Incidents of the War: Humorous, Pathetic, and DescriptiveBurnett, Alfred
History
Incidents of the War: Humorous, Pathetic, and Descriptive
Burnett, Alfred
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Anecdotes
"Annie left with her regiment for Kentucky, passed through all the
dangers and temptations of a camp life, endured long marches, and
sleeping on the cold ground, without a murmur. At last, the night
before the battle of Pea Ridge, (or Prairie Grove,) in which her
regiment took part, her sex was discovered by a member of her company;
but she enjoined secrecy upon him, after relating her previous
history. On the following day she was under fire, and, from a letter
she has in her possession, it appears she behaved with marked
gallantry, and, with her own hand, shot a rebel captain, who was in
the act of firing upon Lieutenant W----. But the fear of revealing her
sex continually haunted her. After the battle, she was sent out, with
others, to collect the wounded, and one of the first corpses found by
her was the soldier who had discovered her sex.
"Days and weeks passed on, and she became a universal favorite with
the regiment, so much so that her Colonel (Stephens) frequently
detailed her as regimental clerk, a position that brought her in close
contact with her lover, who, at this time, was either major or
adjutant of the regiment. A few weeks subsequently she was out on
picket duty, when she received a shot in the arm that disabled her,
and, notwithstanding the efforts of the surgeon, her wound continually
grew worse. She was sent to the hospital at Louisville, where she has
been ever since, until a few weeks ago, when she was discharged by the
post surgeon, as her arm was stiffened and rendered useless for life.
She implored to be permitted to return to her regiment; but the
surgeon was unyielding, and discharged her. Annie immediately hurried
toward home, and, by the aid of benevolent strangers, reached this
city. At Cincinnati she told her secret to a benevolent lady, and was
supplied with female attire. She declares that she will enlist in her
old regiment again, if there is a recruiting officer for the 21st in
Michigan. She still clings to the lieutenant, and says she must be
near him if he falls or is taken down sick; that where he goes she
will go; and when he dies, she will end her life by her own hand."
ANOTHER INCIDENT OF THE WAR.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account