Joanne Harris Profile picture
Sep 13, 2018 8 tweets 2 min read Read on X
Hannah Snell (1723–1792) was a British woman who disguised herself as a man and became a soldier. #CelebratingWomen
She was born in Worcester on 23 April 1723. Local contemporaries of hers claimed that she played a soldier even as a child.
In 1740, she moved to London and married a soldier, James Summers, on 18 January 1744. She named herself Bob Corrigan so she could fight alongside him.
In 1746, she gave birth to a daughter, Susannah, who died a year later. Snell borrowed a male suit from her brother-in-law James Gray, assumed his name, and began to search for Summers, who had abandoned her while she was pregnant with his child.
She later learned that her husband had been executed for murder. She moved to Portsmouth and joined the Marines, boarding the ship Swallow at Portsmouth on 23 October 1747.
In August 1748, her unit was sent to an expedition to capture the French colony of Pondicherry in India. Later, she also fought in the battle in Devicottail in June 1749. She was wounded eleven times.
In 1750, her unit returned to Britain and traveled from Portsmouth to London, where she revealed her sex to her shipmates and announced her retirement. She then petitioned the Duke of Cumberland, the head of the army, for her pension.
She was honorably discharged and the Royal Hospital, Chelsea officially recognized Snell's military service in November and granted her a pension in 1750, a rare thing in those days, even for a man.

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More from @Joannechocolat

Oct 9, 2018
It's a long train journey, so let's do this one, too. Follow #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen to collect them all!
1. This one is for the many men who have asked my advice on this. First, kudos for asking. Second, the fact that you needed to ask at all may be the root of your problem. #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen
2. Look at the way you interact with women in real life. If you're problematic, sexist or prejudiced in life, then you don't have much of a chance of avoiding it in your fiction. #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen
Read 12 tweets
Sep 18, 2018
This one sounds interesting. Let's extend it to writing about EMOTIONS. Follow the hashtag to collect them all! #TenThingsAboutEmotions
1. To write convincingly about emotions - whether that's love, grief, anger, joy - you have to be acutely aware of your *own* emotions, and how they come across to other people. #TenThingsAboutEmotions
2. It's probably the only instance where the "write what you know" rule really applies. #TenThingsAboutEmotions
Read 11 tweets
Sep 16, 2018
Margareta von Ascheberg (1671 – 1753) was a Swedish land owner, noble and acting regiment colonel during the Great Northern War. #CelebratingWomen
She was the youngest child of Field Marshal Rutger von Ascheberg and Magdalena Eleonora Busseck. In 1691, she married colonel count Kjell Christopher Barnekow in Malmö.
As was the custom of the Swedish nobility as that time, she kept her name after marriage and style herself »Grevinnan Ascheberg» (Countess Ascheberg). The couple had four children.
Read 8 tweets
Sep 15, 2018
Queen Nanny or Nanny (c. 1686 – c. 1755), was an 18th-century leader of the Jamaican Maroons. Much of what is known about her comes from oral history, as little textual evidence exists. #CelebratingWomen
She was born into the Asante people in what is today Ghana, and escaped from slavery after being transported to Jamaica.
Historical documents refer to her as the "rebels' old 'obeah' woman." Following some armed confrontations, colonial officials reached a settlement for peace.
Read 4 tweets
Sep 14, 2018
1. Writer's block is a psychological disorder, and is far, far less common than most people think. It's linked to depression, so if you really think you're suffering from this, get professional help. #TenThingsAboutWritersBlock
2. Many people use the term loosely, to mean "lacking the will or the inspiration to write." If this is you, try to identify the reason. #TenThingsAboutWritersBlock
Read 11 tweets
Sep 14, 2018
Na Hangbe was the ruler of the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, for a brief period before Agaja came to power in 1718. #CelebratingWomen
Little is known about her because her rule was largely erased from the official Dahomey history and much that is known is brought together by various different oral histories.
However, it is believed that she became the ruler of Dahomey upon the sudden death of King Akaba because his oldest son, Agbo Sassa, was not yet of age.
Read 4 tweets

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