Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army. Photo courtesy Karen Abbott.
Women were not allowed to suit up on the front lines during the Civil War. But that did not stop Emma Edmonds from joining the Union Army. Edmonds disguised herself as a man and enlisted, serving as a nurse and, later, as a courier.
Edmonds is one of four women author Karen Abbott profiles in her book “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy.” Abbott writes about the exploits of women who served as spies and secret couriers during the Civil War.
About 400 women disguised themselves as men during the war. Some of the women that Abbott profiles did not disguise their sex, but utilized their gender as a means to obtain war secrets and deliver that information to the enemy.
“It was really amazing how these women were able to exploit the notions about their gender and their femininity and use it to their advantage,” Abbott says.
The idea that women would be gathering confidential information and delivering the secrets to the enemy was so unfathomable to war officials that, even when discovered, the men had no idea how to deal with the female agents.
“One Lincoln official had a great quote about this,” Abbott notes. “He said, quote, ‘what are we going to do about these fashionable women spies?’”
Listen to the interview: Karen Abbott on The Steve Fast Show
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