Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Warrior Women Wednesdays: THE FERNIG SISTERS


Today’s WARRIOR WOMEN WEDNESDAY drawing:
THE FERNIG SISTERS
On April 30, 1793, the French Revolutionary Government's National Convention passed the Law to Rid the Armies of Useless Women, barring women from the military.  The Fernigs had, probably coincidentally, escaped this decree by mere days, having followed orders to accompany General Dumouriez. Discovering too late that he was not under orders himself but was, in, fact, defecting to the Austrians, the Fernigs fled to return to their role as soldiers for the French, but were seen as fellow traitors and refused entry.  
Some women continued to fight after the law was passed, but whether the Fernigs would have been among them is a purely academic question as they were barred from their homeland for much of the war.

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