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Spy
Women of the American Civil War Mini Unit Study
During the American Civil War, it was necessary to obtain data
on the strength and position of the enemy. Spies did the necessary
work of getting this information and relaying it back to their
side for use in battle planning. Information provided by spies
could change the outcome of a battle, postpone it, or even save
lives.
Unlike a Civil War soldier, a spy could be female. The Civil War
had female spies on each side of the war. Elizabeth Van Lew and
Harriet Tubman were two such spies for the Union, while the Confederacy
used the services of Rose O’Neal Greenhow and Belle Boyd,
among others. Women were often ideal as spies because many men
viewed women as too weak, fragile, or even stupid to be a spy.
Most men would never believe that a woman was capable of such
a risky job.
In this mini unit, you can: read about the role of women spies
in the Civil War and the valuable information they collected,
learn about the lives and exploits of four female Civil War spies
who worked on behalf of both the Union and the Confederacy and
try your hand at spy games with a spy code game and by creating
your own cipher disk.
Reading
Civil
War Spies: Good Intel Knows No Gender
Clandestine
Women: Spies in America History (Civil War)
Biographies
Elizabeth
Van Lew (Union Spy)
Harriet
Tubman (Union Spy)
Rose
O'Neal Greenhow (Confederate Spy)
Samples
of Rose O’Neal Greenhow’s letters
Belle
Boyd (Confederate Spy)
Fun
and Activities
Crack
the Spy Code!
Make and Use Your Own
Cipher Disk (two PDF files)
File
1
File
2
Recommended
Resource
Petticoat Spies: Six Women Spies of the Civil War
This book covers a fascinating aspect of the war. Sarah Emma Edmonds,
disguised as Franklin Thompson, volunteered as a nurse and then
became a Federal spy who traveled into the South on numerous missions,
using a variety of disguises. Belle Boyd was a well-educated debutante
who became a Confederate operative.
Caravantes dedicates about 15 pages to each individual, focusing
on her clandestine activities but also touching on her life before
and after the war. A black-and-white photo or illustration of each
figure completes this readable book. (School Library Journal)
Book (Library Binding)
Authors: Peggy Caravantes
Amazon Price: $24.95
Read
more about the book on Amazon
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