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The Spy Who Changed the Civil War: The Untold Story of the Southern Belle Who Defied the Confederacy and Risked Everything to End Slavery
Wealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew lived in a grand mansion in the heart of Richmond-the capital of the Confederacy. She hosted the city's elite, dressed in silks, and poured tea for neighbors who spoke of loyalty to the South and the righteousness of slavery.
But behind her lace-curtained windows, Elizabeth was living a lie.
She was building a secret. One that could-and ultimately did-help bring down the very society that raised her.
Driven by a fierce belief in human dignity, Elizabeth risked everything to become one of the Union's most daring and effective spies. While Richmond burned with rebellion, she organized a covert network of outcasts, enslaved people, Union sympathizers, and escaped prisoners. She posed as mad to throw off suspicion, sent coded messages in invisible ink, and ran secret operations beneath the noses of Confederate officials who dined just blocks from her home.
Her enemies called her "Crazy Bet." But the truth was far more dangerous.
This is a story of breathtaking bravery, fierce conviction, and remarkable intellect. Inside these pages, readers meet a cast of unforgettable figures, including:
Mary Bowser, a formerly enslaved woman and undercover agent inside the Confederate White House
Thomas McNiven, the butcher who carried coded messages in raw meat
General Ulysses S. Grant, who came to rely on her daily intelligence dispatches
Rose O'Neal Greenhow, the glamorous Washington socialite who played the opposite side of the espionage game
And John Wilkes Booth, whose path ominously crossed the shadows Elizabeth inhabited
From daring prison rescues to narrow escapes through enemy territory, Elizabeth's secret war changed the course of American history. Her network reached deep into the heart of Confederate power, helping to pave the way for Union victory and emancipation.
But her triumph came at a cost.
Shunned by her neighbors and left penniless after the war, Elizabeth never sought recognition. Her work was buried by time, her name nearly forgotten-until now.
The Spy Who Changed the Civil War is the riveting, true account of a woman who stood alone in defiance of a system built on oppression. With rich historical detail, cinematic storytelling, and powerful emotion, this book finally restores Elizabeth Van Lew to her rightful place: not as a footnote, but as a patriot, a warrior, and a visionary.
She didn't just spy for the Union.
She spied for freedom.
Book Details
- Publisher: Independently Published
- Publish Date: Jun 15th, 2025
- Pages: 104
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 9.00in - 6.00in - 0.22in - 0.33lb
- EAN: 9798288200946
- Categories: • Memoirs