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

“She told herself she would not hesitate to use the pistol; she had never hesitated at anything.”

The tense moment, as Belle braced for Union soldiers to arrive, gives the reader a look into her mindset. The young woman is characterized as impulsive and decisive. Though society would not traditionally have valued these characteristics in a woman, they were likely key to Belle’s profound success in her espionage.

“Elizabeth came to understand the importance of appearances, and the intricate subterfuge required to maintain them.”

This quotation illustrates Elizabeth’s perspective at the start of the war. Her background and beliefs have long made her an outsider, putting her at risk of losing her valuable status entirely. To maintain that status, she has painstakingly learned how to maintain a façade that society may consider acceptable.

“There were rumors, whispered by the ladies of Martinsburg with either pride or that a rebel woman, Rose Greenhow, had contributed to the victory.”

This quotation illustrates the notoriety of Rose Greenhow, emphasizing her talent for using Legacy and Fame as a Means of Survival. Even women in small-town Virginia knew about the work she had done and the importance of her contributions.

“The Southern women of Washington are the cause of the defeat of the grand army.”

This quotation from Rose Greenhow captures her assessment of the First Battle of Bull Run. Her boasting about herself and the rest of the women in her spy ring fed into her continued success at networking. This quotation also gives some insight into Rose’s self-perception; she was confident, viewing her contributions as not merely helpful but necessary for victory.

“She has all her life been for sale.”

This quotation is from an observation by one of the Washington, DC, women in or around Rose’s spy ring. It illustrates how Rose’s peers viewed her: Though the observation implies Rose’s history of sex work, it also hints at the extent of Rose’s mastery at deception.

“[T]his brazenness became a vital part of her costume: After all, she asked, how dangerous could such an open foe be?”

This quotation discusses Belle’s open approach to espionage, which itself took advantage of assumptions about women at the time. Belle openly bragged that she was sharing military secrets, wagering that her presentation as a fool would lead others, especially men, to underestimate her.

“I will try to do the best I can by her—as I would be done by […] I do love the poor creature—she was born a slave in our family—& that has always made me feel awful and responsible.”

This quotation is pulled from a letter Elizabeth wrote, referring to Mary-Jane Bowser, a formerly enslaved woman who Elizabeth freed. These words illustrate Elizabeth’s complicated view of slavery, indicating her awareness, to an extent, of her own role in perpetuating the practice.

“In another place and time, the two women might have been friends. Despite her elevated position, Varina, too, was viewed warily by old Richmond blue bloods. Society ladies, even the ones who professed to like her, whispered about her dark skin and ‘tawny’ looks.”

This quotation discusses the connection between Elizabeth and the first lady of the Confederacy. Both women were outsiders of Richmond society, and no amount of wealth or status would gain them acceptance because of their background. The quote also discusses the colorism inherent in Richmond society, which focused on the color of Varina’s skin, spreading rumors and using antiquated offensive language to describe her.

“Emma sat down with the contrabands and was struck by how intelligently they could converse about Christ. ‘Why should blue eyes and golden hair […] be the distinction between the bond and free?’ The issue of slavery became real to her in a way it hadn’t been before.”

This quotation is from Emma’s interaction with formerly enslaved people who had recently fled their enslavers, marking her first time interacting meaningfully with people who had experienced enslavement. The quotation, which comes from one of Emma’s writings, shares her understanding of race and abolition in the moment it evolved. In this moment, she concretely recognized these people as complex people with intelligent thought, albeit within the context of her own religious beliefs.

“Elizabeth smiled, and replied that there were inmates at several other institutions in need of charity; surely the general, as a fellow Christian, would understand.”

Elizabeth spoke with General Winder, putting on a façade a good Southern Christian woman. She played a part that Winder, bound by societal rules, could not refuse.

“‘Suppose the government should conclude to let you go. Would you consider that you owed allegiance to it; and would you be willing to be bound by the rules of war?’ Rose stiffened; she would never pledge allegiance to the North.”

This quote gives the reader a look into Rose’s mindset as she defended herself in front of the commission. Rose was asked if she would take an oath swearing loyalty to the Union. She refused, risking longer imprisonment or execution. The reader learns how seriously Rose took her word and believed in her cause, a revelation that ties into the theme of Loyalty and Betrayal in Espionage. She’d rather risk death than swear loyalty to the Union. Her response contextualizes the weight loyalty oaths carried in the 19th century.

“I have kept entirely out of the world. I lost my child a short time before. I have not been in the world during that time; therefore, any information I may have got must have been brought to my house, and brought to me […] am I to be held responsible for all that? Could it be presumed that I could not use that which was given to me by others? If I did not, I would be unjust to myself and my friends. It is said that a woman cannot keep a secret. I am a woman, and a woman tells all she knows.”

This quotation shows Rose arguing on her own behalf. Though she admitted that she passed information, she indicated that she could not possibly have gathered it herself. This illustrates her ability to think quickly and speak for herself. She also leaned into the men’s expectations and assumptions about women, banking on the men underestimating her.

“Emma cited her strong Christian faith and her belief that slavery was against God’s will.”

This quotation gives the reader a look into Emma’s perspective as she was interviewed in preparation to become a spy. Her beliefs were her justification for why she was willing to risk everything for the Union and the cause of abolition. God and faith were important to Emma, and she strongly believed in following the path she believed that God had created for her.

“Women, Belle soon learned, made for a surly audience, their lack of interest in her stories directly proportionate to her insistence on telling them. One Fort Royal, neighbor, Lucy Buck, found Belle ‘all surface, vain, and hollow’ and complained of being carried ‘captive into the parlor.’”

In 1862, Belle went to Fort Royal and clearly did not fit in with the other women surrounding her. She didn’t get along with them as much as they didn’t get along with her. This quote illustrates how she struggled to fit the model of what society considered to be a proper young woman.

“He was completely off his guard […] and forgot that a woman can sometimes listen and remember.”

Belle exploited the gendered perspective that her targets had of her. After flirting with them, thereby convincing them that she was not a threat, she could coax them into speaking openly to her about military secrets. This quotation sums up Belle’s strategy as a spy when she questioned Union General Shields.

“The major nodded, his brows sliding back into place; he believed her. She blew her nose and said she’d be glad to show him were Allen Hall had died, so long as he brough her a horse. The farm was a bit of a distance away, and she had not been feeling well.”

This quotation is evidence of how well Emma could play the part of the disguises she wore. In this instance, she made a mistake, tipping Major McKee off that she may not be who she claims to be; she quickly recovered, however, convincing him that she was an old Irish peddler woman. Emma was not only a convincing spy but also a woman sharp enough to lean into McKee’s expectation of Christian women. By indicating that she was trustworthy and not a threat, she got away with both military intelligence and a horse.

“She lifted her chin and spoke with a calm certainty: ‘The Bible states we must visit our enemies.’ […] She assured the man that she had charitable intentions to spare.”

This quote illustrates how Elizabeth maintained her façade of charity as she snuck communications into Libby Prison. She was often challenged by strangers, demanding to know her intentions and shaming her for not donating more to the rebel cause.

“She knew he was serious, especially as she would be required to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederate Government, but she trusted in God and in her own ingenuity to escape the dilemma. She would have to flee before being forced to declare her loyalty.”

In one instance, Emma was about to be conscripted into the Confederacy. She refused to enlist willingly, however, emphasizing her reluctance to take an oath. In this moment, Emma mirrored Rose Greenhow, as Emma also had to find a way to avoid taking an oath and being held accountable for it.

“On March 27th Jefferson Davis declared one of his numerous ‘fast days,’ in which he called upon the citizens of the Confederacy to attend Church and abstain from food and drink.”

This quotation adds context to the dire straits the Confederacy was facing at the time. By 1863, people were starving in Richmond, and Jefferson Davis’s response was to ask civilians to fast so that any food supplies could go to the army. The practice of fast days illustrates how the Confederacy prioritized the war over its citizens and the effectiveness of the Anaconda Plan.

“Soon she would no longer have even the war, those four ferocious, thrilling years that had raised her and given her a name.”

This quotation concerns Belle. As the war drew to a close, Belle struggled to find meaning. She was no longer able to spy on behalf of the Confederacy. The quote reminds the reader that Belle came of age during the Civil War. The majority of her adolescence was defined by the lead up to it, and as it ended, Belle felt bereft of meaning.

“She may have been the means of saving the lives of many soldiers […] a spy does save many lives.”

This quotation came from a neighbor of Emma’s who explained to curious children who Emma really was. The neighbor was also a veteran of the Civil War. The quotation illustrates how Emma was perceived by her fellow soldier. Instead of condemning Emma for dressing as a man and spying, the man celebrated Emma for her bravery and the lives she had saved.

“In the coming decade her crowds dwindled, even in the South; the people who had lived through the war were dead or dying off. She was destitute, often unable to pay for housing on the road […] She was a relic from the near past.”

Belle never fully adjusted to life after the war, and as decades passed, she lost her one lingering source of connection to it—her fame gained through performing her stories of the war. This quotation gives the reader a look into how fame and legacy affected Belle’s life as the world moved on around her.

“I tell you truly and solemnly I have suffered […] I have not one cent in the world…I am a woman and what is there open for a woman to do?”

This quotation is sourced from a letter written to Ulysses S. Grant from Elizabeth. This quotation is important because it summarizes the fate Elizabeth faced as she struggled to adapt to the post-war United States. It also illustrates the difficulty women had as society reinstituted strict gender roles, limiting the options women had access to.