The Story of Christiana Davis,
“The British Amazon”
In 1739 Christiana Davis, an outpensioner of Chelsea College, died, and was interred with military honours in the pensioners’ burying-ground. She was the daughter of a soldier in the Inniskilling Regiment, now the 6th Dragoons, who, disguising her sex, enlisted in the 2nd Dragoons, so well known as the Scots Greys. Her adventures were published, about the time of her death, in a pamphlet, of which a copy may be seen in the British Museum….
This wonderful woman was born in Dublin in 1667, where her father was known and highly respected as a brewer and maltster….Christiana married a man named Richard Walsh, whom she first began to woo by the aid of a female friend. He made her an excellent husband, and she lived with him very happily until he was enticed on board a vessel full of pressed men and recruits, and compelled to enlist into Lord Orrery’s regiment of foot, now 1st Royals. His distressed wife had one child, and was then on the eve of giving birth to another. As soon as she could leave her baby, she sent the elder child to her mother, put the infant out to nurse, and put in force a wild strange scheme whereby she hoped to discover and rejoin her lost partner. She cut her hair short, put on her husband’s clothes, and, knowing that Ensign Lawrence was beating up for recruits at the Golden Last, tendered herself as a volunteer, and, under the name of Christopher Walsh, was enlisted into a regiment commanded by the Marquis de Pisare. Under that officer she joined the Grand Army, and fought at the battle of Landen, where she was wounded in the ankle. Describing the effect of her first battle, she said: “When I heard the cannon play, and the small shot rattle about me, they at first threw me into a sort of panic, having not been used to such rough music.” Before her wound was healed she was, with others, taken prisoner by the French, who made overtures to her to fight under the French colours, as others of her country were fighting. She refused, and, after nine days’ captivity, was exchanged, and returned to her regiment. While a prisoner she recognised amongst the French officers one of her cousins, Captain Cavenaugh.
One of the “diverting” incidents of her career about that time was that of a burgher’s daughter falling in love with her. This caused jealousy in the breast of a rival, a sergeant of her regiment, and ended tragically enough in a duel, she resenting an insult he had given to the young lady, and the sergeant being, as was supposed, mortally wounded. For this offence Christiana was imprisoned until the father of the insulted lady, using his private influence, succeeded in obtaining her release, arrears of pay, and her discharge. To escape the entanglement of this love affair, she professed herself too fond and proud to make the young lady the wife of a common soldier, saying she had as much honour as a general, and when she had won a commission she would return to claim her bride.
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