Behind Rebel Lines
"The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy"
written by Seymour Reit
130 pages
originally published in 1988 (re-published since then)
A person requires much courage if they are going to become a soldier.
It took a woman of great courage & bravery to freely decide to join the Union army of the Civil War.
Although most people didn't know at the time, several women (at least 400) joined the army undercover during the Civil War, and no one ever suspected it. At the age of 21, that is what Emma Edmonds, a Canadian-born, did. This book fictionalizes her true story. Emma Edmonds enlisted under the name of Franklin Thompson, but it didn't stop there. The journey of her first alias led her into becoming a reliable spy for the Union. She created new characters for herself on almost every mission the army sent her on, so that her old characters wouldn't be recognized by the Rebel army.
Bridget O'Shea, Irish peddler.
Cuff, freed slave.
Charles Mayberry, detective.
Those are just a few of her undercover names & disguises. The lengths Emma went to in order to keep her true identity a secret for years from either army... Amazing.
Behind Rebel Lines is one author's account of how the real Emma Edmond's story came to be. It is a simple, easy book to read, but I won't be forgetting what I learned.
Recommended for ages 8-12, and up.
