Cover image for Liar, temptress, soldier, spy : four women undercover in the Civil War
Liar, temptress, soldier, spy : four women undercover in the Civil War
Title:
Liar, temptress, soldier, spy : four women undercover in the Civil War
ISBN:
9780062092892
Edition:
First edition.
Physical Description:
xiii, 513 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
Contents:
Splendid and silent suns (a note) -- The fastest girl in Virginia (or anywhere else for that matter) -- Our woman -- A shaft in her quiver -- As if they were chased by demons -- Never as pretty as her portrait shows -- Little rebel heart on fire -- Admirable self-denial -- The birds of the air -- The secret room -- Stakeout -- Hard to name -- Crinoline and quinine -- Dark and gloomy perils -- Unmasked -- The defenseless sex -- Not your ideal of a beautiful soldier -- She will fool you out of your eyes -- Rebel vixens of the slave states -- Wise as serpents and harmless as doves -- A woman usually tells all she knows -- A slave called "Ned" -- Perfectly insane on the subject of men -- The other side of the river -- My love to all the dear boys -- One grain of manhood -- The madam looks much changed -- The Secesh Cleopatra -- The bright rush of life, The hurry of death -- She breathes, she burns -- The still, small voice -- Richmond underground -- Playing dead -- When you think he may be killed tomorrow -- Bread or blood -- A wean that's born to be hung -- A dreadful blow -- No one ignorant of the danger -- La Belle Rebelle -- Women make war upon each other -- Please give us some of your blood -- That unhappy country -- Despicable remedies -- The sanctuary of a modest girl -- You are very poor company -- Be prudent and never come again -- Good-bye, Mrs. Greenhow -- This verdict of lunacy -- The delicacy of the situation -- Not at all changed by death -- The sweet little man -- Like most of her sex -- The way a child loves its mother -- As this mighty work was done.
Summary:
Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous women--a socialite, a farm girl, an abolitionist, and a widow--who were spies. After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose O'Neale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives. Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies' descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war.
Holds: