Belle Boyd
Confederate spy Belle Boyd. Courtesy of the Library
of Congress.
of Congress.
Born in 1843, Maria Isabella ("Belle") Boyd was known for her beauty and charm. A tomboyish childhood meant that despite her ladylike exterior, she knew how to ride a horse and shoot a gun. When she was in a hurry to deliver information or felt she was in danger-or that she was being insulted-she had the ability to move fast and defend herself.
At some points her hometown was occupied by federal troops. And it was here that she began her infamous career working against the Union. She shot a Northern soldier after he allegedly insulted her mother in her home near Martinsburg, Virginia. When she began delivering information to Confederate commanders, she did not use a cipher at first and was captured several times. For the most part, she was not jailed long before she was released again and returned to her espionage.
Information about the strength of Yankee troops that Boyd brought to Stonewall Jackson as he defended the Shenandoah Valley from further Union intrusion is said to have helped the Confederates win an important victory. Jackson later sent her news of his gratitude for her aid and the important information she reported to him. Her beauty allowed her to charm men and encourage them to leak information. She also eavesdropped on war councils held in her aunt's hotel and other buildings in her town.
She was jailed in the Old Capitol prison for a while, where she was treated rather cruelly by Union guards who constantly taunted her and sneered at her predicament. With her usual spunk, she replied high-spiritedly and mocked them right back. By the time of her departure, she had gained many peoples' respect.
Her exploits soon became famous, and she was hailed in the Confederacy as a hero. She decided later that she should deliver Confederate dispatches to supporters in England. Although the blockade runner she was aboard (the Greyhound) was captured by a Union ship, she married one of the Northern sailors, Samuel Harding. They were later married in England, but they were torn apart by his early death.
After the war Boyd took up a theatrical career and toured England and America performing plays about her spy career. She supplemented her income by giving lectures at veterans' gatherings. She married twice more and had three children before she died in 1900 of a heart attack. The best known of all female Civil War spies, Boyd was infamous in the North and admired in the South. Even today, many people remember and honor her courage.
At some points her hometown was occupied by federal troops. And it was here that she began her infamous career working against the Union. She shot a Northern soldier after he allegedly insulted her mother in her home near Martinsburg, Virginia. When she began delivering information to Confederate commanders, she did not use a cipher at first and was captured several times. For the most part, she was not jailed long before she was released again and returned to her espionage.
Information about the strength of Yankee troops that Boyd brought to Stonewall Jackson as he defended the Shenandoah Valley from further Union intrusion is said to have helped the Confederates win an important victory. Jackson later sent her news of his gratitude for her aid and the important information she reported to him. Her beauty allowed her to charm men and encourage them to leak information. She also eavesdropped on war councils held in her aunt's hotel and other buildings in her town.
She was jailed in the Old Capitol prison for a while, where she was treated rather cruelly by Union guards who constantly taunted her and sneered at her predicament. With her usual spunk, she replied high-spiritedly and mocked them right back. By the time of her departure, she had gained many peoples' respect.
Her exploits soon became famous, and she was hailed in the Confederacy as a hero. She decided later that she should deliver Confederate dispatches to supporters in England. Although the blockade runner she was aboard (the Greyhound) was captured by a Union ship, she married one of the Northern sailors, Samuel Harding. They were later married in England, but they were torn apart by his early death.
After the war Boyd took up a theatrical career and toured England and America performing plays about her spy career. She supplemented her income by giving lectures at veterans' gatherings. She married twice more and had three children before she died in 1900 of a heart attack. The best known of all female Civil War spies, Boyd was infamous in the North and admired in the South. Even today, many people remember and honor her courage.