Harper's Weekly Text
October 8, 1864,
p. 654 (1-4)
Synopsis
A
sergeant tells the story of how a colonel’s wife saved his
company. A Union party, led by the colonel (then a captain), was
scouting for Confederates when it was suddenly trapped on the top
of a hill. The Union soldiers were protected by a large gully
that kept the Confederates out, but that also kept the Union men
trapped. The Confederates charged the Union men, who were
woefully outnumbered, but the Union men’s superior position and
shooting rendered them temporarily safe. The Union men knew that
once it got dark, though, the Confederates would be able to sneak
up behind them. The captain asked for a volunteer to run back to
camp to get help, a very dangerous mission. The first one to
volunteer was an unpopular young man who kept to himself, and who
didn’t seem to have any friends. Though others wanted to go, the
captain allowed the young man to go. From a growing distance, the
captain watched the movements of the young man, who, at one point,
was compelled to shoot an assailant. Once help arrived and the
Union company was safe, the captain learned that the young man was
really a woman, and that she was shot in the arm while fulfilling
her mission. The young woman, the captain further discovered,
joined the army after her brother was killed in battle, and after
she ran away from a cruel stepmother. The young woman was already
in love with the captain, and soon he learned to love her as well. |
History:
"Personal"
August 17, 1861,
p. 515 (4)
Military Background:
"Mrs. Major Reynolds"
May 17, 1862,
p. 306 (1)
Letter concerning Mrs. Major Reynolds
May 17, 1862,
p. 306 (1)
Illustrations:
Portrait of Mrs. Major Reynolds
May 17, 1862,
p. 317 (2-3)
Illustrations:
"Bertha
(who wants to go to War…)"
June 8, 1861,
p. 368
"Filling Cartridges at the United States Arsenal"
July 20, 1861,
p. 449
"Scenes
About Camp"
July 20, 1861,
p. 453
Commentary:
"A Suggestion"
August 30, 1862,
p. 547 (2-3)
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