The Female Soldier; Or, The Surprising Life and Adventures of Hannah Snell

In this dastardly Age of the World, when Effeminacy and Debauchery have taken Place of the Love of Glory, and that noble Ardor after warlike Exploits, which flowed in the Bosoms of our Ancestors, genuine Heroism, or rather an extraordinary Degree of Courage, are Prodigies among Men. What Age, for Instance, produces a Charles of Sweden, a Marlborough, or a Prince Eugene? These are Rara Aves in Terris, and when they appear, they seem to be particularly designed by Heaven, for protecting the Rights of injured Nations, against foreign Oppression, securing the Privileges of Innocence from the dire Assault of Prey and Rapine; and, in a Word, vindicating the common Prerogatives of human Nature, from the fatal Effects of brutal Rage, the love of Conquest, and an insatiable Lust after Power. The amazing Benefit arising to Mankind from such illustrious and exalted Characters, is, perhaps, the principal Reason why they attract the Eyes, and command the Attention of all who hear of them, even in Quarters of the World far remote from their Influence and Sphere of Action: Why they are the Subjects of the Poets Song, the Founders of the Historian Narration, and the Objects of the Painters Pencil; all which have a Tendency to transmit their Names with immortal Glory to latest Ages, and eternize their Memories, when their Bodies are mouldred into Dust, and mingled with their Parent Earth. Perhaps their Rarity may also contribute, in a great Measure, to that Esteem and Veneration, which the World thinks fit to pay them: But sure if Heroism, Fortitude, and a Soul equal to all the glorious Acts of War and Conquest, are Things so rare, and so much admired among Men; how much rarer, and consequently how much more are they to be admired among Women? In short, we may on this Occasion, without any Hyperbole, use the Words of Solomon, and say, One Man among a thousand have I found, but among Women not so. However, tho' Courage and warlike Expeditions, are not the Provinces by the World allotted to Women since the Days of the Amazons, yet the female Sex is far from being destitute of Heroinism. Cleopatra headed a noble Army against Mark Anthony, the greatest Warrior of his Time. Semiramis was not inferior to her in Courage. The Arcadian Shepherdesses are as memorable for their Contempt of Danger as their darling and beloved Swains. But among all our Heroines, none comes more immediately under our Cognizance, nor, perhaps, more merits our Attention than the remarkable Hannah Snell, whose History is highly interesting, both on Account of the Variety of amazing Incidents, and the untainted Veracity with which it is attended. Some People guided rather by the Suggestions of Caprice, than the Dictates of Reason and a sound Understanding, have foolishly imagin'd, that Persons of low and undistinguished Births, hardly ever rais'd themselves to the Summit of Glory and Renown; but they will find themselves widely mistaken, when they reflect on a Kauli-Kan, a Cromwell, and many others I could mention. But if this Observation had the smallest Foundation either in Nature or the Course of human Experience, from the most remote, to the present Age, yet its Force does by no Means extend to Hannah Snell, the Heroine of the subsequent Narrative: For though her immediate Progenitors were but low in the World, when compared with Dukes, Earls and Generals, yet she had the Seeds of Heroism, Courage and Patriotism transferr'd to her from her Ancestors, as will appear from the following Account of her Genealogy.

Hannah Snell, was born in Fryer-Street, in the Parish of St. Hellen's, in the City of Worcester, on the 23d Day of April, 1723. Her Parents, tho' not immensely Rich by the hereditary Gifts of Fortune, yet secured a Competency, which not only placed them above Contempt, but also enabled them to bring up, and educate a numerous Family, none of whom have miscarried for want either of sufficient Learning from Masters, or salutary Advices and virtuous Examples from their Parents. And though Mrs. Hannah Snell did not while she was at School learn to write, yet she made a tolerable Progress in the other Part of Education common to her Sex, and could read exceeding well.

Though the Father of our Heroine was no more than a Hosier and Dyer, yet he was the Son of the illustrious Capt. Lieut. Sam. Snell, for so I may or rather must call him, since with Intrepidity he stood the Brunt of the Wars in the latter End of King William's Reign, signalized himself at the taking of Dunkirk and served faithfully in the English Army during Queen Anne's Wars.

This Captain Lieutenant Snell, the Grandfather of our Heroine, enter'd as a Volunteer in King William's Reign, and in the Beginning of Queen Anne's Wars, was at the taking of Dunkirk under the Duke of Marlborough, where the Captain Lieutenant was killed by a Shot fired through the Wicket by the Governor; upon which he fired, and killed the Governor. When the Duke was informed thereof, he called him, and asked him what Preferment he desired; his Answer was, that he chose to accept of that Commission, which was become vacant by the Death of the Captain Lieutenant, which he was immediately preferr'd to, and took upon him the Command as such. After the Surrender of Dunkirk, where he received several dangerous Wounds, he returned to England, where he had the proffer of a very handsome Pension in Chelsea College; but coveting fresh Glory, and new Trophies of Conquest, he intreated of his Grace, that he would permit him once more to go Abroad with him, that he might have an Opportunity of signalizing his Valour, against the avowed Enemies of his Country. This his Request his Grace complied with, and at the Battle of Malplaquet he received a mortal Wound, from whence he was carried to Ghent, where he died: This last, was the twenty-second bloody Battle in which he had been engaged, and which he generously launched out into upon the sublime Motives, Liberty and Property. This Gentleman's Character must appear the more sublime, when we observe how he advanced himself by Merit from a private Cadit to the Rank he held at his Death; and had it not been for his over-modest and generous Sentiments, he might have been preferr'd to a much higher Rank; but the Englishman prevail'd above Self-Interest.

The Son of this illustrious Man of whom we have here treated, and Father of our Heroine, was possessed of many excellent Gifts, particularly Courage, for which he was distinguished; yet never had an Opportunity of displaying his Bravery in the Field of Battle, his Genius leading him another Way, to wit, Trade, into which he entered very young, and prospered in the World, married to his liking, and in a few Years saw himself the Father of nine promising Children, three of which were Sons, and six Daughters, all of whom save one Daughter, were either Soldiers or Sailors, or intermarried with them. The eldest of the Sons, Samuel Snell, incapable of Restraint, and void of all Fear, listed himself a Soldier in Lord Robert Manners's Company in the first Regiment of Foot-Guards, commanded by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland; when he was draughted to go for Flanders, where he received his mortal Wound at the battle of Fontenoy; and being sent to the Hospital at Doway, he there expired.

Tho' the Daughters were, by those who knew them, accounted aimable Women, both on Account of their Persons and their Virtue; yet I shall pass over the Characters of five of them in Silence, and only take Notice of that of Hannah, the youngest of them but one, who is the Heroine of this Subject. It is a common Thing to observe a Family dispersed, when the Heads of that Family are either laid in their Graves, or by accidental Calamities rendered incapable of supporting it longer. Accordingly, when the Father and Mother of Hannah died, Hannah came up to London, and arrived in Town on Christmas-Day, 1740, and resided for some Time, with her Sister in Wapping.

Some Time after she came to London, she contracted an Acquaintance with one James Summs, a Sailor, who was a Dutchman; this Acquaintance was gradually improved into a Familiarity, and this Familiarity soon created a mutual, tho' not a criminal Passion; for in a little Time, Summs made his Addresses to her as a Lover, and gained her Consent, and was married to her at the Fleet, on the sixth Day of January, 1743-4. But all his Promises of Friendship, proved Instances of the highest Perfidy, and he turn'd out the worst and most unnatural of Husbands. Since, tho' she had Charms enough to captivate the Heart, and secure the Affection of any reasonable Man, yet she was despised and contemned by her Husband, who not only kept criminal Company with other Women of the basest Characters, but also made away with her Things, in Order to support his Luxury, and the daily Expences of his Whores. During this unlucky Period of the Husband's Debauchery, she poor Woman proved with Child, and at the same Time felt all the Shocks of Poverty, without exposing her Necessities to her nearest Friends. But at last, her Pregnancy laid the Foundation for her passing through all the Scenes, thro' which she has wandered; for when she was seven Months gone with Child, her perfidious Husband finding himself deeply involv'd in Debt, made an Elopement from her. Notwithstanding these her Calamities, she patiently bore herself up under them, and in two Months after her Husband's Departure was delivered of a Daughter which lived no more than seven Months, and was decently interred at her own Expence at St. George's Parish in Middlesex.