Women and Children First--from Henty

"I heard, some time ago, that one of our masters had been appointed to a church in some beastly neighbourhood in Birmingham or one of those manufacturing towns, and the people were such a rough lot that he could do nothing with them at first.  But one day, when he was going along the street, he saw a notorious bully thrashing a woman, and he interfered.  The fellow threatened him, and he quietly turned in, and gave him the most tremendous thrashing he had ever had, in about three minutes.  After that he got to be greatly liked, and did no end of good in his parish."

"Yes; but you say this man was a priest, a clergyman?" Maffio urged.

The three friends looked gravely at each other.

"Yes, but you must remember that he was also a man, and there is such a thing as righteous anger.  Why should a man look on and see a woman ill-treated without lifting his hand to save her, simply because he is a clergyman?"--from Out With Garabaldi, pgs. 128-129

Monongahela--Women and Children First

One of the first battles in the French and Indian War was General Edward Braddock's expedition against Fort Duquense. His army was routed by a force of French and Indians on July 9, 1755. One of the records that survived the battle is a diary by a British soldier who was likely a servant to Captain Robert Cholmley. This author survived the battle and captured some aspects of it in his diary.

When Braddock's army was finally shattered, the survivors fled across the Monongahela River to safety. Colonel George Washington and Lieutenant-Colonel Burton (48th) formed a rearguard to protect those crossing the river. According to the diary (18th Century spelling has been kept intact):

"In going Over the River there was an Indien Shot one of our Wimen and began to Scalp her. Her Husband being a little before her Shot the Indien dead. There was another Indien Immediately Shot him through the Arm, but he made his Escape from them. Just after we had passed the River a Captn [captain] that was wounded in the foot bege'd that I would lend him my Horse which I did, altho I had about two hundred miles to march on foot before he could get a horse."

Women did accompany Braddock's army as camp-followers, i. e. laundresses and cooks. To the Indians, killing an enemy woman was a great feat of courage. But to the men on Braddock's expedition, women (especially one's wife) were to be protected. One demonstrated pagan egalitarianism; the other, Biblical self-sacrifice.