Lincolns Lady Spymaster: The Untold Story of the Abolitionist Southern Belle Who Helped Win the Civil War

(Hardback)

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A thrilling, cinematic saga of a Southern belle whose espionage for Abraham Lincoln and the Union helped win the Civil War.

Wealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew had it all. Money, charm, witthe biggest mansion in Richmond. So why risk everything to become the Civil Wars most productive Union spy

The answer was simple: freedom. In this gripping history of a secret espionage genius, Gerri Willis reveals how Elizabeth built a flourishing spy network in the heart of the Confederate Capitol. Flouting societys expectations for women, Elizabeth infiltrated prisons, defied public opinion, and recruited an underground movement of freed slaves, secret Unionists, and brave captives.

Putting her straitlaced Victorian past behind her, Elizabeth encountered vivid charactersassassins, socialites, escape artists, andcross-dressing spies. From grave robbery to a bold voyage across enemy lines, her escapades grew more and more daring. It paid off. Her agents were so well-placed that she had spies gathering information in both the Confederate War Department and the Richmond White House, and couriers providing General Ulysses S. Grant with crucial, daily intelligence for the wars final assault.

Deeply researched and rich with detail, Lincolns Lady Spymaster is a remarkable true story of courage, ingenuity, and resistance. Gerri Willis pulls back the curtain on one of the most fearless heroes of the Civil War, restoring her to her rightful place as an American icon.

Author Bio

Gerri Willis is a correspondent and anchor for Fox Business, appearing frequently on Fox News and hosting the Real Tough Women series on Fox Nation and the The Fearless & Proud podcast on Fox Radio. Her daily show The Willis Report aired for five years. Prior to working at Fox, she hosted a weekly financial show for CNN. She is an award-winning financial news magazine writer and a Columbia University Knight Bagehot Fellow. A breast cancer survivor, she is also a recipient of the Susan G. Komen Image Award. She lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband, David Evans, and their poodle puppy, Rufus.