Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/269

, in Austria, without being detected as a girl; as she managed to be enrolled in the name of a brother who was dead. Maturing into a fine, athletic young soldier, Franziska was made an officer. She entered then upon a completely military career. She was a superb horsewoman, swordswoman, shot, and all else, and had a commanding presence. She went into regular and hard service, and took part in the Austrian portion of the anti-Napoleonic struggle—with high honour. Her most intimate friend was a young officer, passionately attached to her, but unaware of her sex. The officer was mystified as to his profound feeling for Franziska, and she felt a deep reluctance to expose the fact which would have relieved him. At length, after being severely wounded she told the secret to him. She therewith left the army, allowing her sex to be known generally. With ovations to her courage and career, she went to Vienna, where the Emperor decorated her, and confirmed her military honours. She married her friend of the camp, in what proved to be happy wedlock. She was married in full uniform, but after the ceremony she never, resumed male attire. She became gradually feminized, had several children, and her family is represented to-day in Austria. A portrait and memorial to Franziska Skanagatta are always shown to visitors to the great Wiener-Neustadt Military Academy.

No nobler type of the woman-soldier occurs than the famous Angela Postovoitow, a participant in the latest of the Polish insurrections. Of excellent family, patriotic and strong-natured, of deep religious feeling, she took part in field, in council and in camp, as soldier and officer in the uprising—with splendid enthusiasm—a sort of contemporary Jeanne Dare. Of great personal beauty, in her uniform she was one of the handsomest and most romantic figures in the Polish army. If she was feminosexual in her nature is not clear. She appears indeed rather as a sexless creature, rapt