Enter now to win a copy of
Soldier, Sister, Spy, Scout: Women Soldiers and Patriots on the Western Frontier
Susan Shelby Magoffin gazed around the small, white-plastered room in Santa Fe and wondered if she might die there. No one seemed sure where the Mexican army was, or how soon a battle might commence. But there was no doubt about the danger to herself and her husband now that her brother-in-law had been taken by the Mexicans as a spy. As she had since the start of her honeymoon journey, Susan recorded the day’s events in her journal:
December 1846, Tuesday 1st: News comes in very ugly today. An Englishman from Chihuahua direct, says that the three traders, Dr. Conely, Mr. McMannus, and brother James, who went on ahead to the Chihuahua have been taken prisoners, the two former lodged in the calaboza [jail] while Brother James is on trial for his life.
The messenger who brought the ominous news had gone, but the impact of the latest information from Chihuahua still reverberated like an alarm bell. The fate of everyone associated with James Magoffin was hanging in the balance. What if her own dear husband, Samuel, left her behind to ride to her brother’s aide? They had been married less than a year, and despite their strange honeymoon, she could not bear to be parted from the man she called “mi alma,” my soul.
She would insist on going, too, she thought. After traveling thousands of miles across wild and dangerous terrain and through the lands of unfriendly Native Americans on her prairie honeymoon, she had proved her courage to herself and her husband. She had survived the hazardous two thousand mile journey despite raging storms, wild beasts, hostile tribes, outlaws, and the awful waterless desert they had traversed a few week before.
Soldier, Sister, Spy, Scout
I'm looking forward to hearing from you! Please fill out this form and I will get in touch with you if you are the winner.
Join my email news list to enter the giveaway.
"*" indicates required fields
