"A historical account of wealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew, whose espionage for Abraham Lincoln and the Union helped win the Civil War"-- Provided by publisher

"Wealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew had it all. Money, charm, wit, the most elegant mansion in Richmond. So why risk everything to become a Union spy? The answer was simple: freedom. In this gripping Civil War history, Gerri Willis charts the making of a spymaster genius. Right in the heart of the Confederate capital, Elizabeth played the society lady while building a secret espionage network of slaves, Unionists, and prisoners of war. It would cost her almost everything. Flouting society's expectations for women, Elizabeth infiltrated prisons and defied public opinion. She met assassins, socialites, escape artists, and cross-dressing spies. From grave robbery to a bold voyage across enemy lines, Elizabeth's escapades only grew more daring. But it paid off. By the war's end, she had agents in both the Confederate War Department and the Richmond White House, and her couriers provided General Ulysses S. Grant with crucial daily intelligence for his final assault. With extensive and fresh research, Willis uncovers the Southern abolitionist heroine that the Lost Cause buried - in an unbelievable tale of one woman's courage, resistance, and liberation"-- Dust jacket