Posted on 04/29/2015 3:43:03 PM PDT by 11th_VA
Madame Velazquez, whose enthusiasm for the cause of Southern independence induced her to discard the garments of her sex, and to assume male attire for the purpose of appearing upon the battle-field, is a typical Southern woman of the war period; and there are thousands of officers and soldiers who fought in the Confederate armies who can bear testimony, not only to the valor she displayed in battle, and under many circumstances of difficulty and danger, but to her integrity, her energy, her ability, and her unblemished reputation. Upon these points, however, it is not necessary to dilate; her story will speak for itself, and that it is a true story in every particular, there are abundant witnesses whose testimony will not be disputed.
As Madame Velazquez is a typical Southern woman of the war period, so her story furnishes a curious inside view of the Confederacy, and it throws much light on a great number of obscure points in its history. For this reason, if no other, it will deserve the attention of Northern readers, who will find many things stated in it which it is well for them to know. No commendation of any kind is needed to command for it the consideration of the people of the South. From the breaking out of the war to its close, the Confederate cause had no more enthusiastic or zealous supporter than the woman who was known as Lieutenant Harry T. Buford. According to her opportunities, she labored with unsurpassed zeal and efficiency, and with a disinterestedness that cannot but be admired.
(snip)
THE BATTLE OF BALL'S BLUFF
IT might be supposed that one battle would have been enough for me, and that after having seen, as at Bull Run, the carnage incident to a desperate conflict between thousands of infuriated combatants, I should have been glad to have abandoned a soldiers career, and to have devoted myself to the service of the Confederacy in some other capacity than that of a fighter. Indeed, it so turned out, that the most efficient services I did perform in behalf of the cause which I espoused, were other than those of a strictly military character, although quite as important as any rendered by the bravest fighters when standing face to face to the enemy. But it was, in a measure, due to necessity rather than to original choice, that I undertook work of a different kind from that which I had in my mind when first donning my uniform. We are all of us, more or less, the creatures of circumstances; and when I saw that the fact of my being a woman would enable me to play another rôle from that which I had at first intended, I did not hesitate, but readily accepted what Fate had to offer.
The battle of Bull Run, however, only quickened my ardor to participate in another affair of a similar kind, and the months of enforced inaction, which succeeded that battle, had the effect of making me long, with exceeding eagerness, to experience again the excitement which thrilled me on the sultry July day, when the army of the Confederacy won its first great victory. The sensations which, on the battle-field, overcome a soldier who knows nothing of fear, can only be compared to those of a gambler who is playing for enormous stakes. The more noble origin of the emotions experienced in the one case over those excited by the other does not prevent them from being essentially similar, although the gambler, who is staking his all on the turn of a card, can know little or nothing of the glorious excitement of the soldier engaged in a deadly conflict with an enemy, and feeling that its issue depends upon his putting forth his utmost exertions, and that determined valor can alone secure him the victory.
The sensations of a soldier in the thick of a fight baffle description; and, as his hopes rise or sink with the ebb and flow of the battle, as he sees comrades falling about him dead and wounded, hears the sharp hiss of the bullets, the shrieking of the shells, the yells of the soldiers on each side as they smite each other, there is a positive enjoyment in the deadly perils of the occasion that nothing can equal.
At Bull Run, it so happened that I was placed where the fight was hottest, where the enemy made his most determined attacks, where the soldiers of the South made their most desperate resistance, and where, for hours, the fate of the battle trembled in the balance. When at length victory crowned our banners, the enemy fled from the field, and we saw no more of them, and desperate as was the fight, it was, notwithstanding the great number of killed and wounded, unattended with the peculiar horrors, the mere thought of which is calculated to send a shudder through the strongest nerves.
how did they manage to get a whole books worth of material, how much of this is artistic license
how did they manage to get a whole books worth of material, how much of this is artistic license
" From the War Department we went to the White House, where my friend said he would introduce me to the President. I really had some dread of this interview, although I experienced a great curiosity to see Mr. Lincoln, and would not have willingly missed such an opportunity as this of meeting him. I had heard a great deal about him, of course, and not much that was favorable, either as regards his character or his personal appearance, and I considered him more than any one person responsible for the war. Mr. Lincoln, however, was an agreeable disappointment to me, as I have no doubt he was to many others. He was certainly a very homely man, but he was not what I should call an ugly man, for he had a pleasant, kindly face, and a pleasantly familiar manner, that put one at ease with him immediately....
Have you heard of this woman?
ping
FYI - You might find this book interesting. Forest Gump like woman who fought in the War of Northern Aggression for CSA. Had Hispanic surname and had a slave named Bob that fought along side her. Amazing read ...
Bfl
She mentioned a Col. Featherstone of the 18th Ms. Infantry. There was Col. Winfield Scott Featherston that raised the 17th Mississippi Infantry in Holley Springs Ms. and was at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff and was cited for his performance and was elevated to Brigadier General. My GG grandfather and his fraternal twin were two of 5 brothers who served a 6th brother who was much too young to serve was named Featherston Howard after W.S Featherston who had been an Indian fighter in the war with the Creeks.
Well, there's some debate about that. Jubal Early read the book and pronounced it fiction, and after meeting Velazquez he expressed doubts that she'd even written the book, or at least that it had been heavily changed by her editors.
“typical Southern woman”
Is there even a definition for the typical northern woman.
Easy, promiscuous, dull witted, whiner? It’s a scientifically
proven fact that yankee women are bad luck on ships.
To point out the obvious, Just kidding.
Haven’t heard about this one before.
There was a flat chested woman from NC who enlisted and served beside her husband within the confines of the state, no battles fought.
She was exposed (no pun) and sent home. A while later the husband stripped naked and rolled in poison oak. The Doc couldn’t figure out why he was swelled up over his entire body and they sent him home fearing it might be contagious.
The wife nursed him back and they became a ruffian pair in the partisan war going on in the Blue Ridge.
I had not heard of her, thanks for posting.
And he was the victor at Ball’s Bluff. I heard much about this battle growing up from those who knew a good bit about it, because they were from the families who had been forced to host Col. Baker and his staff as they prepared on the Maryland side. This woman’s account does not square with what I was told of how the battle unfolded. To this day the ferry at White’s Ferry is named the Jubal Early.
Hey - it’s on the UNC web site - it must be true /sarcasm
sounds like a fictionalised account of a true story
like Noah and the rock monsters
Don’t forget - liberal democrat.
That she made all of this up to cash in on the Civil War memoir craze?
There is practically no independent confirmation of any part of her entire autobiography, and zero independent confirmation of any of her claims regarding her imaginary service either in Confederate arms or Confederate intelligence.
The book reads like Forrest Gump: she fought at every important battle, her spycraft brought her in contact with every important person, etc.
And yes, I posted before reading the other responses.,p>Sorry.
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