Hetty Carr Cary (May 15, 1836 – September 27, 1892) was the wife of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

General

John Pegram John Pegram (November 16, 1773April 8, 1831) was a Virginia planter, soldier and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, both houses of the Virginia General Assembly and a major general during the War of 1812. Ear ...

and, later, of pioneer physiologist H. Newell Martin. She is best remembered for making the first three battle flags of the Confederacy (along with her sister and cousin). Hetty was related to two of Virginia's most influential families, the Jeffersons (through her mother's family) and the Randolphs (through her paternal grandmother,

Virginia Randolph Cary Virginia Randolph Cary (January 30, 1786 – May 2, 1852) was an American writer. She was the author of ''Letters on Female Character, Addressed to a Young Lady, on the Death of Her Mother'' (1828), an influential advice book. Early life and famil ...

). She was also a lineal descendant of

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

Henry Kyd Douglas Henry Kyd Douglas (1838–1903) was a Confederate staff officer during the American Civil War. He participated in most of the battles of the Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia; serving on the staffs of Stonewall Jackson and his successors. S ...

, in ''I Rode With Stonewall'', described Hetty as "the most beautiful woman of her day and generation" and "the handsomest woman in the Southland -- with her classic face, her pure complexion, her auburn hair. her perfect figure and her carriage, altogether the most beautiful woman I ever saw in any land."

Civil War

Hetty was wholeheartedly a supporter of the South, even when in the North and among Union soldiers. On one occasion, she waved a smuggled Confederate flag from a second-story window as Federal troops marched through Baltimore. An officer of the passing regiment allegedly pointed Hetty out to his colonel, asking, "Shall I have her arrested?" The colonel looked at her and replied: "No, she is beautiful enough to do as she pleases."

Smuggling

Hetty and her sister Jennie smuggled drugs and clothing across the Potomac through the Union blockade for Confederate troops. They were forced to leave Baltimore after federal authorities discovered her Southern sympathies. They escaped to Richmond, where they then lived with their cousin

Constance Cary Constance Cary Harrison ( pen name, Refugitta; April 25, 1843 – November 21, 1920), also referred as Mrs. Burton Harrison, was an American playwright and novelist. She and two of her cousins were known as the "Cary Invincibles"; the three sewed ...

and her mother, who served as the girls' chaperone. The three young ladies became known as the ''Cary Invincibles''.

Making of the Confederate Battle Flag

Due to confusion among the troops during the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

due to the similar design and color of the Confederate flag, the Stars and Bars, and the Union flag, the Stars and Stripes, Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard recommended that the Confederate flag be changed. Constance Cary wrote: The resulting flag, commonly called the

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

, served as the principal battle flag of the cavalry, infantry, and artillery units in the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

from November 1861 until the surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.

Marriage to General John Pegram

When 26, Hetty met 32-year-old

at a party at his mother's home, and became engaged in 1862. William ransom johnson pegram

Their wedding date was finally set due to two events. At the end of 1864, John's division was sent to the Confederate entrenchments around Petersburg, Virginia. Near that same time, Hetty's mother, Mrs. Wilson Miles Cary of Baltimore, obtained a pass to go to Richmond to visit her two daughters. Due to her mother's visit, John urged Hetty not to delay their marriage any longer, and wedding preparations quickly began. The wedding occurred January 19, 1865. It was a major social occasion, as it was the union of one of the most beautiful women in the South to one of Virginia's most eligible bachelors. The elite of Confederate society, including President Jefferson Davis and his wife Varina, attended the wedding in the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church. After the wedding, both John and Hetty traveled to a farmhouse near Petersburg, which was serving as General Pegram's headquarters. On February 6, only 18 days after their wedding, John was killed by a

Minié ball The Minié ball or Minie ball, is a type of hollow-based bullet designed by Claude-Étienne Minié, inventor of the French Minié rifle, for muzzle-loading rifled muskets. It was invented in 1847 and came to prominence in the Crimean War and ...

leading a charge at the Battle of Hatcher's Run. Hetty returned to Richmond on the train carrying her husband's body. Exactly three weeks after their wedding day, his coffin was taken to St. Paul's, the same church where the couple had been recently married. Reverend

Charles Minnigerode Charles Frederick Ernest Minnigerode (born Karl Friedrich Ernst Minnigerode, August 6, 1814 in Arnsberg - October 13, 1894 in Alexandria, Virginia) was a German-born American professor and clergyman who is credited with introducing the Christmas t ...

, the pastor at their wedding, also conducted the funeral service. On the day that her husband was killed, General Robert E. Lee was given command of all the armies of the Confederacy. He wrote the following sympathetic letter to Hetty: Only two months after her husband lost his life, her late husband's brother, Colonel William Pegram, was killed, dying during the fight at Five Forks in the Confederate retreat from Petersburg. During a grieving period, Hetty stayed with her mother-in-law. Following that, Hetty and her mother returned to their home in Baltimore, where she taught at the Southern Home School for several years.

Remarriage

Later, while traveling abroad in Europe, Hetty met professor

Henry Newell Martin Henry Newell Martin, FRS (1 July 1848 – 27 October 1896) was a British physiologist and vivisection activist. Biography He was born in Newry, County Down, the son of Henry Martin, a Congregational minister. He was educated at University ...

, a pioneer physiologist and professor at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. They were married in 1879. Hetty died at her home in Baltimore on September 27, 1892. She was buried there at St. Thomas' Churchyard.

Notes

References

* Cliffe, Peter, ''The tragedy, folly of a Baltimore Rebel's life'', Washington Times, July 28, 2007 * Douglas, Henry Kyd, ''I Rode With Stonewall'', * Wert, Jeffry D., ''The Confederate Belle'',

Civil War Times Illustrated ''Civil War Times'' (formerly ''Civil War Times Illustrated'') is a history magazine published bi-monthly which covers the American Civil War. It was established in 1962 by Robert Fowler due to centennial anniversary interest in the Civil War in ...

, August 1976, p. 20. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cary, Hetty 1836 births 1892 deaths People from Baltimore People from Richmond, Virginia People of Maryland in the American Civil War Women in the American Civil War Hetty