Southern Lady, Yankee Spy

The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Southern Lady, Yankee Spy by Elizabeth R. Varon, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Elizabeth R. Varon ISBN: 9780190286521
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: October 2, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Elizabeth R. Varon
ISBN: 9780190286521
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: October 2, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Northern sympathizer in the Confederate capital, daring spymaster, postwar politician: Elizabeth Van Lew was one of the most remarkable figures in American history, a woman who defied the conventions of the nineteenth-century South. In Southern Lady, Yankee Spy, historian Elizabeth Varon provides a gripping, richly researched account of the woman who led what one historian called "the most productive espionage operation of the Civil War." Under the nose of the Confederate government, Van Lew ran a spy ring that gathered intelligence, hampered the Southern war effort, and helped scores of Union soldiers to escape from Richmond prisons. Varon describes a woman who was very much a product of her time and place, yet continually took controversial stands--from her early efforts to free her family's slaves, to her daring wartime activities and beyond. Varon's powerful biography brings Van Lew to life, showing how she used the stereotypes of the day to confound Confederate authorities (who suspected her, but could not believe a proper Southern lady could be a spy), even as she brought together Union sympathizers at all levels of society, from slaves to slaveholders. After the war, a grateful President Ulysses S. Grant named her postmaster of Richmond--a remarkable break with custom for this politically influential post. But her Unionism, Republican politics, and outspoken support of racial justice earned her a lifetime of scorn in the former Confederate capital. Even today, Elizabeth Van Lew remains a controversial figure in her beloved Richmond, remembered as the "Crazy Bet" of Lost Cause propaganda. Elizabeth Varon's account rescues her from both derision and oblivion, depicting an intelligent, resourceful, highly principled woman who remained, as she saw it, true to her country to the end.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Northern sympathizer in the Confederate capital, daring spymaster, postwar politician: Elizabeth Van Lew was one of the most remarkable figures in American history, a woman who defied the conventions of the nineteenth-century South. In Southern Lady, Yankee Spy, historian Elizabeth Varon provides a gripping, richly researched account of the woman who led what one historian called "the most productive espionage operation of the Civil War." Under the nose of the Confederate government, Van Lew ran a spy ring that gathered intelligence, hampered the Southern war effort, and helped scores of Union soldiers to escape from Richmond prisons. Varon describes a woman who was very much a product of her time and place, yet continually took controversial stands--from her early efforts to free her family's slaves, to her daring wartime activities and beyond. Varon's powerful biography brings Van Lew to life, showing how she used the stereotypes of the day to confound Confederate authorities (who suspected her, but could not believe a proper Southern lady could be a spy), even as she brought together Union sympathizers at all levels of society, from slaves to slaveholders. After the war, a grateful President Ulysses S. Grant named her postmaster of Richmond--a remarkable break with custom for this politically influential post. But her Unionism, Republican politics, and outspoken support of racial justice earned her a lifetime of scorn in the former Confederate capital. Even today, Elizabeth Van Lew remains a controversial figure in her beloved Richmond, remembered as the "Crazy Bet" of Lost Cause propaganda. Elizabeth Varon's account rescues her from both derision and oblivion, depicting an intelligent, resourceful, highly principled woman who remained, as she saw it, true to her country to the end.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Recording on a Budget by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book The Heart of Grief by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Malcolm X at Oxford Union by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Awakening Children's Minds by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book The Confessions of an English Opium-Eater: And Other Writings by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Power from Powerlessness by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Romance's Rival by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Global Intelligence Oversight by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Mayo Clinic Body MRI Case Review by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book DSM-5® and the Law by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Pediatric Palliative Care by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Prove It On Me by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book McWhinney's Textbook of Family Medicine by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Citizens of Discord by Elizabeth R. Varon
Cover of the book Acute and Emergent Events in Sleep Disorders by Elizabeth R. Varon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy