Richard Thomas Zarvona (October 27, 1833 – March 17, 1875), born Richard Thomas Jr., was an American adventurer, soldier, and a

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

who became known as "the French lady" after he disguised himself as a woman to seize a passenger steamer 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 ...

Early life

The eldest son of former

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

House of Delegates

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

Richard Thomas Sr. and the nephew of Maryland

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

James Thomas James Thomas may refer to: Politicians * James Thomas (Australian politician) (1826–1884), civil engineer who was Director of Public Works in Western Australia, 1876–1884 * James Thomas (Governor of Maryland) (1785–1845), served as the 23rd ...

, Richard Thomas Jr. was born and raised in "Mattapany," the Thomas family

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

south of the

Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...

.Cox, Richard P., ''Rebel raider disguised in hoop skirt'', Washington Times An accomplished athlete and sportsman, Thomas attended

Charlotte Hall Military Academy Charlotte Hall Military Academy, located at Charlotte Hall, Maryland, was established as Charlotte Hall School in 1774 by Queen Charlotte to provide for the liberal and pious education of youth to better fit them for the discharge of their duties ...

and another military school in nearby

Talbot County, Maryland Talbot County is located in the heart of the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,526. Its county seat is Easton, Maryland, Easton. The county was named ...

, before receiving appointment to the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1850. Thomas survived his plebe year with 189 demerits, but resigned in October 1851.Holly, David C., ''Richard Thomas Zarvona (1833-1875)'' He then traveled the world, serving in the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Sardinian War or Italian War of 1859 ( it, Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana; french: Campagne d'Italie), was fought by the Second French Empire and t ...

. He served either in the Sardinian or in the French Army, no written proof for which one available; though his new proficiency of the French language (coupled with a lack of Italian) and a deep interest in

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 ...

strongly favour the later. It was then that he added "Zarvona" to his name; family legend establishing a French love who died and whose name he took. He returned to America in early 1861.

Civil War

In April 1861 Zarvona formulated his idea to support the Confederacy by either becoming an engineer officer or by going to the sea. A month later he formed a command of Zouaves that eventually would become Company H of the

47th Virginia Infantry The 47th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia and was a unit in A.P. Hill's Light Di ...

Regiment. Simultaneously he started to plan the takeover of a ship; a plan that, with support of the government of Virginia, started on June 28. A disguised Thomas and a crew of accomplices seized the Bostoner passenger steamer ''St. Nicholas'', planning to use it to raid the sloop of war .

Notes

References

BiographyCol Richard ''Zarvona'' Thomas
Find A Grave Memorial *Cox, Richard P.
''Rebel raider disguised in hoop skirt''
October 6, 2007,

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

(accessed October 14, 2007) * Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion; Series I, Volume 4, pages 549-555 * Confederate States Army officers American Civil War spies People of Maryland in the American Civil War 1833 births 1875 deaths Charlotte Hall Military Academy alumni United States Military Academy alumni {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub