Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War

Gender roles during wartime tend to become somewhat relaxed. As men leave home to fight, women are left to take over the roles traditionally reserved for men. The Civil War was no exception. In the 19th century, men and women both faced intense pressure to fulfill gender norms. But as the war progressed, people had to adapt to newly arising needs, which often necessitated bending, blurring, and breaking societally imposed expectations of gender. Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy introduces Belle Boyd, Emma Edmonson, Rose Greenhow, and Elizabeth Van Lew, all women who acted outside of traditional gender roles and otherwise leveraged gender and societal expectations to achieve their goals.

In some ways, the women of the novel broke gender norms entirely, adopting masculine behavior and even personas as a way of seizing autonomy and power. Belle often dressed in a mix of a Confederate soldier’s uniform and women’s clothing, sometimes posing as a man to cross Union lines. She would also ride astride her horse instead of side saddle, which, at the time, was considered quite unladylike; under different circumstances, such behavior would have drawn much harsher consequences than mere scandal. Emma, presenting as a man, fought valiantly as a soldier, quickly surpassing many of her comrades during training when it came to handling a rifle.