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Ignacia Reachy

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Ignacia Reachy (1816–1866) was a soldier during the War of Intervention.

Biography

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Reachy was born in Guadalajara, Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1816. Reachy formed a women's battalion to help defend Guadalajara from the French during the War of Intervention (1861-1866).[1] Soon after, Reachy left Guadalajara to join the Army of the East[2] and many male officers gifted to her military gear and attire because she was considered a "valiant woman patriot".[3] She was given riding boots by Colonel Antonio Rojas, a second lieutenant uniform by Colonel Gonzalez, and was put in the Second Division under the command of Jose Maria Arteaga [es] by Ignacio Zaragoza.[3] On 28 April 1862, Reachy showed her true bravery; Reachy was captured by the French while trying to cover and protect the retreat of Arteaga. Reachy was imprisoned for a year, before escaping then going back to Arteaga for more orders.[1] Reachy was made Commander of the Lancers of Jalisco until she was killed in battle in 1866.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Cross, Robin; Miles, Rosalind (2011). Warrior Women: 3000 Years of Courage and Heroism. New York: Quercus. ISBN 978-1-62365-314-9.
  2. ^ a b Salas, Elizabeth (1990). Soldaderas in the Mexican Military: Myth and History. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0292776388.
  3. ^ a b Pennington, Reina (2003). Amazons to Fighter Pilots: A Biographical Dictionary of Military Women (Volume 2). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 357. ISBN 0-313-29197-7.