Sepia Saturday: A Real-Life Spy
Not that I'm endorsing spying, you understand,
but somehow I think of spying in wartime
as a guy thing.
So it was intriguing to find these old images
of Belle Boyd, Confederate Spy,
in the Library of Congress Photo Collection
(images from the Brady-Handy Studio in
Washington, D.C.).
She gathered intelligence for the South
from her father's hotel in Front Royal, Virginia.
Her information proved so valuable
to General "Stonewall" Jackson
during the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley
that he commissioned her as a Captain
and aide-de-camp on his staff.
She was eventually betrayed by her lover
in summer 1862 and imprisoned for a month
in the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
She was then part of a prisoner exchange
and was released.
She, undaunted, continued her spy career.
She was arrested again in June 1863.
She was released from prison on December 1, 1863
suffering from typhoid and went to Europe
to regain her health.
While in England, she had a career on the stage
and when she came back to the U.S.,
she had a go at the speaking circuit.
She died in Wisconsin in 1900
while on a speaking tour.
For more biographical information
click HERE.
Comments
Liking this new blog. How will I keep up with so many?
Kat
QMM
i just want the dresses
:)~
HUGZ