengers arrived one day at the farmhouse of Gonzalez de -Almeida, a Portuguese settler in the parish of San José, on the Rio de -Pax. The patriot was invited to dinner; and, mindful of his object, he -endeavoured to enlist the sympathies of his host for Don Pedro. Almeida -listened very attentively; but it awakened no feelings of patriotism in -his breast. He was old, and could not join the army himself, nor had he -a son to give. - -"As to giving a slave," added he, "what interest would a slave have in -fighting for the independence of Brazil?" - -But though Almeida had no sons, he had two daughters. One of them, Doña -Maria de Jesus, was desirous, for many reasons, to leave home and seek -employment elsewhere. Her father had married again, and the step-mother -and her young children made home exceedingly uncomfortable for Maria. -She was much excited by the patriot's words; "So that at last," she -said, "I felt my heart burning in my breast!" - -She stole from the house, and went to that of her married sister. After -recapitulating the stranger's discourse, she expressed a wish that she -were a man and could join the Imperial standard. - -"Nay," said her sister. "If I had not a husband and child, for one half -of what you say, I would join the ranks of the emperor." - -This decided the wavering resolution of Doña Maria. Her sister supplied -her with a suit of clothes belonging to the husband, so Maria took the -opportunity, as her father was going to Cachoeira, about forty leagues -distant, to dispose of some cotton, to ride after him; not close enough -to be seen, but sufficiently near for protection. When in sight of -Cachoeira, she halted; and going a little way from the road, dressed -herself in male attire. - -She entered the town on a Friday, and by the following Sunday she had -enlisted in an artillery regiment, and had already mounted guard. She -was, however, too slight for the heavy duties of an artilleryman; so -she exchanged into an infantry corps, in which she remained till the -close of the war. - -Her real sex was not even suspected till Almeida applied to the -commanding officer of her regiment. In the summer of 1823 she was sent -with despatches to Rio Janeiro, and there presented to Don Pedro, who -gave her an ensign's commission and the Order of the Cross--the latter -of which he himself placed upon her jacket. - -Maria Graham in her "Journal of a Voyage to Brazil," gives, as one -of the illustrations, Maria de Jesus in her uniform. "Her dress," -says this traveller, "is that of a soldier of one of the emperor's -battalions, with the addition of a tartan kilt, which she told me she -had adopted from a picture representing a Highlander, as the most -feminine military dress. What would the Gordons and Macdonalds say to -this? The 'garb of old Gaul' chosen as a womanish attire!" This lady -further says that Maria, though clever, was almost totally uneducated; -"she might have been a remarkable person. She is not particularly -masculine in her appearance, and her manners are gentle and cheerful." - - * * * * * - -In a census of the population of St. Petersburg, published about 1829, -there appears the following curious item:-- - - -"SOLDIERS AND SUBALTERNS. - - Men. Women. Total. - 46,076 9,975 56,051." - -When the civil war broke out in Spain, in 1834, the town of Eybar, -in the province of Guipuzcoa, being attacked by Zabala, the Carlist -general, several women and girls assisted the Christino troops in its -defence. One of these brave girls, Juana de Anito, at this time barely -fifteen, was married six years later to Don Eulogio Barbero Quintero, -a young officer in the Spanish Army. In 1840 he became mixed up in a -conspiracy against the Government; and on the failure of the plot, -attempted to escape into France. He was intercepted on his road, and -imprisoned in the citadel of San Sebastian. Directly Juana heard of -his capture she resolved to effect his escape; which she accomplished -in Nov. 1841, by exchanging clothes with him. Don Eulogio succeeded in -reaching the French frontier; but the courage and devotion of his young -wife did not avert the wrath of the Spanish Regent, by whose orders she -was condemned to imprisonment for life. - - * * * * * - -It was whilst fighting in Brazil as a rebel against the Imperial -Government that Garibaldi first met his beloved wife, Anita. She was a -Brazilian by birth, and possessed all the beauty of her countrywomen. -Her complexion was a clear olive, set off by piercing black eyes, her -figure tall and commanding. She was a fit companion for the brave -Garibaldi; being to the full as courageous as he. The general himself -said that his wife took part in battle as "an amusement" and "a simple -variation to the monotony of camp-life." - -Anita accompanied her husband in all his expeditions both on shore and -at sea. Ably did she second him in the struggle for Brazilian freedom. -Shortly after marriage they were one day at sea, when the Imperial -fleet hove in sight, and bore down upon them. Garibaldi entreated his -bride to land, and remain on shore whilst the engagement lasted; but -she firmly refused, and not only remained during the action, but took a -very leading share in it. One of the sailors fell dead at her feet; she -snatched up his carbine, and kept up a constant fire on the Brazilians -for several hours. - -When the battle was at its height, Anita was standing on deck, waving -a sword over her head, encouraging the men to resist bravely. Suddenly -she was struck down by the wind of a cannon-ball, which killed two men -close by. Garibaldi rushed forward, expecting to find that life was -extinct; but to his astonishment and delight she rose up unhurt. Again -he entreated her to go below, and remain there till the fighting was -over. - -"Yes," said Anita. "I will go below; but only to drive out the cowards -who are skulking there." - -And running down the hatchway, she speedily reappeared, driving before -her three men who had gone below to escape the storm. - -Anita was also present, on horseback, in a battle fought at a place -called Coritibani, where the Garibaldians, numbering scarcely eighty -men, half of whom were infantry, were attacked by a large body of -Brazilian cavalry. She was not satisfied with being a mere spectator; -knowing that the rebels, as they kept up a constant fire, would soon -exhaust their ammunition, she went to the baggage-waggons to see -that the men were properly supplied with cartridges. She had not been -there very long before the baggage-train was attacked by twenty or -thirty Brazilian horsemen. Anita was a good rider, and could have saved -herself; but she preferred to remain on the spot, encouraging the -Garibaldians. - -The Brazilians were victorious in this battle; Anita surrounded on -every side, received orders to yield. Clapping spurs to her horse, she -dashed through the midst of her foes. Several shots were fired after -her; one, a pistol shot, went through her hat, cutting off a lock of -hair, while another pierced her horse's head. The animal fell heavily -to the ground, flinging her with violence from the saddle. Before she -could recover her feet, the Brazilian troopers had made her prisoner. - -Anita believed that her husband had been killed; so the Brazilian -colonel gave her permission to search the battle-field for his body. -She looked through the corpses again and again for several hours, and -at last came to the conclusion that Garibaldi still lived, and she -determined to rejoin him. That night, when the Brazilians had retired -to rest, and when even the sentry began to nod, she succeeded in -escaping to a farmhouse a quarter of a mile distant; where she seized a -horse, and plunged into the forest, in the direction which she believed -the Garibaldians to have taken. - -For more than a week, Anita Garibaldi wandered alone amidst the almost -impenetrable wilds of the dense Brazilian forests, without food, and -exposed to the hourly chances of capture. More than once she was -pursued by the enemy placed in ambush at various points. One stormy -night, four horsemen, who were stationed at a ford of the river Canoas, -believing her to be a phantom, fled in terror. Anita plunged boldly -into the stream; and, although it was five hundred yards broad, and -swollen by the mountain rivulets till it had assumed the aspect of -a roaring cataract, she succeeded, holding on by her horse's mane, -in reaching the opposite shore, amidst a shower of bullets from the -Brazilians, who had found out their mistake. - -After enduring for eight days every kind of danger and privation, she -overtook the Garibaldians, and rejoined her husband. - -"Yes, yes, gentlemen," added Garibaldi, when he related this anecdote, -"my wife is valiant." - -There are many more of these anecdotes related concerning the -extraordinary bravery of Anita. She afterwards accompanied her -husband on his return to Italy, in 1848, and was with him during the -insurrection of Lombardy against Austria. In the following year she -attended him throughout the siege of Rome. After the fall of the -Eternal City in 1849, when Garibaldi was escaping to Venice, Anita, -worn out by long suffering, died at Mandriole, a small village in the -marshes of Ravenna. - - * * * * * - -Apollonia Jagiello, a Polish heroine, who acquired no little celebrity -for her bravery during the insurrections of '46 and '48, was born in -Lithuania, in 1825. She was educated at Cracow, in which city she -passed her early life; sometimes changing for a few weeks to Warsaw -or Vienna. In 1846 the insurrection broke out in the former city. -Apollonia was, at this time, rather more than twenty, of medium height, -with a graceful and slender figure. She was a brunette, with big black -eyes, and a profusion of dark hair. Her arms and hands, which were more -than once admired by those who saw her, were beautiful, and delicately -formed. Although her lips were usually compressed, with a resolute -expression of one who was not easily daunted, yet she could also -smile most sweetly. "In that," says the _National Era_ (an American -journal), "the woman comes out; it is arch, soft and winning--a rare -and indescribable smile. Her manner," adds this paper, "is simple -and engaging. Her voice is now gentle or mirthful, now earnest and -passionate--sometimes it sounds like the utterance of some quiet home -lyre, and sometimes startles you with a decided ring of the steel." - -Apollonia, inspired by that enthusiastic love for her country, which -we so often find amongst Polish girls, joined the national army; and, -throughout the struggle, which lasted only two or three months, was -always found wherever danger was greatest. Mounted on horseback, she -was one of those patriots who planted the White Eagle and the flag of -freedom on the Castle and Palace of Cracow. She also formed one of that -gallant little band which fought the battle near Podgorze against an -army ten times their strength. - -When the insurrection was suppressed, Madlle. Jagiello, resuming her -own attire, remained in Cracow for several weeks without detection. She -then removed to Warsaw, where she stayed until the year 1848, the Year -of Revolutions. Directly the Cracovians took up arms, she joined their -ranks, and displayed the same courage which she had shown two years -previously. - -The insurrection of '48 proved, if possible, a greater failure than -the first. Apollonia fled from Cracow, and reached Vienna just in time -to take share in the skirmish of the Faubourg Widen. She remained here -only a few days, her object being to join the Hungarian insurgents -under Kossuth. With the assistance of some friends she succeeded in -reaching Presburg; whence, disguised as a peasant, she was conveyed -to the village of St. Paul by those unfortunate country-folks who -were compelled to carry provisions for the Austrian army. Crossing -that part of the country occupied by the German troops, she reached -the Hungarian camp, near the village of Ezneszey, on the 15th August, -1848. This was immediately before the battle fought here, in which the -Austrians were defeated, and General Wist slain. Apollonia took part in -this battle as a volunteer; but such was her courage that the Hungarian -general presented her with a lieutenant's commission. - -Apollonia, on the urgent solicitation of all, undertook the -superintendence of the hospital at Comorn. This post she resigned for a -while to join as a volunteer in the expedition of twelve thousand men, -commanded by General Klapka, who captured Raab. Returning to Comorn, -the heroine resumed her hospital duties, and remained there until the -fortress surrendered. - -In December, 1849, in company with Governor Ladislaus Ujhazy and his -family, Apollonia Jagiello sailed to the United States, where they -received an enthusiastic welcome. Here she continued to show that -hatred of tyrants for which she had ever been distinguished. One day, -when she was at Washington, an album was handed to her, with the -request that she would add her autograph to those it already contained. -She took it with a smile, but it chanced that on the very page at -which she opened, the signature of M. Bodisco, the Russian ambassador, -figured prominently. Flinging the album from her, with flashing eyes, -she declared that her name should never appear in the same book with -"the tool of a tyrant." - -While the hatred of Austria was felt by all throughout Hungary, -Croatia and Sclavonia were actuated, on the contrary, by feelings of -the deepest loyalty to the house of Hapsburg. Baron W., who published -his adventures under the title of "Scenes of the Civil War in Hungary -in 1848-9, with the personal adventures of an Austrian officer, -etc.," declares that the Croatians joined the Imperial standard by -thousands; even the women, moved by an ardent and loyal courage, -aided in defending the frontiers against the Bosnians, who, excited -by the emissaries of Kossuth, took every opportunity for raids and -invasions over the border. While the men were flocking to the banners -of Jellachich, the ban of Croatia, their wives and daughters took up -arms and repaired to the chain of posts on the Turkish boundary, "that -all the men might be able to take the field; and such an eight days' -duty as these frontier posts," he adds, "is no trifle, and requires -not a little firmness." Old, half-invalided frontier subalterns, -incapacitated for taking the field, were the commandants; young, -many of them handsome, females composed their troops. "By my faith!" -exclaims the Baron, "I should have no objection to be the commander of -such a corps of Ottochan females myself!" - -Numbers of Croatian and Sclavonian women accompanied the Austrian army -into Germany and Italy. "We had," says the same author, "wives and -daughters of frontier soldiers with us in Peschiera and on the march -through Hungary, who equalled the men in the endurance of fatigue, -and displayed undaunted courage in battle. In Hungary we had with us -a young Croatian, the daughter of an old Seressan, who was as daring -a rider as the best hussar, and more than once fearlessly joined the -men in the charge. A Hungarian _jurat_ gave her in an action a cut -on the left cheek, which she returned with a severe blow on the arm, -seized the bridle of his horse, and took him prisoner. This horse, a -grey stallion, she ever afterwards rode, and refused to sell, though I -offered her forty ducats for him." - -The Countess Helene St. ----, a Hungarian patriot, was the sister of an -old comrade of Baron W. The brother, who owned a magnificent estate, -was a Magyar to the very core; and directly the insurrection broke out, -he took up arms, and fell bravely fighting for his country in February, -1849. His dying agonies were soothed by an unexpected meeting with his -early friend; the Baron. - -Helene joined the insurgents soon after her brother left home, -and served as aide-de-camp to his maternal uncle, who commanded a -considerable Magyar corps. One cold, moonlight night, a few days after -the death of the count, the author of the "Adventures" discovered the -corpse of this beautiful girl, dressed in the military uniform of a -Hungarian soldier, stretched out at the foot of a tree, her life's -blood crimsoning the white snow. - -"Forcibly mustering my spirits," says he, "I ordered my men to carry -the body to the fire. There we examined it more closely, and with -extreme anxiety I sought to ascertain whether there was any hope left -of reviving her. Vain hope! It was several hours since her spirit had -departed; the ball of one of our riflemen had gone through her heart. -From the small red wound blood was still oozing in a single drop, which -I carefully caught in my handkerchief to be preserved as a relic. - -"My only consolation was that the deceased could not have suffered -long; that she must have expired the very moment she was struck. Those -pure, noble, still wondrous beautiful features; on her brow dwelt peace -and composure, and the lips almost smiled. There she lay, as if in -tranquil slumber, and yet those eyes were never more to open--those -lips never more to utter noble sentiments or words of kindness. - -"My hussars were visibly affected, and thought it a pity that one so -young and so beautiful should die so early. Many of them who had been -with me on our first march through Hungary for two days together at St. -----'s mansion, instantly recognised Helene, and doubly lamented her -death, because she had shown such kindness to them." - -They dug a deep grave beneath the frozen snow. "The corpse, in full -uniform; the _holpack_, with plume of glistening heron's feathers on -her head, the light Turkish sabre by her side, was then carefully -wrapped in a clean large blanket which we had with us, and so deposited -in the grave, which we filled up again with earth. Then regardless of -caution, I had a full salute fired with pistols over the grave. I have -preserved a small gold ring and a lock of her hair for a memorial." - -The Baron, it should be added, plainly tells the reader that he -was very nearly, if not quite, over head and ears in love with the -beautiful Helene. - -One of the hussars, who could do carpenter's work, made a cross of two -young, white maple trees, which was placed over the heroine's grave. - - * * * * * - -The Garde Mobile (which, as an extra battalion to the National Guard, -did good service to the people in '48,) when it was disbanded, proved -to be half composed of Parisian women and girls. - -Louisa Battistati, a heroine of the Lombardian Revolution, was a -native of Stradella, in Sardinia, and a mantua-maker by trade. She -was dwelling in Milan, following this business, when the five days' -Revolution broke out. On Sunday, the 10th March, 1848, Louisa attacked -and disarmed an Austrian cavalry soldier, although he carried a -carbine. At the head of a valiant band of young women, she now took up -her station at the Poppietti bridge, and defended it all through the -20th, the 21st and the 22nd. At every shot from her musket a Croat fell -dead. - - * * * * * - -In June, 1853, the war between Russia and Turkey broke out. The Turkish -government, to swell the ranks of the army, were obliged to beat up for -recruits among the semi-barbarous tribes of Asia Minor. The chief of -one of the wild tribes in the Cilician mountains having been imprisoned -by order of the Sultan, his wife, Fatima, a little old woman, about -sixty years of age, with a dark complexion, who governed during his -absence, exercising the double duty of Queen and Prophetess, raised -three hundred of her best horsemen and led them to the Allied Camp -at Scutari, in the summer of 1854. Her appearance created no little -sensation amongst English and French. There was very little of the -Amazon in her personal appearance, though she bestrode her steed like -a trooper, and wore a costume intended to represent the military dress -of a chieftain. She was attended by two handmaids, also in male attire. - -Fatima, apprehensive that her entreaties for the release of her husband -would prove insufficient to move the Sultan, thought the best means of -propitiating the Turkish Government was to lead a few hundreds of her -bravest warriors to fight the frozen Russ. The pay for her troops was -to be eighty piastres a month, besides tooth and stirrup money in every -village through which they should pass. - - * * * * * - -When the Allies were storming the Mamelon in June, 1855, Lady Paget -(wife of Lord George, and daughter of General Sir Arthur Paget, brother -of the famous Marquis of Anglesey) was present on the field, at a -short distance from the scene of action. General Pennefather went up -to the dead body of a Russian officer, and cut a medal off his coat. -He then pinned the medal on Lady Paget's shawl, paying her a handsome -compliment to the effect that she deserved a medal as much as any one -present. - - * * * * * - -Most people can remember the fortitude and courage displayed by the -British ladies at Cawnpore, Lucknow, and other Indian cities during -the terrible Mutiny. Ladies, some of them mere girls, delicately -nurtured, unused to hardships of any kind, endured without a murmur, -the most heartrending privations; and so far from giving way to useless -repinings or sinking into apathy, they tried in every way to cheer -up their brave defenders. They bore provisions and ammunition to the -soldiers, loaded the rifles, and more than once took their turn in -mounting guard and firing on the rebels. - -The heroine of Cawnpore, Miss Wheeler, was one of the prisoners -captured by the notorious Nana Sahib on the 26th June, 1857, and all -who survived the terrible Massacre bore witness to her unflinching -courage. She is said to have shot five Sepoys with a revolver; that she -was then taken away by a sowar (trooper) to his hut, when she snatched -his sabre, cut off his head, and flung herself down a well. An ayah, -belonging to an English family, stated that it was in the hut, after -killing the sowar, that she shot the five Sepoys. - - * * * * * - -The romantic conquest of Naples and Sicily, by General Garibaldi in -1860, has already melted into the past and become an almost distant -event in European history. It was said at the time that if Francis II. -had possessed a particle of the military courage of his Queen, it would -have been easy for him with his trained battalions to have captured -or dispersed the handful of Garibaldian volunteers. When Bombino had -taken refuge in Gaeta, the great stronghold of Southern Italy, he -fancied himself secure from the attacks of the foe; but the Sardinian -troops were soon battering the walls with long-range guns, and all the -appliances necessary for a modern siege. - -Amongst the besieged, Queen Marie Sophie Amelie was the only leader -who encouraged the soldiers to make a brave defence. Standing on the -ramparts of Gaeta, she incited the Neapolitan troops to shed the last -drop of their blood for the Bourbon cause. Doubtless there was much -exaggeration in those marvellous anecdotes published in the newspapers -of the time relating deeds of Amazonian valour performed by the Queen; -but it is certain that she acted the part of King, while her cowardly -husband hid away in the darkness and security of bomb-proof galleries. -In December, 1860, and January, 1861, it was remarked by the troops -of Cialdini that every morning, at a particular hour, the fire of -the Neapolitan batteries slackened for a short time; re-commencing, -however, with renewed vigour. They soon learned that the Queen, dressed -in Calabrian costume, visited a particular battery (named after herself -the "Queen's Battery") every morning, sometimes on horseback, but -generally in a coach; and would assist in the firing of the heavy guns. -The artillerymen were ready to sacrifice their lives in the service of -their beautiful and courageous Queen, while they heartily despised the -contemptible Francis. - - * * * * * - -The chief heroine of the last Polish insurrection (1862-3-4) was -Madlle. Pustowjtoff, or, as some have written it, Pustovoydova, -aide-de-camp and Adjutant to General Langievicz, the Dictator. When -the ill-starred rebellion was at its height, cartes-de-visite of the -heroine, in the costume of a Polish officer, were displayed in the -shop-windows of the great European and American cities, side by side -with all the public celebrities of the day. She was decidedly pretty, -though rather childish looking: her features were good, and she had a -profusion of fair hair. - -Though her family and her proclivities were essentially Polish, Madlle -Pustowjtoff was not a native of the country, but was born in Russia -of a Polish mother. When the insurrection broke out, she escaped from -a convent where she had been placed (probably by her parents) and -joined Langievicz, who almost immediately appointed her to be one -of his aides. She was present in numberless battles and skirmishes -between the Russians and Poles; and finally accompanied Langievicz in -his precipitate--some say cowardly--flight into Galicia, where, being -arrested by the Austrian authorities, the fugitives were imprisoned. -Madlle. Pustowjtoff was afterwards released on parole, though she -was requested not to quit Galicia. In November, 1863, she exchanged -the profession of arms for the occupation of companion to a lady in -that country; but after the release of Langievicz and his followers -by the Austrian Government in the summer of 1865, she resigned this -employment, and travelled westwards. - - * * * * * - -There was many another Polish heroine as brave though not so famous -as the female Adjutant. When national liberty is at stake, there will -always be found women as well as men ready to arm in its defence; and -the women of Poland have ever been remarked for more than ordinary -patriotism. A writer in _Fraser's Magazine_ for December, 1863, -speaking of the part taken by the Polish women in the struggles with -Russia, relates the following anecdotes of female courage:-- - -"The following incident of the active heroism of the Polish women, was -told me by an officer who had commanded a detachment of cavalry in -Lithuania in the early days of the insurrection:-- - -"One day about twenty of his Cossacks surrounded the house of a -lady, living in a retired part of the country, whose daughter was -the betrothed of one of the chiefs of bands known to be in the -neighbourhood. At that very moment he and several other leaders were -in the house, consulting with the two ladies over their plans. Alarmed -by the arrival of the Cossacks, the men hastened to escape from the -back windows, and fled to the woods; the two women actually protecting -their retreat by keeping up a fire from their pistols from the front. -When the Cossacks at last forced their way into the house, they found -only the two women, whom they do not seem to have molested, but -contented themselves, after their manner, with filling their pockets -with all the portable valuables within reach. On retiring, they pitched -their horses a short distance off, yet in sight of the house. Presently -the young girl was seen to come out, and proceed to the stables, from -which she soon again came forth, mounted, when she set off in the -direction her lover had taken. One of the Cossacks, having a sorry -beast of his own, and admiring that which the girl rode, galloped after -her, took hold of her bridle, and, as good-humouredly as his rough -nature allowed, proposed an exchange, observing that as she was going -to join the band, she had no need of such a good horse. The reply was -a bullet from her revolver which sent the Cossack reeling from his -saddle. Meanwhile his companions, who had followed him, had come up, -and seeing the fate of their comrade, surrounded her. The intrepid -girl then snapped her pistol at one after the other, and when all the -chambers of this one were discharged, flung the empty weapon at the -head of the nearest, knocking him from his horse, and immediately drew -forth a second. This was too much for the politeness of the Cossacks, -of whom three or four were already on the ground; they lifted the poor -girl completely off her horse on the points of their lances, and so she -perished. - -"As a further example," continues this writer, "I will translate an -extract from a private letter lately received from an officer serving -in the kingdom of Poland:--'Yesterday,' says the officer who wrote -it, 'we defeated a band and took nineteen prisoners, one of whom was -a woman. There were altogether seven of them belonging to that band, -but we do not as yet know if the others were killed or escaped. All -the women, our prisoner tells us, were dressed as _chasseurs_, wearing -the same uniform of coarse cloth as the men, only without the red -epaulette. Their caps, such as are worn by all the Confederates, were -coquettishly made, and decorated with a white ostrich feather. We -captured her by the merest chance. She was a girl from Cracow, finely -built, with broad shoulders, and muscular hand and arm, which showed -she had been used to gymnastic exercises, while her weather-beaten -complexion proved she must have belonged to the band for some length of -time. Her features, without being pretty, were regular and agreeable. -On our asking her reasons for serving with the band, she confessed she -had followed her lover to the woods, adding that, when he was killed, -she would have gone back home, but was prevented by her comrades. -Somebody asking if she had not served as aide-de-camp to C--(the chief -of another band), she blushed deeply, and indignantly denied the -imputation. After this reply, she was very haughty and retired for a -time; but, seeing that we were all respectful to her, she gradually -became more at home with us and confiding in her conversation. As she -had lost her boots, and was bare-footed, we furnished her with a pair -of our long boots and some stockings, for which the poor girl was -very thankful. The next day she was released and sent home, her male -companions being forwarded on to Warsaw.'" - - * * * * * - -During the war between France and Mexico, several women and girls -were discovered fighting in the ranks of Juarez. One of them, a young -Indian, aged twenty-two, enlisted with her husband, in the regiment of -Zacatécas. She fought so bravely as to speedily gain her epaulettes. -Her husband was slain; but the widow remained in the regiment, where -her daring courage soon not only procured the esteem of her superior -officers, but caused the Mexican generals to promote her to the rank of -lieutenant-colonel, May 5th, 1862. When the French captured Puebla, -in the summer of 1863, she was made prisoner, and sent to Vera Cruz; -whence she embarked in the "Rhône" steam transport for France. During -the voyage, though a prisoner, she was treated with all the respect -due to a superior officer. She arrived in France in August, 1863, and -was seen by many persons, who described the female colonel as rather -good-looking, but somewhat unfeminine in outward carriage and bearing. - - * * * * * - -If we may believe Transatlantic newspapers, the Civil War in America -was more productive of female warriors than almost any conflict since -the days of the Amazons. The ranks of both Federals and Confederates, -from the very commencement of the great struggle, were swelled by -numbers of women, who, for various reasons, chose to risk their lives -under the Stars and Stripes, or the Stars and Bars. In the summer of -1864, it was said that upwards of one hundred and fifty women were -known to be serving in the Army of the Potomac. It was generally -supposed that these women had been in collusion with an equal number of -men who had been examined by the surgeons; after which the fair ones -substituted themselves, and went to the seat of war. More than seventy -of the valiant _demoiselles_ were, when their sex became known, acting -as officers' servants. - -Early in May, 1863, a Pennsylvania girl was discovered serving in one -of the regiments in the Federal Army of the West, to which she had -belonged for ten months. She said that there were many females in the -ranks of this army, and one female lieutenant. She had herself, she -declared, assisted in burying three female soldiers whose sex was -unknown to any but her. - -Mrs. Francis L. Clayton, another female Federal, enlisted in 1861, in -company with her husband at St. Paul, Minnesota. The husband and wife -fought together, side by side, in eighteen battles, till the former -was slain in the engagement of Stone River. After his death, the wife -did not care to remain any longer in the service, so she went to the -general, and told him she was a woman, and was at once discharged. She -then returned to Maine. During her military career, Mrs. Clayton was -wounded three times, and once was made prisoner. - -The following story, "strange if true," appeared in the _Brooklyn_ (New -York) _Times_, in October, 1863, just after the battle of Chattanooga:-- - -"About a twelvemonth since, when disaster everywhere overtook the Union -arms, and our gallant sons were falling fast under the marvellous -sword of rebellion, a young lady, scarce nineteen, from an academy in -a sister State, conceived the idea that she was destined by Providence -to lead our armies to victory, and our nation through successful war. -It was at first thought by her parents--a highly respectable family -in Willoughby-street--that her mind was weakened simply by reading -continual accounts of reverses to our arms, and they treated her as a -sick child. This only had the effect of making her more demonstrative, -and her enthusiastic declaration and apparent sincerity gave the family -great anxiety. Dr. B. was consulted, the minister was spoken to, -friends advised, family meetings held, interviews with the young lady -and her former companions in the academy were frequent, but nothing -could shake the feeling which possessed her. It was finally resolved -to take her to Michigan. An old maiden aunt accompanied the fair -enthusiast, and for weeks Anne Arbour became their home. But travel had -no effect upon the girl. The stern command of her aunt alone prevented -her from making her way to Washington to solicit an interview with -the President for the purpose of getting command of the United States -Army. Finally it was found necessary to restrain her from seeing any -one but her own family, and her private parlour became her prison. -To a high-spirited girl that would be unendurable at any time, but -to a young lady filled with such an hallucination it was worse than -death. She resolved to elude her friends, and succeeded,--leaving them -clandestinely,--and, although the most distinguished detectives of the -east and west were employed to find her whereabouts, it was unavailing. -None could conjecture her hiding-place. This was last April. She was -mourned as lost, the habiliments of mourning were assumed by her -grief-stricken parents, and a suicide's grave was assumed to be hers. -But it was not so. The infatuated girl, finding no sympathy among -her friends, resolved to enter the army, disguised as a drummer boy, -dreaming, poor girl, that her destiny would be worked out by such a -mode. She joined the drum-corps of a Michigan regiment at Detroit, her -sex known only to herself, and succeeded in getting with her regiment -to the Army of the Cumberland. How the poor girl survived the hardships -of the Kentucky campaign, when strong men fell in numbers, must for -ever remain a mystery. The regiment to which she was attached had a -place in the division of the gallant Van Cleve, and, during the bloody -battle of last Sunday, the fair girl fell, pierced in the left side -with a Minié ball, and, when borne to the surgeon's tent, her sex was -discovered. She was told by the surgeon that her wound was mortal, and -advised to give her name, that her family might be informed of her -fate. This she finally, though reluctantly, consented to do, and the -colonel of the regiment, suffering himself from a painful wound, became -interested in her behalf, and prevailed upon her to let him send a -despatch to her father. Here, then, is a short incident of the war, -which might read like romance, but to the unhappy family which are -now bowed down by grief, romance loses its attraction, and the actual -sad, eventful history of poor Emily ---- will be a family record for -generations to come." - -In December, 1863, the correspondent of the _Cincinnati Times_, -describing a skirmish between the Federals and a detachment of General -Bragg's army at Ringgold, near Chattanooga, says "Several of the fair -sex were in the Confederate ranks, and certainly conducted themselves -with a great deal of courage. We make no reflection on their taste in -entering the ranks with negroes and greasy grey-backs. Rebellion now -needs every aid on the earth above or in the caverns under it." - -At Timonsville, S.C., is the grave of Mrs. Florence Bodwin, of -Philadelphia, Pa. She was a member of a Federal regiment, and as such, -being dressed as a soldier, her sex was not discovered until after her -death. - -The following anecdote went the round of the papers in October, 1865, -though the event chronicled must have taken place some time previously, -doubtless before the close of the war:-- - -"At Theresina, a mulatto girl, nineteen years old, cut her hair, -bandaged her bosom, and dressed as a man, went to the President to -offer herself as a volunteer. The President detected her sex, and -supposed at first that she was mad, or had taken this plan to accompany -a lover; but finding that she was really actuated by patriotism, he -accepted her, and appointed her second sergeant, and she does all the -duties of her post, dressed in the proper uniform." - - * * * * * - -The Maori War in New Zealand, like the conflicts between the Red Skins -and the Pale Faces in North America, gave many opportunities for the -wives and daughters of settlers to play the heroine. Some of the native -women, too, displayed great prowess, both for and against the English. -A correspondent of the _Irish Times_, writing from Wanganui, under date -of the 7th January, 1866, in describing the native contingent (a force -recruited from the Wanganui River Tribes) to which he was Assistant -Surgeon, says "Numbers of women accompany us, who generally carry the -baggage of the men. This is not their only use in campaigning. They -fight, and fight well, carrying their gun and tomahawk." - - * * * * * - -During the Austro-Italian war of 1866, a Florence journal related that, -after the battle of Custozza (June 27th), a surgeon of the Italian army -discovered among the wounded a young corporal of Bersaglieri still -alive, notwithstanding three severe injuries in the neck, left arm, -and right leg. When about to dress those wounds the surgeon perceived -that the sufferer was a young woman, who then declared her name to be -Herminia Manelli, and her age twenty. Just before the opening of the -campaign her brother, who was a corporal of Bersaglieri, had fallen -ill, and returned home to his family until his recovery. The sister, -whose parents had previously had some difficulty in preventing from -joining the Garibaldians, took advantage of that circumstance, and, -cutting short her hair, dressed herself in her brother's uniform, -and joined his regiment, her resemblance to him enabling her to pass -unnoticed. Four hours later her regiment was engaged, and she was -wounded on the field of battle. After the discovery of her sex by the -surgeon she was taken to Florence, where she died a few days later. - - * * * * * - -In the summer of 1868, there was a great deal of talk about an army -of women which had just been raised by the savage Lopez, Dictator of -Paraguay. A correspondent writing from Buenos Ayres under date May -14th, says:-- - -"An army of women confronts the allies! Lopez has enrolled the Amazons -of Paraguay, and we have entered upon what may be called for the sake -of distinction--the petticoat campaign? Brigadier-General Eliza -Lynch commands the main body of the female army, which is encamped -midway between the pass of the river and a small inland town. On the -road to Villa Rica her right wing, under Mrs. Captain Herrero, has -deployed to the left a little, to hang on the allies should they assail -the position of Tebiquary, held by Mrs. Lieutenant Colonel Margaret -Fereira and her fair brigade of womankind. Can 'stern-visaged Mars' -prove unpropitious?... According to authentic accounts, relays of -women and girls are constantly at the head-quarters of the feminine -commander-in-chief to whom has been entrusted the guerilla portion of -the campaign." - -The Brazilian journals were of course indignant at what they termed an -outrage on civilization, and alternately sneered and railed at Lopez's -petticoat _corps d'armée_. Very little was afterwards heard of these -Amazons. Since their first formation, with the exception of a few -stray anecdotes related by travellers and adventurers returning to the -States or to this country, absolutely nothing transpired concerning the -movements of this female army. - - * * * * * - -Again we meet with female warriors in the struggle between Crete and -Turkey. "Whether they have been effectual defenders of their country," -says a writer in a newspaper eleven years ago, "or whether their -enthusiasm decreased before the stern necessity of a camp, is hardly -known, for very little intelligence comes from the mountains of Crete." -However, in January, 1869, a body of about fifty Cretan Amazons, in -uniform, was seen at Michali, practising shooting with carbines at a -mark. They were, it is said, very good shots, and had been organised -into a regular corps, with a regimental flag, which was carried by a -_religieuse_ who had turned Amazon. - -The Philo-Cretan Committee recognised the patriotism of these Lakkoite -damsels, by providing them with arms (consisting of a rifle of the -English pattern with a sword-bayonet) and handsome uniforms similar to -those worn by the Palikares. This costume included the fez, a corset -embroidered in gold and silver, a short, piquant half-sleeved jacket, -a white petticoat and "continuations," and the most charmingly neat -buckskin gaiters. A cartridge-box hung to the belt, while a havresack -depended from the shoulders. Picturesque sketches of these heroines, in -uniform, appeared in the French and English journals of January, '69. - - * * * * * - -But while a few of the Cretan women have proved themselves heroines, -bravery has been the character of those of Montenegro for more than -half a century. War against the Mussulman is the object, the engrossing -passion of nearly every Montenegrin--men, women, and children, -cripples even, rush to the fight with enthusiasm. In truth, the -Turkish Government has never been able thoroughly to subdue the Black -Mountain. Women accompany their male relatives in all their expeditions -against the infidels, wives are ever ready to seize up the yataghan -and pistols of a slain husband, and avenge his death. Various heroic -ballads have been sung or recited from time to time in the fastnesses -of the Tsernogora relating the martial deeds of some valiant widow who -has slain Turkish Agas, captured or dispersed, single-handed, whole -companies of the foe, or in other ways distinguished their military -courage and their hatred of the Moslem. - -A singular incident is alleged to have taken place some nine years -since on the occasion of a marriage before the chief authorities in -Algeria. The official required the consent of the bride's mother, and -asked if she was present. A sonorous bass voice answered "Yes." The -Mayor looked up and saw a tall soldier before him. "That is well," -said he. "Let the mother come here. Her consent and signature are -necessary." To the astonishment of all present, the soldier approached -the Mayor with long strides, saluted military fashion, and said--"You -ask for the mother of the bride. She stands before you." "Very well, -sir," replied the Mayor. "Then stand back. I can take no proxy. I must -see the mother--the mother, I tell you." "And I repeat that she stands -before you," rejoined the soldier. "My name is Maria L----. I have been -thirty-six years in the service. I have been through several campaigns, -and obtained the rank of sergeant. Here are my papers--the permission -to wear uniform, and my nomination as sergeant-major." The mayor -carefully examined the documents, and found them perfectly correct. -There was nothing to be done but to complete the marriage of the young -couple. The mother bestowed her blessing fervently with her deep bass -voice in a manner which impressed all present, but the company were -"more startled than touched." - -The Brigand chiefs of Southern Italy are the last representatives of -the Condottieri who ravaged the land in olden times. But so far from -improving with the march of intellect and growing more civilized, the -bandits of our days would seem to have very decidedly retrograded as -regards the more polite arts of life; indeed, they are nothing but -savage beasts, who can handle the carbine or the dagger, and have the -passions of avarice and the thirst for gold added to the reckless -cruelty of the tiger. These ferocious brigands are almost invariably -accompanied in their adventurous journey through life by some beautiful -fiend, either the wife or the mistress of the redoubtable chief. These -women are often the most abandoned and worthless of their sex, without -even the virtue of mercy--the tigress is not uncommonly worse than the -tiger. - -Amongst those brigand captains who, though almost unknown in Western -Europe, have earned a terrible renown in the South of Italy, none -was more feared and respected some seventeen or eighteen years ago -than Monaco. His deeds of violence and daring audacity rendered him -famous throughout the Neapolitan provinces. His wife, Maria Oliveiro, -a remarkably handsome woman (about twenty years old in 1864), was -his constant companion in all his marauding expeditions. She was -unmistakably brave, but her nature was so ruthless that the sight of -blood rendered her half mad. Monaco was at last slain in a desperate -encounter with the Italian troops near Rossano. Maria was severely -wounded; but without losing her courage or presence of mind, she -planted one knee firmly on her husband's corpse, and continued to -load and fire with extreme rapidity, exciting the admiration even of -her opponents. At last she received a severe wound in the leg, and -was made prisoner. She was tried by court-martial at Cattanzaro, and -condemned to be shot; but this sentence was commuted to thirty years' -penal servitude, and she had not been very long in gaol before the -gaoler fell desperately in love with her, and they fled together. At -a short distance from Cattanzaro they were met by her brothers, also -brigands. They immediately slew the gaoler, who was of no further use, -and Maria formed a new band of brigands, of which she was made captain, -and commenced ravaging the tract of mountainous country lying between -Cattanzaro and the river Crati. The reckless, useless acts of cruelty -excited the indignation of the people for miles round. She sacked the -villages of Spinelli, Cotzenei, and Belvedere; and in spite of the -exertions made by the Italian Government of the province, who, in the -autumn of 1864, despatched two battalions of the line in pursuit of -the band, the rural population were in such dread of Maria that the -soldiers could do nothing. - -Another locally famous brigand, Crouo Donatello, was accompanied in his -campaigns by his _inamorata_, who was as brave as he. In an encounter -with the royal troops in August or September, 1863, Donatello, -compelled to fly, left behind him this woman, who fought desperately -before letting herself be taken. - -In 1866, in a skirmish between the Papal troops and the brigands in the -neighbourhood of the Eternal City, two of the latter were slain. One of -the corpses proved to be that of a large, good-looking peasant woman, -about thirty years of age, armed and dressed like her comrades. She -was subsequently recognised as the wife of the bandit chief Cedrone; -and the latter was inconsolable for the loss of his brave spouse, -being seen for days and days to weep bitterly, though his followers -surrounded him, proffering empty consolations. - -The famous Brigand Pietro Bianchi, some eighteen or nineteen years -since the terror of the district of Nicastro, in the Calabrian -mountains, was accompanied in nearly every expedition by a girl named -Generosa Cardamone (aged about seventeen in 1861, the chief himself -being then twenty), who might frequently be seen on horseback at -the head of the band, encouraging them in the fight. In point of -ferocity and ruthless courage she was worthy of her lover--nay, she -far surpassed him, and is said to have repeatedly cooked human flesh, -and served it up to him and his followers. Bianchi loved the young and -beautiful demon most passionately, and was madly jealous of her. One -day a bandit kissed her, but his audacity was instantly punished by a -score of dagger-stabs dealt by the unerring hand of his chief. Generosa -was deeply religious after a fashion, and marvellously superstitious; -when she was arrested, in 1867, a religious book and a Madonna were -found upon her, which she carried, through a blind idea that they -rendered her invulnerable. - -In March, 1867, a lieutenant of gendarmes discovered the cave of -Bianchi at Soveria, and with his own men, aided by a detachment of the -line, forced the brigand and his mistress to surrender, after they had -been the terror of the country for seven years. - -De Martino, for some time the worst and most ferocious bandit in -the Abruzzi, was likewise accompanied by his paramour, who had the -character of being more cruel than he was himself. For months the Royal -troops were engaged constantly hunting them up and down the woods. At -last, in August, 1869, they discovered and surrounded the lurking place -of De Martino. The brigand, firing upon the carabineers, by mishap set -the dry twigs of the hut in a blaze, and was burnt alive, together with -the partner of his crimes. - -Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, on the occasion of the 25th -anniversary of his accession, February, 1869, founded an Order of -Decoration to recompense courage in women. - -The Franco-Prussian War, and the subsequent Communist Insurrection, -proved that the military spirit was not extinct in the hearts of -women, and that modern female warriors were as ready and as eager for -the fray as any of their ancestresses. But the numerous newspaper -anecdotes and reports were in many instances more or less creations of -fancy, often false, frequently written in haste, as a rule full of -gross exaggerations, whether emanating from French or German quarters, -consequently always unreliable. One of the most remarkable and best -authenticated female warriors of the period was Minna Hänsel, of -Berlin, who, in the early days of the war, before the Germans had swept -all before them, raised an Amazon corps, all ready equipped and full -of military ardour. These warlike women were much ridiculed by the -Berlinese, but the Fräulein Hänsel, disregarding the adverse criticism -which, she said, was "of course only to be expected in these frivolous -days of ours," addressed a letter to the Governor of the city, General -Von Falkenstein, asking him in what place the services of the corps -would prove most effective. The General--purposely, perhaps--delayed -returning an answer till the closing days of August, 1870, when Miss -Hänsel, although her offers of service had by no means been rejected, -considered that the "rapid and victorious progress of the war" put an -end to any necessity for her corps being employed, and accordingly -disbanded her troop. - -A wounded soldier in November, 1870, passed through Berlin, and was -the object of general attention. This soldier was a young woman only -twenty-four, carefully educated, but imbued with a strong bias in -favour of masculine dress and an active life. She passed the ensign's -examinations, and, with good recommendations, entered the army under -the name of Weiss. She distinguished herself by the recovery of a -Prussian standard, which had been taken by the enemy, and was presented -with the Iron Cross. Having received four shot wounds, she was sent for -recovery to her native place, Tilsit. - -But the hurried, fragmentary mention of either French or German -"heroines" is hardly worth serious record or investigation. To -ascertain the truth or the falsity of any one anecdote would be now -clearly impossible. That noble spirit and patriotic ardour glowed -on both sides throughout the desperate struggle is without a doubt; -and in the universal enthusiasm women shared as freely as their -fellow-countrymen, and were ready to spend life and treasure in the -service of their native land and national honour. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -IV. - - INDIA.--Indian Amazons--Cleophes, Queen of - Massaga--Moynawoti, Queen of Kamrup--Ranee of - Scinde--Sultana Rizia--Gool Behisht--Booboojee Khanum - and Dilshad Agha, Mother and Aunt of a King of - Bijapur--Durgautti, Queen of Gurrah--Khunza Sultana, - Regent of Ahmednuggur--Chand Sultana, Regent of - Ahmednuggur--Nour Mahal, Empress of Hindostan--Princess - Janee Begum--Juliana--Madam Mequinez, Colonel in the Service - of Hyder Ali Khan--Begum Somroo, General in the Service of - the Emperor Shah Aulum--Begum Nujuf Cooli--Mrs. W., Wife of - a British Sergeant--Lukshmi Baee, Ranee of Jhansi--Female - Mutineer captured before Delhi, 1857--Female Guards in the - Zenanas of Indian Princes--Begum of Oude--Female Soldiers in - Bantam. - - -The early history of India is involved in such deep obscurity that -we have no reliable information before the invasion of Alexander the -great. True, we read of a nation of Indian Amazons, mentioned by -Nonnus, but we have no details on the subject. Amongst the sovereigns -who opposed the invincible Macedonian, was Cleophes, Queen of -Massaga, whose capital city was said to have been impregnable. While -reconnoitring the fortress, Alexander was wounded in the leg. But -without waiting for the wound to heal, he commenced battering the walls -with various military engines of the most redoubtable aspect; which -so terrified the Queen, who had never even heard of anything like -them, that she speedily tendered her submission. Alexander, who merely -conquered cities for the sake of glory, permitted her to retain all her -dominions in peace. - - * * * * * - -In Martin's "History of Eastern India" we read of a warrior-queen -named Moynawoti. She was married to Manikechandro, brother of Dhormo -Pal, a King of Kamrup, and on the death of her husband, she made war -on the king, who was defeated and slain on the banks of the Tista. -Gopichondro, son of Moynawoti, succeeded his uncle on the throne, -but he left the management of state affairs to his mother, and gave -himself up to a life of pleasure. When he grew up, however, the young -king wished to take an active share in the government, but his mother -persuaded him to dedicate his life to religion, and he ever after -practised the utmost humility and self-denial. - - * * * * * - -It was during the caliphate of Walid that the Mahommedans made their -first conquests beyond the Indus. About the year 711 A.D., an Arab ship -having been seized at Dival, or Dewal, a port connected with Scinde, -Hejaj, the Moslem governor of Bosra, demanded its restitution. Daher, -Rajah of Scinde, refused; and this led to the invasion of India by -six thousand followers of Islam. Daher marched at the head of fifty -thousand men to oppose the invaders, but in the battle which ensued he -was slain, and his troops routed with terrible slaughter. - -Daher's widow, with a courage worthy her deceased lord, raised fifteen -thousand men, and offered battle to the conquerors. They declined the -challenge, and she retired within the walls of Adjur. The Moslems -closely invested the city; and the garrison, reduced to the last -extremities, sacrificed their wives and children on the burning pile -formed by their gold and treasures, and, headed by the royal widow, -attacked the besiegers in their own camp. They all fell, fighting -gallantly to the last. - - * * * * * - -On the death of Altumsh, Emperor of Hindostan, in 1235, he was -succeeded by his son, Prince Feroze. The latter was an effeminate, -luxurious monarch, who thought of nothing but spending on -dancing-women, comedians, and musicians, the treasures accumulated -by his father, and he left the affairs of state to be ruled by his -mother. Her cruelty, and the indifference of Feroze, caused several -of the omrahs to revolt. The emperor marched against them with a vast -army; but he was deserted by his vizier, a great portion of his army, -and seven of his principal nobles. The latter returned to Delhi, and -placed Sultana Rizia, the eldest daughter of Altumsh, on the throne. -When this news reached Feroze, he hastened back to Delhi; but the new -Empress marched out to meet him, and he was delivered into her hands. -He died in confinement some time after. - -The Sultana possessed every quality proper for a ruler; even detractors -could find no fault, save that she was a woman. During her father's -lifetime she had entered heartily into state affairs and was Regent for -a short time during the absence of Altumsh on an expedition against -Gwalior. - -Rizia was not long left in undisturbed possession of the throne. The -omrahs who had conspired against her brother now marched from Lahore, -and encamped before Delhi; but she contrived to sow dissensions -amongst them, and each was compelled to retreat to his own province. -Some of them, pursued by the Empress, were captured and put to death. -The omrahs finally tendered their submission and the empire enjoyed -peace for a time. But the promotion of Jammal, who had once been an -Abyssinian slave, to the post of Captain-general of Hindostan, gave -such umbrage to the nobles as to ruin the cause of Rizia. The viceroy -of Lahore threw off his allegiance in 1239; but the empress, collecting -her forces, marched against him, and the viceroy was compelled to -accept peace on the most humiliating terms. - -Scarcely was this revolt quelled, when Altunia, governor of Tiberhind, -raised the standard of rebellion. Rizia immediately marched against -him; but when she had gone about halfway, all the Turkish chiefs -mutinied. A tumultuous scene ensued, the Abyssinian general was slain, -and the Empress sent prisoner to Tiberhind. The imperial troops then -returned to Delhi; and set Byram, the Empress's younger brother, upon -the throne. - -Rizia married the Governor of Tiberhind, and by their joint influence -they raised a great army, and marched to Delhi. They were defeated -near the city, by the troops of Byram, and the empress with difficulty -escaped to Tiberhind. Soon, however, she rallied her scattered -forces, and marched once more towards the capital. But she was again -defeated at Keitel, and, together with her husband, made prisoner, and -barbarously put to death. Thus died Sultana Rizia, after a brief reign -of three years six months and six days. Indian historians agree that -she was worthy of a better fate. - - * * * * * - -One day the Emperor Alla-a-Deen Khiljy was boasting that no rajah -throughout Hindustan would dare to oppose his power. Nehr Dew, Rajah -of Jalwur, "in the plenitude of his folly," exclaimed, "I will suffer -death if I do not raise an army that shall defeat any attempt of the -king's troop to take the fort of Jalwur." - -The Emperor, in a rage, commanded the rajah to quit Delhi. Hearing, -shortly after, that Nehr Dew was raising forces, he ordered a division -of his army to besiege Jalwur. This was in 1309. To signalize his -contempt for the rajah, he placed the troops under the command of a -slave girl of the palace, named Gool Behisht, or, "the Rose of Heaven." -She displayed great courage during the siege, and had almost effected -the capture of Jalwur, when she was seized with a mortal illness. On -her death the command was given to her son, Shaheen. Nehr Dew made a -sortie, defeated the imperial forces, and slew Shaheen with his own -hand. The Emperor, enraged at this defeat, sent reinforcements to renew -the siege; Jalwur was taken, and Nehr Dew, with his family, and the -whole of the garrison, put to the sword. - - * * * * * - -In 1510 Ismail Adil Shah ascended the throne of Bijapur. Being too -young to rule the state, the administration was entrusted to Kumal Khan -Deccany, the most powerful noble in the land. The latter soon made -up his mind to usurp the throne; and in the following year he found -himself in a position to make the attempt. - -He was warned by the astrologers that certain days in the present month -were unfavourable to his designs; and recommended to avoid approaching -any one of whom he had suspicions. The regent, acting on their advice, -committed the charge of the citadel to his own adherents, and shut -himself up with his family in a house close by the royal palace. - -Booboojee Khanum, the queen-mother, now resolved by a bold stroke to -get rid of the regent. Affecting uneasiness about his health, she -despatched one of her adherents with secret instructions for the -assassination of Kumal Khan. The plot succeeded, though the murderer -was immediately cut to pieces. The regent's mother, with great presence -of mind, commanded the attendants to keep silent, and sent orders to -Sufdur Khan, the son of Kumal Khan, to seize the king at once. Sufdur -closed the gates of the citadel and advanced with a strong force to the -palace. The queen-mother would have submitted, but for Dilshad Agha, -the king's foster-aunt, who declared that in such a crisis valour was -better than submission. She ordered the palace gates to be closed, and -sent out to the Persians, on duty in the outer court of the seraglio, -entreating them to assist their king against his enemies. The foreign -generals declared their readiness to defend the young prince. Dilshad -Agha and the queen-mother came out on the battlements, clad in armour, -with bows and arrows in their hands. They were accompanied by Ismail -Adil Shah, who had the yellow umbrella of his father held over his head -by a Turkish girl named Murtufa. - -Sufdur Khan tried to force open the gates, but was met with volleys of -arrows; the king, his mother and aunt, and Murtufa using the bow with -considerable effect. The brave little band were reinforced presently -by fifty Deccany matchlock-men; and several score of foreigners from -the city; but though the besiegers were thus kept in check, their force -was so considerably superior in numbers that they continued the assault -with the utmost fury, fully confident of ultimate victory. - -Dilshad Agha, with a veil thrown over her face, fought with bow and -arrow in the ranks of the soldiers, encouraging them by exciting -speeches and promises. Sufdur Khan at last made a desperate attack -with five hundred men, bringing cannon to batter the walls; and the -royal adherents fell in great numbers. Some fled ignominiously, while -the rest, concealing themselves behind the parapet, remained perfectly -still. The enemy, believing that all the garrison had taken to flight, -burst open the outer gate; but while he was endeavouring to force the -inner door, Dilshad Agha gave orders for her troops to discharge a -volley of shot and arrows, which committed fearful havoc in the enemy's -ranks, and pierced the eye of Sufdur Khan. The latter ran under the -terrace on which the royalists stood; and the king, rolling down a -heavy stone, crushed his enemy to death. - -The death of Sufdur put an end to the rebellion. The insurgents, giving -themselves up for lost, opened the gates of the citadel, and fled. By -the advice of Dilshad Agha, the heads of the regent and his son were -displayed through the streets of the city. - - * * * * * - -During the reign of Akbar the Great, Emperor of Hindostan, that part of -the Deccan which now comprises Orissa and Bundelcund, was known by the -name of Gurrah, and was governed by a warlike queen, named Durgautti, -equally distinguished for her beauty, her accomplishments, and the -talented manner in which she conducted the affairs of her kingdom. -She succeeded to the throne on the death of her husband. The country -was about one hundred and fifty crores in length and about fifty in -breadth; yet so prosperous, that it contained upwards of seventy -thousand towns and villages, closely populated. - -About the year 1564, Asaf Khan Hirvys, an Indian noble, was raised by -the emperor to the rank of an Omrah of five thousand, and appointed -governor of Kurrah and Mannichpoor. The new Omrah at once began a -series of predatory incursions into Gurrah; and very soon he invaded -the country with an army of about twelve thousand foot and five or -six hundred horse. Durgautti assembled eight thousand horse, fifteen -hundred elephants, and a few hundred foot, and advanced to meet the -invaders. Clad in armour, a helmet on her head, a lance grasped in her -right hand, a bow and a quiver lying by her side, she led her troops -to battle, riding in a howdah on the back of an elephant. Though the -men were totally unaccustomed to war, the love of liberty and the -example of the Queen raised their courage to such a pitch that, in -their eagerness to fight, they marched too rapidly, and would speedily -have become an undisciplined mob. But Durgautti, perceiving the cause -of their disorder, commanded a halt; and after re-forming their broken -ranks, she gave them strict orders to march slowly, as compactly -as they could, and not to engage the foe until they saw the signal -displayed from the elephant of the royal standard. - -A sanguinary battle then ensued, in which Durgautti displayed the -greatest courage. After a long and obstinate conflict, the Mahommedans -were routed, with a loss of eight hundred slain. The queen pursued the -flying enemy till night put an end to the contest. She then halted, -and gave orders for the soldiers to wash and refresh themselves, -preparatory to a night attack on the camp of Asaf Khan; but her vizier -and the remainder of her generals refused to aid in a night assault, -and seditiously demanded permission to inter their fallen comrades. -She unwillingly consented; and when the bodies of the slain had been -burned, she entreated the chiefs, one by one, to assist her in an -assault on the Mogul camp. But all in vain. Not one would second her in -this daring enterprise. - -Asaf Khan, seeing what kind of enemy he had to do with, advanced next -morning with the heavy guns, which, on account of the bad state of the -roads, he had not been able to use in the previous action. Durgautti -posted her men at a narrow pass, and prepared to meet the enemy once -more. Asaf, with his cannon, soon opened a lane into the open ground -beyond, where the forces of Gurrah were drawn up. The Rajah Beir Shaw, -Durgautti's son, a young man of great promise, displayed great bravery -in a charge. Twice he repulsed the Moguls; in the third attack he was -severely wounded. He was falling from his horse when the queen, who was -in the front of the battle, mounted on her elephant, perceived that her -son was expiring, and called to some of her attendants to carry him to -the rear. Several crowded round him, glad of some excuse to quit the -field. The death of this young man and the retreat of so many of her -soldiers struck terror into the queen's army. Durgautti was soon left -with only three hundred men on the field; yet she held her ground, -determined to conquer or die. At last her eye was pierced by an arrow. -She tried to extricate it, but it broke off near the end, leaving a -piece of the steel barb sticking in the wound. At this moment another -arrow pierced her neck. This she pulled out; but a mist swam before -her eyes, and for a few moments she was seen to rock to and fro in her -howdah. - -Adhar, a brave officer of her household, who drove her elephant, -repulsed numbers of the enemy. Perceiving that the day was -irretrievably lost, he entreated the queen to let him take her from -the field, but Durgautti would not hear of it. She begged of him to -stab her to the heart. He refused, and Durgautti, suddenly leaning -forward, snatched a dagger from his belt, plunged it into her heart, -and immediately expired. - -With her death the triumph of Asaf Khan was complete. The queen's -youngest son, a mere infant, was trodden to death soon after, at the -capture of Chouraghus, and the whole country submitted to the Moguls. - - * * * * * - -About this time, another warlike queen, Khunza Sultana, was Regent of -Ahmednuggur. During the minority of her son, Murtuza Nizam Shah, she -transacted the affairs of the state, while he was engaged in amusements -suitable to his age. In 1566, Ally Adil Shah, King of Bijapur, having -invaded the neighbouring state of Bijanuggur, Venkatradry, the Hindoo -chief of that country, applied for assistance to Khunza Sultana. She -marched at the head of a large force against Bijapur, and obliged the -king to return and defend his own dominions. However, peace was soon -re-established between the two Mohammedan states, and a league formed -against the Peishwah of Berar. The united forces of Ahmednuggur and -Bijapur entered that country, plundered it, and marched home again, -laden with booty. On the homeward march, Ally Adil Shah treacherously -endeavoured to seize the young King of Ahmednuggur. But Khunza Sultana, -learning his designs, decamped during the night, and a river, which -intervened, having swelled, the two armies were effectually separated -before morning. - -The sultana, however, gave great umbrage to the nobles by providing -for her own relations at the expense of more deserving men. In 1567, -several rajahs formed a conspiracy against her, and induced the young -king to join them. But the latter, afraid of his mother's ire, betrayed -the plot to her, and the ringleaders were all seized. - -In 1569, the dowager queen, with her son, marched against Kishwur -Khan, the Bijapur general, who had invaded the state of Ahmednuggur. -When they reached D'hamungam, Murtuza Nizam Shah resolved to free -himself from his mother's trammels, gained over the principal nobles, -and sent one of them to inform her that it was his royal will she -should no longer meddle in public affairs. Furious at this unlooked-for -audacity, Khunza assembled her attendants, threw a veil over her -face, and rode out of the palace on horseback, armed with a sword and -dagger. She was seized after a short struggle, and her people took to -flight. Thenceforth, Khunza Sultana lived in retirement, never again -interfering in public matters. - - * * * * * - -In 1594 died Burhan Nizam Shah, King of Ahmednuggur. His son, Ibrahim -Nizam Shah, who succeeded him, was slain in battle, and the vizier, -Meean Munjoo, raised to the throne a boy named Ahmed, said to belong -to the royal family. The nobles refused to acknowledge the new king, -and besieged the vizier in the capital. Unable to contend with them, -the vizier solicited aid from the Moguls, promising to put the fort of -Ahmednuggur into their hands. - -The Moguls had long sought an excuse to interfere in the affairs of -Ahmednuggur; so Murad Mirza, son of the Emperor Akbar, marched thither -with great expedition, being joined on his road by several rajahs and -generals with their troops. But Meean Munjoo, having suppressed the -rebellion, in place of surrendering the fort, resolved to defend it -in case he was called upon by the Moguls to fulfil his promise. After -laying in a store of provisions, he gave the command to the Princess -Chand Beeby, daughter of a former King of Ahmednuggur, and departed -with the young Prince Ahmed towards the Bijapur frontier. - -Chand Beeby was one of the ablest Indian politicians of her time. She -had been for some years queen and dowager-regent of Bijapur. She now -took the entire direction of affairs into her own hands; in a few days -she had raised her own nephew, Bahadur Nizam Shah, to the throne, -though he was at this time a prisoner in a distant fortress, and seemed -likely to stay there. - -The Moguls, seeing that it was useless to conceal their hostile -intentions, prepared openly to besiege Ahmednuggur. On the 14th -December, 1595, the first shots were exchanged. The siege was pressed -with the utmost vigour. Mounds were raised, trenches opened, battery -after battery erected, mines sunk; and on the morning of February -17th, 1596, eighty feet of wall were blown down by the explosion of a -mine. Chand Beeby, though many of her principal officers had taken to -flight, was not dismayed. She put on armour, covered her face with -a veil, and, grasping a drawn sword in her hand, rushed to defend -the breach. This intrepidity shamed the fugitives, and re-animated -the panic-stricken soldiers. Recovering from their first terror, the -soldiers calmly awaited the approach of the Mogul storming-party. An -obstinate conflict ensued at the foot of the breach. Again and again -did the Moguls press onward--again and again they were driven back by -a galling fire of shot and rockets. The ditch was soon more than half -filled with dead and dying warriors. Although fresh storming parties -succeeded one another from four o'clock in the afternoon till dark, -they were all repulsed with fearful slaughter. At last the Moguls -withdrew, discomfited, to their camp. - -Deccan traditions say that, during the storm, the shot of the garrison -having become exhausted, Chand Beeby ordered the guns to be loaded, -first with copper coins, then with silver, and at length with gold; and -all the coins being likewise used up, she fired away her jewels. - -The valour of Chand Beeby formed the chief subject of conversation -round the camp-fires and in the tents of the Moguls; and, after this -memorable day, her title of Chand Beeby, "the Lady Chand," was changed -by common consent to the grander one of Chand Sultana. - -The want of provisions, and the approach of seventy thousand men from -Bijapur, compelled the Moguls to retreat a few days after the storm. -Bahadur Shah was now brought from the fort of Chawund, where he had -been held prisoner, and was placed on the throne. But the ambition and -duplicity of the Ahmednuggur nobles brought about a second siege in -1599. Chand Sultana, afraid to trust any of them, applied to Humeed -Khan, an officer of high rank, who recommended her to defend the place -to the last extremity; but Chand declared that so many chiefs had acted -treacherously, it was plain no reliance could be placed on them, and -she proposed that they should negotiate with the besiegers. Humeed Khan -rushed into the streets, crying out that Chand Sultana was treating -with the Moguls to surrender the fort. The ungrateful and short-sighted -mob, believing him, and forgetting the former services of the heroine, -rushed to the private apartments of Chand Sultana, and murdered her in -their fury. - -It is satisfactory to know that the ungrateful people got the reward -they so richly merited. For, a few days after the death of Chand, the -Moguls captured the fort, giving little or no quarter. - - * * * * * - -Mher-Ul-Nissa, or Nour Mahal, the "Light of the Harem," sometimes -styled Nour Jehan, the "Light of the World," was the favourite Sultana -of Jehanghire, the "World-subduing Emperor" of Hindostan. A romantic -story is told of her strange birth, her desertion by her parents, and -how, like Moses, she was entrusted to the care of her own mother by her -kind preserver, and how, by the benevolence of the latter, the family -rose from poverty and obscurity to the government of the greatest -empire in Asia. The beauty of Nour Mahal was famous throughout the -East; Moore, in his "Feast of Roses," has painted her portrait most -exquisitely. Her personal charms were rivalled by her mental powers; -and her political talents were speedily seen by the numerous reforms -and improvements effected throughout the empire. - -Nour Mahal was a widow when, in 1611, she became the bride of -Jehanghire, and it is said that she took for her second husband the -murderer of her first. Her influence over the Emperor soon became -paramount. They had many tastes in common, amongst others the passion -for hunting; Nour Mahal was as fond of the chase as Zenobia. In company -with Jehanghire she would slay tigers and other savage beasts of the -jungle, charming her lord by the adroitness with which she handled the -bow or the more unwieldy matchlock. - -It was strange that a haughty, overbearing, courageous woman like Nour -Mahal should never have taken command of an army. We read of only one -battle in which she was personally engaged. Her policy was to choose -able generals to conduct all her wars. However, one of these chieftains -was near causing her ruin. This was Mohabat Khan, the most talented -Indian warrior of his time. She had the folly to quarrel with this man, -and he, seeing that his ruin was determined upon, took the initiative, -and seized the emperor in his own camp. He soon saw that it would have -been wiser to arrest the empress; but on returning to remedy this -fault, he found she had fled to the camp of her brother, on the other -bank of the river--the Chenab. - -Next morning the empress led a party across the river to rescue -Jehanghire. She was armed with a bow and two quivers of arrows, and sat -in a howdah on the back of an elephant. In fording the stream, hundreds -were swept away by the force of the current. Those who escaped drowning -were weighed down by their armour and their wet clothes, and had their -powder spoilt. In this disastrous condition they were obliged to fight -hand to hand with the rebels before a landing could be effected. Nour -Mahal, with her brother and a handful of the bravest chiefs, was -amongst the first who reached the shore; but this little band could -make no impression on the ranks of Mohabat Khan, whose soldiers poured -volley after volley, shot, arrows, and rockets, upon the men struggling -in the water. The ford was soon choked up with men, horses, and -elephants, dead or dying. - -The contest raged fiercest round the elephant of Nour Mahal, who never -quailed before the infuriated rebels who sought her life. Her gallant -defenders fell one after another, fighting manfully to the last; but -she herself appeared to bear a charmed life amidst the perfect hail of -bullets and winged shafts, though her infant granddaughter, who sat -close beside her, was wounded, the driver of her elephant was shot, -and the beast himself received a cut across the trunk. Half-maddened -with pain, the animal plunged into the river, and was carried away by -the stream. When at length the elephant struggled up the bank, Nour -Mahal was discovered calmly extracting an arrow from the wound of her -grandchild, as cool and collected as though she had been a spectator -at a review in place of the leading actor in a fierce encounter. The -howdah was saturated with blood. - -The failure of this rash, though gallant attempt, proved that Mohabat -was too strong to be subdued by open force; Nour Mahal therefore -resolved to lull his suspicions, and trust to chance for some expedient -to crush him. Next day she went to his camp and surrendered herself -a prisoner. For a time Mohabat Khan ruled paramount throughout the -empire; but in a few months Nour Mahal, partly by cunning, partly by -appealing to the loyalty of the omrahs, rescued her husband from the -clutches of this man, whose power thenceforth ceased for ever. - -Jehanghire died on the 28th of October, 1627. - -Although Nour Mahal survived him for twenty-four years, she held aloof -from politics. She was buried in a splendid tomb at Lahore, close by -the monument of Jehanghire. - -Spontini has chosen the story of Nour Mahal as the subject for one of -his best operas. - - * * * * * - -In 1688 the Mogul army, commanded by Azim Shah (son of Aurengzebe) was -engaged in the siege of Bijapur. The troops were much distressed for -want of provisions, as their supplies had been cut off by the enemy. -Aurengzebe, hearing of this, ordered one of his generals to take twenty -thousand bullock-loads of grain to the camp of Azim Shah. The enemy -made a desperate attempt to seize this convoy on its road; but after -a fierce encounter with the Moguls, they were driven off. During the -action, the Princess Janee Begum, who was proceeding with the convoy to -join her husband, Azim Shah, rode on the back of an elephant into the -midst of the fight, and encouraged the soldiers by her presence. - - * * * * * - -Juliana is perhaps the only European woman who ever took a leading part -in the politics of the court of Delhi. She was born in Bengal in 1658, -and her father was a Portuguese gentleman named Augustin Dias D'Acosta. -Early in life she gained the favour of Aurengzebe, who made her -superintendent of his Zenana, and governess of his son, Bahadur Shah. - -In 1707 Aurengzebe died, and Bahadur Shah ascended the throne. His -right was disputed by his brothers, and he was compelled to defend -his throne by force of arms. A battle was fought near Agra; Juliana, -mounted on an elephant, by the side of Bahadur Shah, aided him by her -advice, and cheered him with inspiring words; when his troops began to -give way, she exhorted him not to despair. To her presence indeed was -he indebted for the ultimate victory gained by his army. - -Juliana was created a princess, and given the rank of wife of an omrah, -together with innumerable honours and riches showered upon her. The -Great Mogul held her in such estimation that he used to say:--"If -Juliana were a man, I would make her my vizier." - -Jehandur Shah, who ascended the throne in 1712, entertained the same -respect for Juliana. She experienced some persecutions when this -emperor was deposed in 1713 by his nephew Ferokshere; but the death -of this tyrant, in 1719, restored to her all her influence, which she -retained till her death, in 1733. - - * * * * * - -During the latter half of the eighteenth century, the native princes of -India finding, by dearly bought experience, that Indian discipline was -ludicrously inferior to the European system, determined to introduce -the latter into their own battalions. With this view they offered high -rewards to European officers who would accept the command of their -troops and teach them how to fight. Hundreds of adventurers--British, -French, German, Swiss, Portuguese--soldiers of fortune, in short, -from every part of Europe, took service under the various rajahs and -princes, and many of them attained to high rank and honours. It was not -uncommon for the widows of these officers to be given the post left -vacant by their deceased husbands; and these female commanders led -their troops to battle, or stopped at home, as they pleased. - -One of these soldiers of fortune was Colonel Mequinez, a Portuguese, -who commanded a regiment of Topasses in the service of Hyder Ali Khan, -Sultan of Mysore. At his death, Hyder Ali gave the widow (also a -Portuguese) the command of her husband's regiment, to hold it till the -adopted son of her husband had attained his majority. Madam Mequinez -never went into action; she left the duty of leading the Topasses in -the field to the officer next in command. But in every other respect -she fulfilled the duties of colonel; the colours were carried to her -house, at the door of which a sentry paced up and down: she received -the pay for the entire corps, and caused the deductions for each -company to be made in her presence, and she always inspected the -regiment herself. - -Madam Mequinez was excessively avaricious, besides having a character -for immorality. Having been detected in a plot to cheat the Provincial -Father of the Mysore Jesuits out of a large sum in rupees and jewels, -she was excommunicated, and sentenced to undergo public penance. Some -months latter she finally disgraced herself by marrying a "mongrel -Portuguese sergeant" belonging to her regiment. But she was very much -surprised when the bacsi informed her that the Sultan had reduced her -pay to that of a sergeant, because she had brought shame on the memory -of her first husband, who had been a great favourite with the Sultan, -Hyder Ali. - - * * * * * - -One of the most thoroughly unprincipled European adventurers of these -days was Somroo, a German soldier, who, after serving as private in -the French and English armies, and in those of various native chiefs, -became general in the army of the Great Mogul. His name was Gualtier -Reignard, or Reinehard, but when he enlisted in the French army (in -Europe) he assumed the _nom de guerre_ of Summer, which his comrades, -on account of his saturnine complexion, altered to Sombre; this, -the Hindoos changed to Somroo, and he was afterwards best known by -this last name. He will ever remain infamous as the murderer of two -hundred English prisoners at Patna, in 1763. While in the service of -Shah Aulum, the Emperor, he commanded a body of cavalry and several -disciplined battalions of sepoys officered by Europeans. To maintain -this army, the emperor assigned him, as a jaghire, the fertile district -of Serdhauna, in the Dooab. - -Somroo married twice; his second wife was, some say, the daughter of -a Mogul noble who had fallen into great distress, though others aver -she was a Cashmerian dancing-girl. He persuaded the Begum to renounce -Mohammedanism and become a Roman Catholic. At Somroo's death, in 1778, -the Vizier Nujeef Khan gave the widow the jaghire and the military -post. She was a great favourite with the Emperor, who had the highest -respect for her talents. He bestowed upon her the name of Zul Al -Nissa, which means "Ornament of her sex." Under the government of this -talented woman the "small but fertile" town of Serdhauna improved -rapidly. A fort standing a short distance from the town served as a -kind of citadel, and contained a barrack, an arsenal, and a foundry -for cannon. Her five battalions of sepoys were officered from nearly -every country in Europe, and she had a body of five hundred European -artillerymen, armed with forty guns of various calibre. - -George Thomas, afterwards the most famous of all these European -soldiers of fortune, accepted a commission in the Begum's service; -and her keen eyes quickly discerned his superior military talent. He -soon rose to high favour with the Begum, whose esteem he merited by -courage, zeal, and untiring activity. So greatly was her revenue and -authority increased by his talents, that he was for many years her -chief counsellor and adviser. - -Begum Somroo enjoyed the respect of the leading ministers at the court -of Delhi; the Viziers Nujeef Khan, Mirza Shuffee, and Afrasiab Khan -placed the most implicit trust in her judgment on military matters. -When Scindiah, the Mahratta chief, attained to the rank of vizier, -he not only confirmed her in the jaghire of Serdhauna, but added a -grant of territory south-west of the Jumna. Her generalship was not -confined to occasional reviews; she took an active part in the wars -and insurrections which disturbed the reign of Shah Aulem. During the -war with Pertaub Sing, the Begum was stationed with her troops at -Panniput; which being an important post, proves Scindiah's belief in -her military capacities. - -In 1787, during the insurrection of Gholaum Cadir Khan, Prince -of Sehraurunpore, Begum Somroo displayed the utmost coolness and -determination. Previous to his open declaration of hostility, Gholaum, -by the most artful speeches, endeavoured to gain the Begum's alliance; -well aware of her influence at court, he offered her an equal share -in the administration if she would assist him in seizing the reins of -government. The proposal was tempting, but the Begum, well acquainted -with the perfidious nature of the wily Rohilla chief, rejected all his -offers, and repaired to the palace, where she announced her resolve to -sacrifice life itself, if necessary, in defence of her sovereign. - -Her arrival infused new courage into the Imperial party; and some -of the generals having assembled their forces, Gholaum Cadir opened -a heavy cannonade on the palace. This was answered from the fort of -Delhi; and after the bombardment had lasted for several hours, the -rebel chief receiving intelligence that a large force was marching to -relieve the Emperor, judged it most prudent to tender an apology, which -Shah Aulem thought fit to accept. - -In the following year, 1788, Shah Aulem left Delhi with a large army, -partly made up by three battalions of sepoys, commanded by the Begum, -and commenced a tour through the provinces. Although most of the rajahs -and nabobs were secretly disaffected, they were, with few exceptions, -easily prevailed upon to tender their submission. One of those who -openly declared themselves rebels was Nujuff Cooli Khan, a powerful -chief, who, having possession of the almost impregnable fort of Gocul -Ghur, peremptorily refused to submit. His head-quarters were situated -at a village about a mile from the fort, and only a portion of his army -had been stationed in Gocul Ghur. - -The Emperor himself, with the main body of the army, invested Gocul -Ghur, while two of his principal generals erected batteries against the -rebel head-quarters, which they bombarded most vigorously. The village -would have speedily been taken, but for the disgraceful conduct of -the besieging force, both officers and men, who gave themselves up to -riot and excess. Nujuff Cooli Khan, taking advantage of this, attacked -the Mogul entrenchments one night, when nearly all the soldiers -were fast asleep. Carrying all before them, the rebels perpetrated -an indiscriminate slaughter before the others had time to arouse -themselves. This news rapidly spread to the main body and threw the -whole camp into dire confusion. To increase the consternation, Munsoor -Khan sallied out from Gocul Ghur, and opened a tremendous cannonade on -the rear of the camp. - -The entire Imperial army, together with Shah Aulem and his family, -would probably have fallen into the hands of the rebels, but for the -courage and presence of mind of Begum Somroo. She was encamped with -her sepoys to the right of the camp, and her troops not having been -infected by the panic, waited, drawn up ready for action. Perceiving -the disorder which prevailed, the Begum sent a respectful message to -Shah Aulem, entreating him to repair for safety to her quarters. Then, -stepping into her palanquin, she proceeded at the head of one hundred -sepoys and a six-pounder (the latter commanded by a European) to the -ground occupied by Munsoor Khan. She ordered her palanquin to be set -down, and ere long drove the rebels from the field by a well-directed -fire of grape, supported by volleys of musketry from the sepoys. - -This gallant exploit gave time for the Imperial troops to rally. In -their turn they now attacked the rebels, and after a short sharply -contested engagement, the latter were defeated. Nujuff Cooli Khan, -disheartened by this reverse, entreated the Begum to intercede for his -pardon; which was granted at last, after he had paid a large sum of -money into the Imperial treasury. - -In 1791, Nujuff Cooli Khan again broke into rebellion. Ismail Beg was -despatched to arrest him; but when the latter reached Rewari, where -the rebel chief had set up his head-quarters, he learned that Nujuff -was dead. However, the widow of Nujuff Cooli, a woman akin to Begum -Somroo, of a masculine spirit, possessing, moreover, considerable -military abilities, took command of deceased's forces. Knowing that -Ismaeel Beg was courageous, talented, and ambitious, she proposed an -alliance, which he accepted; and throwing himself into the town of -Canoor, defended it against the Mahrattas. The Begum displayed the -utmost courage throughout the siege, and invariably joined in all the -sorties made by the garrison. Unfortunately, this brave woman was -slain in a skirmish by a cannon-ball, and her death broke up the rebel -camp. It was resolved by the garrison to deliver up Ismaeel Beg to the -Mahrattas; but he was beforehand with them, and surrendered the town. - -General Thomas, in his zeal for the Begum Somroo's interests, raised -up enemies for himself in the principal French and German officers. -They took occasion to poison the Begum's mind against him by foul -accusations; and in 1792 he was compelled to withdraw to Anopsheer, -one of the frontier stations of the British army. Early in 1793, he -took service under Appakandarow, a Mahratta chieftain. Le Vaissaux, -or Levasso, a German adventurer, commanding the Begum's artillery, had -always been Thomas's deadly foe, and was the leading man in driving -him away. He possessed great military talents, and had rendered -considerable services to his mistress; but he was a man of haughty, -overbearing mien, and hated by all his brother-officers. Great was -their indignation, though they were scarcely surprised, when the -Begum, disregarding their remonstrances, and the advice, the all but -commands, of the Emperor, surrendered her hand and heart to the German -artilleryman, in 1793. - -Begum Somroo, instigated by her husband, now determined to crush poor -Thomas; and at the head of four battalions of foot, four hundred horse, -and twenty pieces of cannon, she marched towards Jyjur, where he was -stationed. But the Mahratta chiefs, who had long been jealous of her -influence over Shah Aulem, stirred up a mutiny amongst the troops left -in Serdhauna, and compelled her to return thither with all speed. The -officers, to give a sanction to their proceedings, offered the jaghire -to Zuffer Yab Khan, son of Somroo by a former wife. He was a young man -of worthless and turbulent character; since his father's death he had -lived in Delhi, receiving a handsome allowance from his step-mother. - -It was only a few days after the marriage that this mutiny broke out. -Zuffer, with a body of troops, rushed into Serdhauna, seized the town, -and was proclaimed Jaghire Dar. The Begum vainly endeavoured to pacify -her soldiers. She was arrested, together with her husband, and thrown -into prison; and Le Vaissaux, too proud to sue for mercy, put an end to -his own life. - -In the course of the following year, the Begum, who had been ever since -kept in durance vile, besought the assistance of George Thomas, for, -said she, the hourly dread of assassination was driving her mad. Thomas -was not deaf to her entreaties; he persuaded Bappoo, a Mahratta chief, -to aid him with his forces, and together they marched upon Serdhauna. -The Mahrattas were won over, partly by the prayers of Shah Aulem, and -partly by liberal promises; and Zuffer having been expelled, the Begum -was restored to power. - -Begum Sumroo was a good friend to the English, with whom she was always -exceedingly popular on account of the great hospitality with which she -entertained those who visited her neighbourhood. However, she fought -against them, as an auxiliary of Scindiah, in 1803. She took part in -the battle of Assaye; and at the defeat of the Mahrattas, she fled to -Northern Hindostan, and hastily made peace with the Marquis Wellesley, -on condition that her principality should revert to the British -Government of India after her demise, while her personal property -remained at her own disposal. - -When the British became masters of Delhi, the Begum frequently visited -their camp, dressed in European costume, with a hat and veil, sometimes -in a palanquin, sometimes on horseback, sometimes on an elephant. At -this time she appeared to be about fifty-five, was of middle height, -with a beautiful complexion. Her ancient friendship for the Mahrattas, -and an intercepted letter which she was believed to have written to -Jeswunt Rao Holkar, caused her to be suspected by the British when they -were at war with that chief in 1805. However, she succeeded in clearing -herself of the accusation. The exact year of her death is not known. - -Although Begum Somroo left no children of her own, she had adopted -the daughter of Somroo by his first wife, a Mahratta woman. This girl -wedded Mr. Dyce, a half-caste, son of Captain Dyce of the East India -Company's service. The Begum had intended to make him her heir; but -in her old age she detected him in a conspiracy, and so she left her -property to his son, instead. This latter was the notorious David -Ochterlony Dyce-Sombre. About the year 1838, this eccentric gentleman -came to England, whither he had been preceded by the renown of his -fabulous wealth. His arrival caused considerable excitement in London; -he was fêted and invited everywhere as the lion of the day. In 1840, -he married the Hon. Mary Ann Jervis, daughter of Viscount St. Vincent; -but the husband and wife did not agree--a separation was speedily -followed by legal proceedings against Mr. Dyce-Sombre, by which the -wife's relations sought to prove the Anglo-Indian to be a lunatic. For -months and months this great trial was a matter for public gossip; -and the unfortunate nabob was compelled to live on the Continent for -several years to escape the decision of the Court of Chancery. He -returned to London in 1851, to petition against their decree; but was -seized with a painful illness, of which he died on the 1st July of that -year. - - * * * * * - -When Lord Lake was in India, fighting the Mahrattas, there was a -Sergeant W----, of the artillery, who served in nearly all the battles -of his illustrious chief. This sergeant owned a Hindoo slave, belonging -to the lowest dregs of the pariahs; but through the earnest labours -of a Baptist missionary, she was converted to Christianity, and the -sergeant made her his wife. She accompanied him in all his campaigns, -and followed him into battle. When he was tired, she would lend a hand -at the guns. In one action the sergeant was struck down by a bullet -which passed through his shako and struck his forehead just above -the temple carrying in its course the brass hoop from the shako and -forcing it into his skull. He fell, to all appearance, dead; but his -wife, determined not to leave his body to the tender mercies of the -foe, seized it up, and bore it from the field, amidst a rain of bullets. - - * * * * * - -The principal leaders in the terrible Indian Mutiny were Nana Sahib, -Tantia Topee, and the Ranee of Jhansi. They were equally ferocious: -they detested the British, and the motives which induced them to rebel -were almost precisely similar. According to the laws and usages of -Hindostan, a native prince, in default of sons, could adopt a strange -boy and make him his heir; seldom was a dissentient voice raised -against the succession of the adopted child till within the last -thirty-five or forty years, when the East India Company constituted -itself heir-apparent to all the thrones in the country. - -The city of Jhansi is situated in Bundelcund, to the south of the river -Jumna. Previous to 1857, it was the strongest and most important place -in the entire of Central India. The people were nearly all Brahmins, a -religion held in common with their rajahs. In the days when the Peishwa -was still a person of importance in Hindostan, the ruler of Jhansi was -merely a wealthy zemindar, or land-owner, and he rendered such good -service to the British that Lord William Bentinck (Governor-General -from 1828 to 1835), raised him to the position of Rajah. On the death -of this man, he was succeeded by his brother, Gungadhur Rao. The -latter, having no children, made a will some weeks before his death, -publicly adopting a little boy nearly related to himself, and at this -time six years old. Lukshmi Baee, the Rajah's wife, was to be the -guardian of this boy and Regent of Jhansi till he had attained his -eighteenth year. Gungadhur gave due notice of this to the British -Governor-General; and in presence of the British Resident and his -assembled subjects, took the child in his lap, as a public declaration -of adoption. - -Gungadhur Rao died in 1854. Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General, -refused to acknowledge his right to adopt an heir, and the little -province of Jhansi was annexed to British India. The young Rajah and -the Ranee, his mother by adoption, were pensioned off; the latter -receiving six thousand a year, paid monthly. Her troops were disbanded, -and replaced by a few regiments of Sepoys and Sowars. - -The Ranee was powerless to resist; she could only bide her time. She -had not long to wait. Three years later, India was in a blaze. The -Bundelcund Sepoys were amongst the first to mutiny. On the 14th of -June, the native troops at Jhansi broke into rebellion, murdered -several of their officers in the cantonments, and seized the "Star -Fort." Some few English escaped to Nagoda, but the rest, numbering -fifty-five men, women, and children, barricaded themselves in the "Town -Fort." But after a brave resistance of four days, the mutineers burst -open the gates on the 8th; and the English, having been promised life -and liberty, laid down their arms. Thereupon a massacre commenced, -which for barbarity, almost equalled that which took place shortly -after at Cawnpore. Nineteen ladies, twenty-three children, twenty-four -civil service employés, two non-commissioned officers, and eight -officers were butchered in a manner familiar to all who can remember -the Indian Mutiny. - -It was generally believed at the time that this massacre took place by -order of the Ranee, who is said to have stood by while the heads of -ladies were chopped off, and the brains of babies were dashed out upon -the flags. Nay, some have declared she laughed aloud when some deed of -atrocity worse than the rest came under her notice. - -Shortly after this massacre, the Ranee took the field at the head of -some hundreds of Sepoys, and marched towards Gwalior, where Scindiah, -the descendant of our old enemy whom we routed at Assaye, remained -faithful to the British. But little was known of her movements during -the rest of 1857; in August of that year, a female, dressed in a green -uniform, was captured at Delhi, while leading on a party of Sepoys. -This woman was at first supposed to be the terrible Ranee, and a rumour -sped through the British Camp that she was leading the Gwalior rebels; -but it was afterwards found that Lukshmi Baee still remained in the -territories of the Maharajah. The prisoner was described as "an ugly -old woman, short and fat." She was a species of prophetess, held in -high estimation by the rebels around Delhi. - -In January, 1858, Sir Hugh Rose (Lord Strathnairn), commanding the -second brigade of the Central India Field Force, set out against the -rebels south of Delhi; his chief object being the capture of Jhansi. -Having been joined by Brigadier Stuart, they invested the fortress on -the 21st of March following. - -The city of Jhansi measured about four miles and a half in -circumference. It stood on a level plain, surrounding the east, north, -and part of the south sides of an elevated rock on which the fort -stood. Altogether it was a fine specimen of modern fortification; -and since the first outbreak of the Mutiny, its strength had been -considerably added to by the Ranee, who took care to arm the batteries -with heavy ordnance of long range. On the 25th a tremendous cannonade -was opened from the British lines. Throughout the siege the intrepid -Ranee tried every means to defend the town; all through the day she -remained in the fort directing the fire of the artillerymen, save when -she visited the different points of defence, watching and planning to -strengthen the weak parts of her entrenchments. - -Tantia Topee marched to the relief of Jhansi with twenty or twenty-five -thousand men, and an obstinately contested battle was fought on the 1st -of April. - -But Tantia Topee, after proving himself to be a brave man and an able -general, was totally routed with the loss of all his ordnance. - -Next day a general assault was made on the city; under a murderous -fire the British forced their way through the streets. When they had -more than half conquered it, the news of the Ranee's flight put an -end to all further resistance on the part of the rebels. It was then -found that the brave old tigress, utterly disheartened by the defeat of -Tantia Topee, had fled during the previous night, under cover of the -darkness. Followed by about three hundred rebels, she joined Tantia -Topee at Koonch. Sir Hugh Rose, as soon as he had settled matters in -Jhansi, directed his march towards Calpee. He was intercepted at Koonch -by the Ranee and her ally; when a spirited action took place on the 9th -of May. The mutineers were driven from their entrenched camp, with -great loss, and the town fell into the hands of the victors. Tantia -Topee and the Ranee fled to Calpee, where they were besieged on the -16th by Sir Hugh; Calpee fell on the 23rd, the Ranee and Tantia having -previously retired towards Gwalior. The Maharajah, refusing to join the -rebels, was driven to take refuge in the British cantonments at Agra. - -On the approach of Sir Hugh Rose, Tantia Topee fled, leaving the Ranee -to defend the city. But she was not a woman easily dispirited. She -disposed her forces (chiefly composed of the Gwalior Contingent) most -skilfully, so as to command all the roads leading to Gwalior. She was -scarcely ever out of the saddle; dressed in a sowar's uniform, and -attended by a picked, well-armed escort, she rode from post to post, -superintending all the operations. - -Sir Hugh Rose reached the Moorar cantonments on the 16th of June, and -carried them with but slight loss. To intercept his reinforcements, -the Ranee marched to the banks of the little river Oomrar. Brigadiers -Smith and Orr, who were marching from Antree to join in the attack on -Gwalior, reached Kota-ki-Serai, on the banks of this stream, on the -morning of the 17th. Between this village and Gwalior, from which it is -distant about three or four miles, the road winds through a succession -of hilly ranges. Some rebel pickets were observed in front of and -below the first range; a squadron of the 8th Hussars immediately -crossed the stream to reconnoitre, when they were fired upon from a -masked battery. Two troops of the same regiment were ordered to charge; -and riding at full speed through a narrow ravine, they captured a -battery armed with three guns. Thence they pressed on to the rebel -camp, where the enemy was driven to bay. The Ranee of Jhansi and her -sister, both in the dress of sowars, fought desperately, and lost their -lives in a gallant charge made to check the British troopers. - -The Ranee's death was caused either by the bullet of a British -rifleman, or by the fragment of a shell which pierced her breast. Her -body was never found; it was said to have been burned by her followers -immediately after the battle. - -Upon her death the rebel hosts melted like snow before a sunbeam. The -British infantry speedily carried the first range of heights; and the -enemy, after losing about four hundred men, and seeing their camp in -flames, were compelled to fly. The British, after losing about fifteen -men (ten of whom died from sunstroke and fatigue), and spiking three -rebel guns, resumed their march; and the same evening rejoined Sir Hugh -Rose. The combined forces now advanced on Gwalior, routed the sepoys in -the battle of Gurrowlee, June 19th, and recaptured the city, June 20th, -when Scindiah was restored to his throne. - -The death of the Ranee excited very little interest in this country. -The newspapers of the time, with but one or two exceptions, barely -chronicled the event, without making any comments; but it was -universally felt by every British soldier serving in India that, with -the death of Lukshmi Baee, we had lost the foe who was able to do us -most injury. For courage and military skill she was acknowledged to -be far superior to any of the other rebel chiefs. The message flashed -along the wires announcing that the Ranee had fallen, added that "the -deaths of Moulvie and the Ranee were more gain to us than half-a-dozen -victories." - -The exact age of the "Indian Boadicea" was never accurately determined. -While one journal styles her "this girl, barely twenty years of age," -another assumes her age to have been at least thirty. An employé of the -East India Company who visited Jhansi in 1854, and accidentally caught -a glimpse of this oriental heroine, describes her as "a woman of about -the middle size--rather stout, but not _too_ stout. Her face" he says, -"must have been very handsome when she was younger, and even now it had -many charms--though, according to my idea of beauty, it was too round. -The expression, also, was very good and very intellectual. The eyes -were particularly fine, and the nose very delicately shaped. She was -not very fair, though she was far from black. What spoilt her was her -voice, which was something between a whine and a croak." - -All agreed as to the extreme licentiousness and immorality of her -habits; and the rooms in her palace are said to have been hung with -pictures "such as pleased Tiberius at Capri." - - * * * * * - -It was formerly the custom with many of the native princes to maintain -female warriors to guard their zenanas. The tyrant Ferokshere, who -was murdered in 1719, kept up an Amazon corps at Delhi, composed -of Abyssinians, Cashmerians, Persians--in short, drawn from every -nation whence slaves could be easily procured. They were armed with -matchlocks, bows and arrows, spears and targets, and other weapons, -according to their nationality. When the Emperor took refuge from his -assailants in the zenana, the female guards held the entrance bravely -for some time, and exchanged shots with the rebels; but they received -more wounds than they gave, and were so easily driven away. - -In the harem of the Nizam, at Hyderabad, there was, so lately as the -time of the Mutiny, a regiment of Amazons who wore scarlet tunics, -green trousers, and red cloth hats, trimmed with gold lace and mounted -with a green plume. Their arms were the customary musket and bayonet. -Whenever a distinguished foreigner visited the Palace, the female guard -received him with military honours. "The extreme youth, and delicate -appearance of these interesting warriors," says Prince Soltykoff, "at -once attracted attention." Though, despite these feminine attractions, -he says their aspect was so decidedly military, he would never have -known they were females but for their long hair and the fulness of -their bosoms. Their hair was tied in a knot, though in place of -concealing it under their caps, they let it fall over the collar of -their tunics. - -An interesting sketch of the female sepoys at Lucknow is given in the -"Private Life of an Eastern King." - -"Of the living curiosities of the Palace, there were none the account -of which will appear more strange to European ears than the female -sepoys. I had seen these men-like women pacing up and down before -the various entrances to the female apartments for many days before -I was informed of their real character. I regarded them simply as a -diminutive race of soldiers with well wadded coats. There was nothing -but that fulness of the chest to distinguish many of them from other -sepoys; and one is so accustomed to see soldiers in England with coats -stuffed so as to make their wearers resemble pouter-pigeons, that I -took little heed of the circumstance. - -"These women retained their long hair, which they tied up in a knot on -the top of the head, and there it was concealed by the usual shako. -They bore the ordinary accoutrements of sepoys in India--the musket -and bayonet, cross-belts and cartridge-boxes, jackets and white duck -continuations, which might be seen anywhere in Bengal. Intended solely -for duty in the Palace as guardians of the harem, they were paraded -only in the court-yards, where I have seen them going through their -exercise just like other sepoys. They were drilled by one of the -native officers of the king's army, and appeared quite familiar with -marching and wheeling, with presenting, loading, and firing muskets, -with the fixing and unfixing of bayonets; in fact, with all the detail -of the ordinary barrack-yard. Whether they could have gone through the -same marches in the field with thousands of mustachioed sepoys around -them, I cannot tell--probably not. They had their own corporals and -sergeants; none of them, I believe, attained a higher rank than that of -sergeant. - -"Many of them were married women, obliged to quit the ranks for a month -or two at a time, occasionally. They retained their places, however, -as long as possible.... Of these female sepoys there were in all two -companies of the usual strength, or weakness, if the reader will have -it so. Once, during my residence at Lucknow, they were employed by the -king against his own mother." - -This act of Nussir was rendered all the worse, because many years -before, when Ghazi-u-deen, the late King of Oude, wished to disinherit -his son and put him to death, the Begum armed her retainers, and fought -for Nussir with the courage of a lion. After many had fallen on each -side, the British resident interfered, and put an end to the contest. -Nussir, after he became king, wished to act towards his son as Ghazi -would have done towards him; but the old Begum now fought as stoutly -for her grandson as she did previously for her son. The King sent -his female sepoys to turn her out of her palace, but she armed her -servants, fought the sepoys, and put them to flight. Fifteen or sixteen -of the Begum's adherents were left dead on the field. The resident -again interfered, and guaranteed the life and succession of the child. - -But Nussir succeeded in cheating his mother after all, by declaring the -boy illegitimate. In vain the old Begum, after the death of Nussir, -surrounded the British Residency with her troops; the Englishman was -not to be intimidated. Troops were ordered up from the cantonments, and -a few discharges of grape quickly dispersed the Begum's adherents. One -of Nussir's uncles was then placed on the throne, and the brave old -Begum was compelled to submit. - -There is a similar guard of female warriors in the Palace of the King -of Siam, at Bangkok; and the Paris papers of September, 1866, speak of -a regiment of female Zouaves, armed with rifles, which was then being -raised in the first-named city. - -As lately as 1873, we read of Amazonian soldiers in Bantam. Says a -newspaper of that date, describing the condition of the sexes in -that kingdom:--"Although tributary to Holland, it is an independent -state, politically without importance, yet happy, rich, and since -time immemorial governed and defended by women. The sovereign is -indeed a man, but all the rest of the government belongs to the -fair sex. The king is entirely dependent upon his state council, -composed of three women. The highest authorities, all state officers, -court functionaries, military commanders, and soldiers are, without -exception, of the female sex. The men are agriculturists and merchants. -The body-guard of the king is formed of the female _élite_. These -amazons ride in the masculine style, wearing sharp steel points instead -of spurs. They carry a pointed lance, which they swing very gracefully, -and also a musket, which is discharged at full gallop. The throne is -inheritable by the eldest son, and in case the king dies without issue -a hundred elected amazons assemble, in order to choose a successor from -among their own sons. The chosen one is then proclaimed lawful king." - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -VI. - - SAVAGE AFRICA.--Judith, Queen of Abyssinia--Workite and - Mastrat, Gallas Queens--Shinga, Queen of Congo--Mussasa, - Queen of Matamba--Tembandumba, Queen of the Jagas--Amazons - in Dahomey. - - -The great African continent has contributed but little to the pages -of history. Centuries before America was discovered, northern Africa -was one of the centres of commerce, its people were amongst the -most civilized in the known world; yet America has been explored in -almost every part, from north to south, and its history is as well -known and almost as full of interest as that of Europe or Asia, while -Africa, until within the last three-quarters of a century, remained, -geographically and historically, almost as much a mystery as it was in -ancient times. Rightly has it been styled the Dark Continent. - -Ethiopia, renowned in distant eras for its stately cities adorned with -lofty temples and spacious palaces, and inhabited by learned men, is a -sad picture of fallen greatness. Its haughty palaces have crumbled to -decay long since, and their sites are occupied by the mud cabins of a -savage race, who, only for being Christians, differ very little from -their fellow-men who dwell on other parts of this great continent. -People took but small interest in Abyssinia till the war with King -Theodore, and even then we learned very little more about that strange -land than our grandfathers told us. - -Scarcely more than a bare outline of Abyssinian history has been -preserved; yet we find that, since the days of the Queen of Sheba, -women have more than once taken an active part in the politics of this -kingdom. Bruce has given us the story of a beautiful Jewish women named -Judith, who, with the aid of her co-religionists, usurped the throne -in the 10th or 11th century. She was the wife of Gideon, the governor, -or, as he might be called, the feudal sovereign, of a small district -called Bugna. He was also a Jew, as were all his subjects. Judith at -last grew so powerful that she resolved to overthrow the Christians. -She accordingly surprised the almost impregnable rock Damo, where the -royal princes were kept for safety, and slew them to the number of four -hundred. Del Naad, the King, at this time a mere child, was saved by -some of the nobles, who carried him into the loyal province of Shoa. -Judith then mounted the throne, and not only reigned over Abyssinia for -upwards of forty years, but transmitted the throne to five successive -descendants. After that, the line of King Solomon and the Queen of -Sheba, as represented by the descendants of Del Naad, was restored. - -Even in these degenerate days, women sometimes come forward as leaders -in Abyssinia. After the fall of Magdala, Lord Napier was visited by the -two Gallas queens, Workite (gold), and Mastrat (looking-glass), who -had a race as to which should first congratulate the British general -on his victory. These rival queens, who have been fighting one another -for years past, professed great delight at the reception which they -met with, and both gave and received presents in token of friendship. -The _Times_ Correspondent in Abyssinia gave a lively and amusing -description of them:-- - -"I am told on good authority," he wrote, "that they go into battle, and -handle spear, sword, and gun right manfully; there is even a story, -probably mythical, that Mastrat with her own hand wounded the mighty -Theodore. But usually they go about so muffled up, and looking so like -a bundle of shawls moved by mechanism, that, except in their method -of riding, their appearance is anything but amazonic. Workite kept -herself closely wrapped up, and hidden during her stay in camp, but -Mastrat boldly threw aside her rich royal robe of crimson, speckled -with gold, and came out of her tent, and before the soldiers--if her -majesty will pardon the expression--like a man, to have her photograph -taken. Her complexion was a very pale olive--fairer than that of many -Europeans--and her expression, though the features were large, and -scarcely, like those of Theodore's widow-in-chief, of the thoroughbred -type, were essentially queen-like and commanding. She looked quite -capable of leading an army anywhere." - -The natives of Congo, in Lower Guinea, have ever been notorious for -their ferocity and love of shedding human blood; and such very savages -are they, that what slight improvements have been made in their beloved -pastime--war,--are due entirely to those Europeans who have visited the -coast. The women are as ferocious as the men; and as the Salic law is -either unknown, or neglected, there have from time to time been female -sovereigns renowned for their military prowess. - -One of these royal Amazons was Shinga, or Zingha, Queen of Matamba, in -Congo, who ascended the throne on the death of her brother about 1640. -She determined to be Queen in her own dominions, and set herself up as -a stern opponent of Christianity. She thereby offended the Portuguese -priests (who had been established in the country since 1487), and they -stirred up her nephew to rebellion. After losing three battles, Shinga -was obliged to seek safety in flight. - -After proceeding one hundred and fifty miles up the country, Shinga -established a new kingdom; and by making war on the Jagas, or Giagas, -the Arabs of Western Africa, she became sufficiently powerful once more -to take the field against Portugal. But she was again routed, and her -two sisters remained in the hands of the victors. At last, in 1646, -she recovered her throne, and concluded an honourable treaty with the -Christians. - -Her long struggle with Portugal had so accustomed Shinga to a military -life that she cared for nothing but war. She was almost constantly -engaged in a campaign against the neighbouring kingdoms. Before -starting on an expedition, she used to sacrifice the handsomest man she -could find as a war offering to some African deity who required to be -appeased. On such occasions she appeared in military costume, her bow -and arrows in her hand, a sword hanging from a collar round her neck, -an axe by her side. After going through a warlike dance, singing a -martial song, accompanying it on two iron bells, she would cut off the -victim's head as a declaration of war, and drink a deep draught of his -blood. - -The Jagas, at all times feared on account of their ruthless ferocity -and cruelty, rose to the height of their glory under King Zimbo, -who has been styled the "Napoleon of Africa." Donji, one of Zimbo's -captains, was governor of Matamba; his wife, Mussusa, was a warrior -like himself, and they trained their daughter, Tembandumba, to the -same mode of life. After the death of Zimbo, his vast empire, like -that of Alexander, was divided amongst his captains; and Donji, more -skilful than the rest, conquered many of the surrounding states. -After his death, Mussasa, who possessed military talent equal to her -husband,--tarnished though it was by gross cruelty--continued to fight -and to conquer the neighbouring chiefs. - -Tembandumba received the education of a soldier. Trained, while yet a -child, to the use of arms, she took naturally the trade of war. As a -girl she accompanied her mother on all her campaigns; fighting side by -side at the head of their troops, Mussasa and her daughter were always -foremost in battle and last in a retreat. The valour and prudence of -Tembandumba soon became so well known that her mother gave her the -command of half the army. But when she had gained a few victories, the -Amazon was not disposed to remain longer in a subordinate position. -Throwing aside the authority of her mother, she assumed the title of -Queen of the Jagas; and drew up a code of laws so extravagantly savage -and bloodthirsty that only for the high respect, or rather terror, in -which the young girl was held,--even her subjects would have rebelled. - -It was the ambition of Tembandumba to revive the Amazonian empire which -had once existed on the African continent. In pursuance of this object, -she declared war on the whole race of man; all the male children were -to be slain by their mothers, and made into ointment called "Magiga -Samba," which when smeared over the human body would render the latter -invulnerable. The adult males throughout her dominions were to be -converted into food for the women; and to prevent the tender hearts of -the women causing them to evade these laws, she commanded that every -other food, animal or vegetable, should be destroyed. Had her statutes -been obeyed to the letter, Western Africa would soon have been a -hideous wilderness, devoid of human habitations, birds, beasts, trees, -plants, or even grass. - -Having promulgated these laws, together with many others of minor -importance, in a speech delivered before a select committee of her -female subjects, she concluded by seizing her own child, who was -feeding at her breast, and hurling it into a large mortar, where she -beat it to a jelly. Throwing this into a large pot, she compounded an -oleaginous preparation with leaves, roots and oils, which she rubbed -all over her body, telling her subjects to follow the example. Such -quantities of "Magiga Samba" were manufactured that travellers declare -there are still some pots of it to be found among the Jagas. But after -the first burst of enthusiasm was over, maternal love prevailed, -and Tembandumba, after vainly endeavouring, by the appointment of -inspectors, to enforce obedience, was obliged to repeal the law, and -permit children taken in war to be substituted to make the precious -ointment. - -For many years this female devil reigned triumphantly; she kept the -Jagas so constantly engrossed by martial glory, they had no time to -sigh for liberty. Kingdom after kingdom fell before her legions; -wherever she turned her footsteps, a track of desolation remained to -mark her progress. - -But Tembandumba, after all, was not above the weaknesses common to her -sex; all her passions were exaggerated, and, like many another heroine, -she owed her final overthrow to the God of Love. As a rule she caused -her husbands to be treated as Schahriar, in the Arabian Nights, used -his wives; but at last she fell really in love with Culemba, a private -in the army. Culemba was young, strong, and decidedly good-looking--for -a negro. He possessed insinuating manners, and succeeded for a time -in gaining some influence over the Queen. But in time she wearied of -him, as she had grown tired of her former lovers. Culemba, knowing by -experience that she had an unpleasant fancy for dining off her lovers, -was determined to be beforehand with her. He was a cruel, ambitious -man,--equally crafty as Tembandumba. He invited the Queen to a -sumptuous banquet; such an invitation being the highest compliment one -Jaga could pay to another. The entertainment was magnificent, the wine -delicious; but while drinking a bumper of Lisbon wine from the skull of -an old enemy, the Queen of the Jagas fell down dead. - -Culemba was--of course--inconsolable. With difficulty could he be -prevented from slaying himself on the corpse. The funeral was conducted -with all the splendour customary at the interment of a native African -sovereign; the dead queen was buried in a large vault excavated on the -top of a high hill. The corpse was placed in a commanding attitude on -a throne, surrounded by skins, stuffs, mats, ostrich feathers, and all -her favourite dishes and liquors. - - * * * * * - -Dahomey--or, as it is now fashionable to style it, Dahomé--may with -truth be called one of the greatest curiosities of the Nineteenth -Century. It seems so strange that a large, closely populated country, -the monarch of which is anxious to cultivate the friendship of Europe, -should be sunk in such gross barbarity. The chief features of its -government are the Slave-Trade, the "Customs," or religious festivals, -at which the notorious human sacrifices are offered, and the Amazons; -and the last are by far the greatest curiosity. Very few rulers, in -ancient or modern times, have authorised the keeping up a standing army -of women; and none of the native tribes along the coast seem at all -inclined to follow the example of Dahomey. - -But the female sex in Dahomey is, they say, vastly superior to the -male; the women are tall--upwards of six feet high, and powerfully -built--the men, on the contrary, are, as a general rule, round-limbed -and sickly-looking. Captain Burton suggests that it was this physical -superiority which originated the custom of employing women-soldiers. - -The Amazonian division of the army numbers twelve thousand women, ready -at an hour's notice for active service. They are officered by females, -and have a female commander-in-chief, who is entirely independent -of the "Gau" or male commander-in-chief. To denote her rank, this -female general wears a silver horn, hammer-shaped, projecting from -her forehead, similar to a unicorn. The officers are distinguished by -a white head-cloth, and by the superior make and material of their -clothes; and when on the march, they are attended by what Captain -Burton styles an "esquiress" or slave-girl, who carries the musket of -her mistress. - -The honorary captaincy of each corps is presented by the King to one of -his sons, after whom it is sometimes named; though the companies are as -frequently styled by the name of the district to which they specially -belong. Sometimes the King presents some distinguished European -traveller whom he wishes to compliment, with a honorary command. - -The Amazons are not remarkable for any superfluity of muscle, but as -a rule they are lithe and active. As they grow older, many become -extremely stout. "Some of them" remarks Captain Burton "are prodigies -of obesity." The commander-in-chief, he says, was "vast in breadth." -Beauty is scarce in Dahomey, and what little there is, has not fallen -to the lot of the Amazons. Captain Burton, who "expected to see -Penthesileas, Thalestrises, Dianas," was sadly disappointed when he -beheld "old, ugly, and square-built frows, trudging 'grumpily' along, -with the face of 'cook' after being much 'nagged' by the 'missus'." -They do not, however, as was once supposed, condemn themselves to -single-blessedness; on the contrary, many have husbands and children. - -They are very careful of their weapons--an English "Tower-marked" -firelock, a short falchion, or dirk, and a large razor for cutting off -heads. The musket is guarded by numerous charms, and when not in use -is protected from the damp by a black, monkey-skin case; the barrel -is polished bright, and sometimes adorned with a long tassel. Their -skill in the use of these weapons is such as to render them exceedingly -formidable adversaries. - -Their uniforms are very showy. That of the Royal Guard--which, -numbering rather more than a thousand women, is always stationed -about the King's person--consists of a sleeveless tunic, surtout, or -waistcoat of different colours, buttoning down the front, a pink, -blue, or yellow loin-wrapper, or kilt, reaching to the ancles, a sash, -generally white, tied round the waist, and folding down in two long -ends on the left side, and a fillet of blue or white cotton round the -head. The arms are left bare. A black leather belt, with cartridge -box--or "agluadya"--forms a girdle, with holds the surtout tight to the -figure. This belt is sometimes ornamented with cowrie shells; on it -are hung bandoleers, which contain, in separate compartments, twelve, -sixteen, or even twenty wooden powder-boxes. Each cartridge contains -about four times the quantity of powder used in English cartridges, and -the bullet is not placed in it as in Europe; a small leather ball-bag -hangs from the shoulder by a strap which passes through the belt. When -the Amazons are loading, they pour the powder into the barrel without -any wadding, and then drop in a bullet, or a few slugs. - -Shaving the head is a general, though not a universal fashion. Those -who do so, leave only a small tuft of hair like a cockade; others, -however, who do not follow this custom, shave a narrow strip, two -inches in breadth, from the forehead to the crown of the head. - -When the Amazons are on the march, the privates are obliged to carry -an immense number of articles absolutely necessary for a campaign -under the scorching sun of Africa. Packs, containing their bed-mats, -a change of clothes, and food for a fortnight--said food consisting -of toasted grains or bean cakes spiced with pepper--small stools with -three or four legs, two cartridge-boxes, water-gourds, fetish-sacks, -powder-calabashes, bullet-wallets, fans, wooden pipe-cases, leather -tobacco-bags, hats made of felt or straw, and palm-leaf umbrellas, are -just a few of the things carried by them on the march. - -The King of Dahomey is very proud of his female soldiers, whom he -frequently passes in review. He regards these Amazonian field-days -with a pride akin to that of Frederick the Great at one of the Potzdam -Reviews, or Napoleon at a review of his Old Guard. - -These grand reviews are very showy, effective sights. Although the -discipline is not very exact, yet the evolutions performed are executed -with a vigour and heartiness which almost atone for the lack of that -neatness observed in more civilized armies. The King seats himself -under a canopy in some public place, generally the market-place of -the town, and the various corps of Amazons march on to the open -ground in front; each regiment being preceded by its band, playing -the most discordant music on fantastically shaped instruments made of -elephant's-trunks, bullock's-horns, and triangular iron tubes (which, -when struck, emit a sound similar to a sheep-bell), and beating a large -war-drum in a truly deafening manner. This drum, ornamented with twelve -human skulls, is carried on the head of one Amazon, while another walks -after, beating it. Each corps possesses a similar drum, adorned with -a like number of skulls. Every company has, likewise, six or seven -standards, the top of each being surmounted by a human skull. In the -more disciplined regiments, there is always an advance-guard of nine -women, followed, at a short interval, by fifty supports. - -The ceremony of passing them in review is so elaborate that one corps -has occupied as much as two or three hours before being disposed of. -According as each corps arrives within a short distance of the Royal -canopy, a halt is ordered, and the women lie down, or squat down, -to await their turn to appear before his majesty. The captain then -introduces the officers by name, and all kneel down, throwing up the -light red dust in showers over themselves. Their deeds of valour are -recounted, and when any warrior has especially distinguished herself, -the King graciously bestows his royal praises. After all have been -noticed, the officers fall into their proper places, and, together -with the privates, burst into a complimentary song in honour of their -ruler. It is usual for various Amazons, on the conclusion of this song, -to step one after another to the front, and declare their loyalty. -Then the entire corps kneels down, with the butt ends of their muskets -resting on the ground, and the barrel slanting back over the shoulder. -After covering themselves once more with dust, they poise their muskets -horizontally in both hands, and, still on their knees, pour forth a -lusty cheer. Then springing to their feet with another hearty cheer, -they slope arms, and set off at the double-quick march, each trying to -outstrip the rest. - -This part of the review having at last concluded, the Amazons march on -to an open space where sham entrenchments have been constructed. These -mock fortifications usually consist of two or three great piles of -green briar, armed with the most dangerous kind of prickly thorns. This -thorny briar is much used in Africa, and formerly was employed in Asia, -to entrench villages or towns. The clumps are about seventy feet wide -and eight feet high, standing perhaps three hundred yards in advance -of several pens, or yards, the latter surrounded by a strong wall about -seven feet high, defended by dense masses of thorns, thickly matted -with reeds. To defend this mock entrenchment, a few dozen royal slaves -are placed within the enclosure. - -Each corps, as it marches on to the ground, headed by the officer -appointed to lead the attack--who wears a sword of a different shape, -from the others--halts about two hundred yards from the nearest pile, -and shoulders arms. Directly the signal is given, they charge over -the thorns, regardless of their bare feet, and in less than a minute -the mimic fortress is captured. At intervals of twenty minutes, the -other corps have captured the remaining piles, and they all return in -triumph, each leading a slave by a rope. On reaching the royal canopy, -each Amazon presents a scalp supposed to have been taken during the -sham fight. - -Sometimes the Amazons are rehearsed in volley-firing and -target-practice. They load and fire quickly, singing all the time. -Their target-practice is moderately good. Several thousand goats are -tied to stakes in a large field surrounded by a mud wall about ten feet -high. Most of the goats are killed before the day is over; which, when -we take into account the indifferent quality of their powder, and the -careless manner in which they load, speaks very well for the Amazons -as markswomen. - -The King of Dahomey is almost always engaged in some war, whether -foreign or domestic; therefore a few hundred Amazons are constantly -on active service. Like the Old Guard, the services of these female -warriors are never brought into use save in cases of dire necessity, or -when considerable opposition is expected. As the Amazons always strive -not only to behead, but to scalp their enemies, they are pretty sure of -having one or more of these ghastly trophies to show the King on their -return from a campaign. Scalps, however, do not accumulate so fast as -one might suppose; six or seven in a year is considered rather a large -number, for the Amazons are frequently obliged, after slaying a foe, to -pass on without securing his topknot. - -The Slave-trade provides very constant exercise for the Amazons; -because, whenever the King requires slaves, it is necessary to go to -war with some neighbour--though of course, his Majesty easily finds a -_casus belli_. But the great thorn of vexation in the royal side for -the past thirty years and more has been the republic of Abbeokuta. -The influence of this free state, in destroying the slave-trade, very -naturally brought down the hatred of the King of Dahomey, who is the -largest dealer in human flesh on the African coast. More than once -he has tried to conquer this sturdy little city. On the 3rd of March, -1851, he appeared before the walls of Abbeokuta at the head of a great -army--male and female. A furious attack was made to gain the ramparts, -but the rapid, murderous fire of the Egbas drove back the Dahomans with -fearful slaughter, and put them to rout. The Amazons led the attack; -many were slain--nearly all the slain Dahomans were women--and one or -two made prisoners. - -The King undertook a second expedition against Abbeokuta in March, -1864. At the head of ten thousand picked warriors, and three brass -six-pounders, he arrived before the walls on the 16th. The Amazons -formed the column of attack, and displayed their accustomed bravery. -Directly the signal was given for the assault, they scaled the wall -like furies, and for a time threatened to carry everything before them. -One Amazon having her right hand cut off, clung to the parapet and -killed her adversary with her left, before being hurled back into the -ditch. - -The Egbas received the Amazons with a murderous fire, which thinned -their ranks terribly. They were obliged to seek safety in flight, and -their example was speedily followed by the whole Dahoman army. The -Egbas, sallying forth, pursued the retreating foe, massacring the -stragglers without mercy. In this congenial task they were joined by -the neighbouring tribes, who turned out in great numbers and joined -heartily in the carnage. - -The King of Dahomey experienced a most disastrous rout, with the loss -of three thousand of of his best soldiers, one thousand being slain, -and two thousand taken prisoners. - - - THE END. - - - PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND CO., - 10, LITTLE QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN-INN-FIELDS. - - * * * * * - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Obvious punctuation errors repaired. - -Page ii, "Hänsell" changed to "Hänsel" (in Women--Minna Hänsel) - -Page viii, "South" changed to "Savage" to match chapter text -(Savage Africa) - -Page 7, "betwen" changed to "between" (to a duel between) - -Page 36, "ruinoe" changed to "ruinæ" (Impavidam serient ruinæ) - -Page 36, "Elisèe" changed to "Elisée" (when Elisée assisted) - -Page 42, "left the" changed to "the left" (below the left eye) - -Page 43, "Langerin" changed to "Langevin" (Renée Langerin--Madlle) - -Page 43, "Felicité" changed to "Félicité" (Félicité and Théophile de) - -Page 46, repeated word "to" deleted. Original read (introduced to to -the Abbé) - -Page 68, "ben" changed to "been" (ball had been) - -Page 71, "villany" changed to "villainy" (reward of his villainy) - -Page 100, "1634" changed to "1834" (in Spain, in 1834) - -Page 102, "amunition" changed to "ammunition" (their ammunition, she -went) - -Page 142, repeated word "of" deleted. Original read (worthy of a better) - -Page 165, "atacked" changed to "attacked" (attacked the Mogul) - -Page 169, "entertianed" changed to "entertained" (which she entertained) - -Page 185, "VI" changed to "V" in chapter title - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Female Warriors, Vol. II (of 2), by -Ellen C. Clayton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FEMALE WARRIORS, VOL. 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