Agnes Salm-Salm
Encyclopedia
Agnes Elisabeth Winona Leclerc Joy - known as Princess Salm-Salm (December 25, 1844 – December 21, 1912). She was born in Franklin, Vermont
, the daughter of the American General William Leclerc Joy (1793 - c. 1886) and Julia Willard ( - 1882). Her grandfather on her father's side was Mica Joy (1753–1826) who married Mercy Terrill (1764–1843). Between 1862 and 1870 she was married to the Prussian prince Felix Salm-Salm
beside whom she played a role in the American Civil War
, the Mexican Civil War between President Juárez
and the Austrian archduke Maximilian I of Mexico
and the Franco-Prussian war
.
. In 1861 she returned to the United States but soon left her home in Vermont
to visit her sister in Washington, D.C.
who was getting married. Agnes stayed around Washington when she met Felix Salm-Salm
. Agnes was riding her horse one morning through the city when Felix first saw her and he made sure she was invited to a party that he would be attending. Soon Felix proposed to her and they were married in August 1862. Agnes could not be apart from Felix for too long and would even travel with him to the battlefield. At his camp she would care for the sick and wounded soldiers although she had no previous knowledge of medicine.
For four years she rode with the troops as the only woman through war-torn Virginia
. As the wife of a colonel she had access to supply wagons and luggage meant for the officers and would often steal supplies in order to care for the soldiers. This would spark a controversy that eventually would have to be settled by President Lincoln. In January, 1863 the troops were ordered to go to Aquia Creek, Virginia, and of course Agnes followed her husband. Here she made a bet that she would give Abraham Lincoln
three kisses within the next few days on his visit to the camp, and she succeeded in doing so.
was over, Felix discovered an opportunity to join Maximilian I of Mexico
's army.
When Agnes and Felix arrived in Mexico City
the French troops under François Achille Bazaine
were leaving, being recalled to Europe to fight against the Prussians. Felix, a veteran Prussian officer himself, would meet General Bazaine on the battlefield several years later. When the Republicans surrounded Querétaro
and Maximilian was forced to surrender, Agnes made great efforts to spare the life of Maximilian and her husband, traveling several times from Querétaro to Mexico City
and San Luis Potosí
where she held interviews with President Benito Juárez
, General Mariano Escobedo
, General Porfirio Díaz
and several other prominent officers of the Republican Army. The evening of the execution Agnes kneeled and, crying, begged President Juarez's forgiveness for the Emperor. President's answer has become famous in Mexican history textbooks: "It causes me great pain, madame, to see you like that on your knees; but even if every King and Queen were on your place, I couldn't spare his life. It isn't me who takes it from him, it is the people and the law who claim his life". Upon Juárez's denial the brave woman answered "Oh, if blood must be spilled, then take my life, the life of a useless woman; and spare that of a man who can still do much good in other country." It was all in vain. The scene was painted by the Mexican painter Manuel Ocaranza.
She then became busy planning an escape attempt for the emperor and her husband. The plan was to get Colonel Villanueva to escort the emperor to Veracruz to escape. But Villanueva would not go through with it without the cooperation of Colonel Palacios. A bribe was in order. Agnes had offered two promissory notes for 100,000 pesos to each of them which would be honored by Maximilian's brother Franz Joseph I of Austria
. Agnes revealed the plan to Palacios who had told her earlier that he sympathized with the emperor while they were in her parlor. Palacios was skeptic and said he would give her his answer in the morning. Agnes agreed, believing that he would go through with it. A legend evolved from this encounter that includes Agnes undressing in front of the Colonel and offering herself as a bribe.
during the Battle of Gravelotte
. After that Agnes remained an active seeker for justice in the world. According to one source, in 1881 she helped organize the American Red Cross. She wrote a book of memories titled "Ten Years of My Life", Ruchard Bentley & Sons, London (1876). She died in poverty on December 21, 1912, in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Franklin, Vermont
Franklin is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,268 at the 2000 census.The original name was Huntsburgh but the name was changed to Franklin in 1817.-Geography:...
, the daughter of the American General William Leclerc Joy (1793 - c. 1886) and Julia Willard ( - 1882). Her grandfather on her father's side was Mica Joy (1753–1826) who married Mercy Terrill (1764–1843). Between 1862 and 1870 she was married to the Prussian prince Felix Salm-Salm
Felix Salm-Salm
-Life:Felix Constantin Alexander Johan Nepomuk, prince Salm Salm, was born in Anholt, Prussia, 25 December 1828. Felix was the son of the reigning Prince zu Salm Salm. He grew up training to be a soldier at a cadet-school in Berlin, Germany and soon became an officer in the Prussian cavalry...
beside whom she played a role in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Mexican Civil War between President Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
and the Austrian archduke Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
and the Franco-Prussian war
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
Civil War
There is little known of the early life of Agnes Salm-Salm. Many scholars believed that she worked in the circus and then was an actress living in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. In 1861 she returned to the United States but soon left her home in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
to visit her sister in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
who was getting married. Agnes stayed around Washington when she met Felix Salm-Salm
Felix Salm-Salm
-Life:Felix Constantin Alexander Johan Nepomuk, prince Salm Salm, was born in Anholt, Prussia, 25 December 1828. Felix was the son of the reigning Prince zu Salm Salm. He grew up training to be a soldier at a cadet-school in Berlin, Germany and soon became an officer in the Prussian cavalry...
. Agnes was riding her horse one morning through the city when Felix first saw her and he made sure she was invited to a party that he would be attending. Soon Felix proposed to her and they were married in August 1862. Agnes could not be apart from Felix for too long and would even travel with him to the battlefield. At his camp she would care for the sick and wounded soldiers although she had no previous knowledge of medicine.
For four years she rode with the troops as the only woman through war-torn Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. As the wife of a colonel she had access to supply wagons and luggage meant for the officers and would often steal supplies in order to care for the soldiers. This would spark a controversy that eventually would have to be settled by President Lincoln. In January, 1863 the troops were ordered to go to Aquia Creek, Virginia, and of course Agnes followed her husband. Here she made a bet that she would give Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
three kisses within the next few days on his visit to the camp, and she succeeded in doing so.
Mexico
After the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
was over, Felix discovered an opportunity to join Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
's army.
When Agnes and Felix arrived in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
the French troops under François Achille Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine was a French General and from 1864, a Marshal of France, who surrendered the last organized French army to the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian war. He was the first Marshal who had started as a legionnaire and like the great Marshals of the First Empire, he had risen...
were leaving, being recalled to Europe to fight against the Prussians. Felix, a veteran Prussian officer himself, would meet General Bazaine on the battlefield several years later. When the Republicans surrounded Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
and Maximilian was forced to surrender, Agnes made great efforts to spare the life of Maximilian and her husband, traveling several times from Querétaro to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
where she held interviews with President Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
, General Mariano Escobedo
Mariano Escobedo
Mariano Escobedo was a Mexican Army general and former Governor of Nuevo León.He was born on January 16, 1826 in Galeana, Nuevo León. He fought during the Mexican American War in the army with the rank of lieutenant...
, General Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
and several other prominent officers of the Republican Army. The evening of the execution Agnes kneeled and, crying, begged President Juarez's forgiveness for the Emperor. President's answer has become famous in Mexican history textbooks: "It causes me great pain, madame, to see you like that on your knees; but even if every King and Queen were on your place, I couldn't spare his life. It isn't me who takes it from him, it is the people and the law who claim his life". Upon Juárez's denial the brave woman answered "Oh, if blood must be spilled, then take my life, the life of a useless woman; and spare that of a man who can still do much good in other country." It was all in vain. The scene was painted by the Mexican painter Manuel Ocaranza.
She then became busy planning an escape attempt for the emperor and her husband. The plan was to get Colonel Villanueva to escort the emperor to Veracruz to escape. But Villanueva would not go through with it without the cooperation of Colonel Palacios. A bribe was in order. Agnes had offered two promissory notes for 100,000 pesos to each of them which would be honored by Maximilian's brother Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
. Agnes revealed the plan to Palacios who had told her earlier that he sympathized with the emperor while they were in her parlor. Palacios was skeptic and said he would give her his answer in the morning. Agnes agreed, believing that he would go through with it. A legend evolved from this encounter that includes Agnes undressing in front of the Colonel and offering herself as a bribe.
Franco-Prussian War
When Felix went to Europe to fight again in the Prussian army, Agnes soon joined him via New York. In 1868 they arrived in Berlin. Because of their attempts to free Maximilian, the prince was again accepted at court along with his wife. In Europe she was the star of all the social circles in the capital as well as in Karlsruhe where she lived. During the war she continued to travel along with her husband and served among the medical staff. She was awarded the Prussian Medal of Honor for army relief work.Late Years
Felix Salm-Salm was killed in combat on August 18, 1870 at Saint-Privat-la-MontagneSaint-Privat-la-Montagne
Saint-Privat-la-Montagne is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.Saint Privat is located between the former French-German frontier as it was between 1871 and 1918 and between 1940 and 1944...
during the Battle of Gravelotte
Battle of Gravelotte
The Battle of Gravelotte was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine between Metz and the former French–German frontier.-Terrain and armies:...
. After that Agnes remained an active seeker for justice in the world. According to one source, in 1881 she helped organize the American Red Cross. She wrote a book of memories titled "Ten Years of My Life", Ruchard Bentley & Sons, London (1876). She died in poverty on December 21, 1912, in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Further reading
- Daniel Moreno. El sitio de Querétaro. Según protagonistas y testigos. (Editorial Porrúa, 3° Edición, México 1982)