Belle BoydAt age 17 Belle Boyd shot and killed a Union soldier; at age 19 she was in a Union prison, a Confederate spy who got caught. A spunky West Virginia girl full of charm and with a zest for adventure, Belle worked among the highest-ranking officers and lowliest foot soldiers of the Civil War with an indomitable spirit that defied Union authority.As a spy Belle Boyd was amateurish, yet she managed to confuse Union officers and convey useful information to Southern military leaders. Southern newspapers dubbed her Joan of Arc of the South, Siren of the Shenandoah, and Cleopatra of the Secession, while Northern reporters referred to her as camp follower, the most overrated spy, and insincere courtesan. French newspapers, meanwhile, reported the exploits of La Belle Rebelle.Like many historical figures, Belle Boyd may appear in retrospect larger than life, but in this delightful biography her life is portrayed within the limits of its actual dimensions. |
Contents
| 3 | |
| 11 | |
| 18 | |
| 23 | |
The Quiet Winter of 1861 Winter 1861Spring 1862 | 28 |
A Restless Springtime 1862 | 31 |
Ho Place to Hide Spring 1862 | 33 |
Captain K and a midnight Ride May 1862 | 37 |
Double Jeopardy MayLate Summer 1863 | 106 |
Carroll Prison Late SummerDecember 1863 | 112 |
Beauty and the Beast 15 December 1863 | 120 |
Child of the Confederacy 5 December 186328 March 1864 | 124 |
A Captive | 129 |
Capture at Sea 29 March10 May 1864 | 131 |
Romance 1015 May 1864 | 139 |
New York and Boston 1531 May 1864 | 144 |
The Heroine of Front Royal | 41 |
Lieutenant H May 1862 | 43 |
The Battle of Front Royal 2324 May 1862 | 48 |
The Rebel Spy at Bay 1862 | 57 |
He Aint No Secesh 24 May29 July 1862 | 59 |
A Prisoner 3031 July 1862 | 63 |
The Old Capitol Prison 31 July 1862 | 71 |
Prison Snapshots 128 August 1862 | 76 |
You Are Going to Dixie Tomorrow 28 August1 September 1862 | 85 |
Riding High 18621864 | 89 |
Capital of the Confederacy 2 September 1862 | 91 |
Winter in Knoxville Autumn 1862Spring 1863 | 96 |
A Tour A Death and A Homecoming Spring 1863 | 101 |
Freedom 1864 | 153 |
The Exile JuneAugust 1864 | 155 |
To Have and to Hold 25 August22 September 1864 | 159 |
Traqedy and a New Beqinninq 18641900 | 165 |
Until Death Do Us Part 26 August 1864April 1865 | 167 |
Belles Letter lo Abraham Lincoln 24 January 1865 | 172 |
Window mother Author August 1864December 1866 | 177 |
Epilogue January 186713 June 1900 | 180 |
Notes | 183 |
Bibliography | 198 |
| 205 | |
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Common terms and phrases
American arrested arrived Ashby Baltimore Based on Belle Battle became Belle Boyd Belle's Belle's father Berkeley County Boyd Barton Boyd family Boyd in Camp Boyd's Butler Camp and Prison Captain H Captain Henry Carroll Prison cavalry Chapter Colonel command Commodore Confederacy Confederate Spy Cridge Curtis Carroll Davis daughter door Eliza enemy escort Federal Fort Delaware Fortress Monroe friends Front Royal girls Glenn Burnie Greyhound Hardinge Hardinge's Harpers Ferry Harry Gilmor husband Ibid imprisonment James Knoxville lady letter Lieutenant H Lincoln Manassas Marshal Martinsburg Mary Boyd Maryland Miss Belle Boyd morning mother night North Northern officer Old Capitol Prison passed Potomac Rebel Spy released Richmond riding sent sentry Shenandoah Valley Sigaud soldiers soon South Southern Stanton Stonewall Jackson street Strickler House Superintendent Wood town troops Turner Ashby Union Washington watched West Virginia William Winchester woman Yankee York young
Popular passages
Page 9 - John Brown's body lies amouldering in the grave, But his soul goes marching on.
Page 8 - Washington is so well known to English people that I need not pause to describe the city, its gaities and pleasures. In the winter of 1860-1, when I made my first acquaintance with it, the season was pre-eminently brilliant. The Senate and Congress halls were nightly dignified by the presence of our ablest orators and statesmen ; the salons of the wealthy and the talented were filled to overflowing; the theatres were crowded to excess, and for the last time for many years to come the daughters of...