Four Women Civil War Spies

Karen Abbott tells the true story of four women—a socialite, a farm girl, an abolitionist, and a widow—who risked their lives to become spies during the Civil War. Her book Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War is the true account of how they became spies and how espionage helped the Union and Confederacy.

Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.

(Library of Virginia/Courtesy of the publisher)

Rose O’Neale Greenhow, circa 1861. She engaged in affairs with Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy. She used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals.

(Library of Congress/Courtesy of the publisher)

Emma Edmondson as Private Frank Thompson

(Library and Archives of Canada/Courtesy of the publisher)