Includes bibliographical references (pages 483-495) and index.
Contents:
Splendid and silent suns (a note) -- 1861: 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 -- 1862: 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 -- 1863: 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 -- 1864: That unhappy country -- Despicable remedies -- The sanctuary of a modest girl -- You are very poor company -- Be prudent and never come again -- Goodbye, 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 -- 1865: The way a child loves its mother -- As this mighty work was done -- Epilogue.
Summary:
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 weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.