In 1862, a young woman was brought upon a Federal gunboat near a small island off the coast of Georgia. Her name was Susie, and she was fourteen years old. In the chaos of battle, she and her uncle had fled the reaches of Southern authorities to join the Union boat.
From that time until the end of the war, young Susie traveled with a Federal regiment and acted as nurse, cook, laundress, and spy. The quotes on this page are taken from the memoirs of her time spent on the front line of the Civil War. They speak of the hardship and danger she faced from day to day:
“. . . I expected every moment to be killed by a shell but on arriving at the hospital I knew I was safe, for the shells could not reach us there. It was plainly to be seen now, the ruse of the flag of truce coming so often to us. The bearer was evidently a spy . . .”
Sometimes, the words shed light on the goodness of the human spirit, that can exist even in the face of war.
“Some mornings I would go along the picket line, and I could see the rebels on the opposite side of the river. Sometimes as they were changing pickets they would call over to our men and ask for something to eat, or for tobacco, and our men would tell them to come over. Sometimes one or two would desert to us, saying, they “had no negroes to fight for. . . .”
Susie talked frankly of the excitement of life with the army, as well:
“. . . I learned to handle a musket very well while in the regiment, and could shoot straight and often hit the target. I assisted in cleaning the guns and used to fire them off, to see if the cartridges were dry, before cleaning and reloading, each day. I thought this great fun. I was also able to take a gun all apart, and put it together again. . . .”
And she cared deeply for the Union men in her care:
“. . . I gave my assistance to try to alleviate their sufferings. I asked the doctor at the hospital what I could get for them to eat. They wanted soup, but that I could not get; but I had a few cans of condensed milk to make some custard. I had doubts as to my success, for cooking with turtle eggs was something new to me, but the adage has it, “Nothing ventured, nothing done,” so I made a venture and the result was a very delicious custard. . . .”
Source:
Taylor, Susie King. Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops Late 1st S. C. Volunteers, Boston: 1902. Documenting the American South. University Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
