Cuddy and the Amazonian Corps
Cross posting a couple of things from my LJ that might be of interest....
Charles Miller's autumn auction is coming up at the end of the month and the star lot this time round is this "Diary written by Admiral Lord Collingwood whilst commanding the British Fleet in the Mediterranean dec 1807 to January 1810." You can read more about the diary here.
The catalogue entry for the diary quotes the following anecdote:
...in this town is a Military company of women - of 260 called the Company of St. Barbara - armed and doing duty on the Garrison - they are Commanded by a Lady of fashion, the officers are women of quality - this [illegible] Corps is distinguished for its gallentry.
The inestimable esteven quickly deciphered the "illegible Corps" as being the "Amazonian Corps" and I did a little digging to track down their story. The Company of St Barbara were actually a company of Irish women led by one Lucy Fitzgerald who fought at the Third Siege of Girona during the Peninsular War from 1808 - 1809. You can read a little about the remarkable Lucy and the brave Company of St Barbara here.
Ramon Martí i Alsina, El Gran dia de Girona
Charles Miller's autumn auction is coming up at the end of the month and the star lot this time round is this "Diary written by Admiral Lord Collingwood whilst commanding the British Fleet in the Mediterranean dec 1807 to January 1810." You can read more about the diary here.
The catalogue entry for the diary quotes the following anecdote:
...in this town is a Military company of women - of 260 called the Company of St. Barbara - armed and doing duty on the Garrison - they are Commanded by a Lady of fashion, the officers are women of quality - this [illegible] Corps is distinguished for its gallentry.
The inestimable esteven quickly deciphered the "illegible Corps" as being the "Amazonian Corps" and I did a little digging to track down their story. The Company of St Barbara were actually a company of Irish women led by one Lucy Fitzgerald who fought at the Third Siege of Girona during the Peninsular War from 1808 - 1809. You can read a little about the remarkable Lucy and the brave Company of St Barbara here.
Ramon Martí i Alsina, El Gran dia de Girona