Marie Brose Tepe Leonard (August 24, 1834 – May 24, 1901), known as "French Mary," was a

vivandière Vivandière or cantinière is a French name for women who are attached to military regiments as sutlers or canteen keepers. Their actual historic functions of selling wine to the troops and working in canteens led to the adoption of the name 'cant ...

of Franco-Turkish descent who fought for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Tepe served with the 27th and 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiments.

Early life

Little is known of Tepe's early life. Born Marie Brose, Tepe was born in

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

, France, on August 24, 1834. Her father was

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

and her mother was French. It is unknown when she immigrated to the United States, but it is estimated that she immigrated at fifteen years old. Around 1854 she married a tailor from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

named Bernhard Tepe.

Civil War service

Tepe's husband enlisted in the 27th Pennsylvania Infantry as a private. He wanted Tepe to stay behind and run their tailor shop during his service, but Tepe enlisted herself. She enlisted in the 27th as well. While the unit marched to Philadelphia, Tepe was responsible for carrying a 1.5 gallon keg for whiskey or water. While at camp, Tepe sold various goods to the soldiers until the first Battle of Bull Run when she worked in the regimental hospital. Tepe's time with the 27th Infantry ended when her husband and his friends, while intoxicated, stole $1,600 from Tepe. The opportunity to be a vivandière called Tepe back into the service. She joined Charles H.T. Collis and his regiment of

Zouaves The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

d’Afrique, the 114th Pennsylvania. In this regiment, she received a soldier's pay with an additional twenty-five cents for each day spent working at the hospital. She became the "daughter of the regiment." She worked alongside the 114th Pennsylvania as a sutler as well as cooking, and washing and mending clothing. After a particularly deadly Battle of Chancellorsville, Tepe began working with a field hospital. Tepe and

Annie Etheridge Lorinda Anna "Annie" Blair Etheridge (May 3, 1839 – January 23, 1913 ) was a Union nurse and vivandière who served during the American Civil War. She was one of only two women to receive the Kearny Cross. She was inducted into the Michigan W ...

were awarded the

Kearny Cross The Kearny Cross was a military decoration of the United States Army, which was first established in 1862 during the opening year of the American Civil War. The original decoration was known as the ''Kearny Medal'' and was adopted as an unofficial ...

on May 16, 1863, after their work in the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

, though Tepe refused the award. They were the only women awarded out of 300 medal recipients. Tepe joined the 114th on numerous campaigns, and was for the most part spared of injury. She was reported to be wounded in the ankle during the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

but otherwise had good luck. By one account, Tepe came under fire a total of thirteen times. At the Battle of Chancellorsville, Tepe endured particularly hazardous conditions to bring water to exhausted troops. Tepe's regiment was present at 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

, Fair Oaks, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania.

Post-war life

After the war, she married a Civil War veteran named Richard Leonard; her previous husband had died at Gettysburg. The death of Bernard is in dispute as military records report that he survived the war and mustered out with his company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1864. Certain records report that the two met during the

Petersburg Campaign The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

and married in Culpeper, Virginia. She and Leonard divorced in March 1897, with Tepe citing "general abuse" as the cause of the split. Tepe was awarded the

for her courageous service at Chancellorsville. In 1898, a newspaper reported that Tepe attempted to receive pension for her military service, yet no records indicate that she received this pension. As a result, she became destitute later in life, developing rheumatism and still suffering from her ankle injury incurred during the war. She committed suicide May 24, 1901 by drinking a lethal dose of " Paris Green," a kind of paint pigment.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tepe, Marie 1834 births 1901 suicides 1901 deaths Women in the American Civil War American Civil War vivandières People from Brest, France French emigrants to the United States French people of Turkish descent Military personnel from Philadelphia People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Suicides by poison Suicides in Pennsylvania American people of Turkish descent