Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

During the U. S. Civil War, women played much more of a role than history would lead us to believe. Here, Karen Abbott writes of four women, 2 Confederate and 2 Union, who did their part for their respective sides.

Belle Boyd was a southern belle who became a courier and spy, seducing men on both sides along the way.  Emma Edmonds was a young Canadian woman who posed a man, joining the Union army. Rose Greenhow was a well-connected Washington, D. C. socialite who had affairs with influential Northern Politicians to gather intelligence for the South. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist with Northern roots,  orchestrated an espionage ring right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.

Using primary source materials, the author alternates chapters between the lives of these fascinating women.

533 pages