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The Heroism of a Pottsville Lady.
The Heroism of a Pottsville Lady.
A correspondent writing to the Louisville Journal from Murfreesboro', relates the following incident:
Recently as the cars were coming from Nashville, and when about ten miles from the city, we were attacked by a party of guerillas. Their number was perhaps, forty or fifty. For a few moments the bullets whistled about us, but the guard of the train soon drove them away. We had two men wounded--one severely the other slightly. An incident occured on the cars during the fight that is worthy of note. A lady with three small children, from Pennsylvania, was in the car with the writer. When the firing commenced, most of the officers and men laid down on the floor of the car.--Some gentlemen called to her and requested her to lay down also. She replied in a pleasant yet firm voice, "Did you ever hear of any that had the blood of the Wynkoops running thro' their veins dodging a bullet?" I was struck with her reply, and begged the privilege of asking her name. She kindly informed me that she was a daughter of Col. Wynkoop, of the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and the wife of Lieut Warfield of the same cavalry regiment. All honor to such indomitable daughters and wives.
Source:
Unknown, "The Heroism of a Pottsville Lady," Village Record, Waynesboro, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Friday, 19 June, 1863, Page 1.
Notes:
I've been looking for this article for several years now, ever since I learned of the incident from Loretta Mestishen & Mark T. Major's article, "Schuylkill County in the Civil War," Schuylkill Living Magazine, (Summer, 1998). It's a great story and deserves a special place in Wynkoop family history.
Mrs. Warfield was born Anna Maria Wynkoop, the daughter of Col. George Campbell Wynkoop of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Her father, brother, Nicholas, husband, James Warfield and cousin, John Estill Wynkoop were all serving with the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, stationed in Nashville at the time of this incident. Anna survived this incident quite handily and managed to live out a long and useful life.
All my best,
Chris
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