Maria Isabella "Belle" Boyd was one of those women for the South or as we know it - the Confederate States of America. Miss Belle served the Confederacy as a Confederate spy and went to great extremes to deliver information to General Stonewall Jackson. Interestingly, she began spying as a teenager at seventeen.

First published in 1865, Belle Boyd's memoir of her experiences as a Confederate spy has stood the test of time. Belle first gained notoriety when she killed a Union soldier in her home in 1861. During the Federal occupations of the Shenandoah Valley, she mingled with the servicemen and, using her feminine wiles, obtained useful information for the Rebel cause. In this new edition, Sharon Kennedy-Nolle and Drew Gilpin Faust consider the domestic side of the Civil War and assess the value of Boyd's memoir for social and literary historians. 200 pp. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

At age 17 Belle Boyd shot and killed a Union soldier; at age 19 she was in a Union prison, a Confederate spy who got caught. A spunky West Virginia girl full of charm and with a zest for adventure, Belle worked among the highest-ranking officers and lowliest foot soldiers of the Civil War with an indomitable spirit that defied Union authority.As a spy Belle Boyd was amateurish, yet she managed to confuse Union officers and convey useful information to Southern military leaders. Southern newspapers dubbed her Joan of Arc of the South, Siren of the Shenandoah, and Cleopatra of the Secession, while Northern reporters referred to her as camp follower, the most overrated spy, and insincere courtesan. French newspapers, meanwhile, reported the exploits of La Belle Rebelle.Like many historical figures, Belle Boyd may appear in retrospect larger than life, but in this delightful biography her life is portrayed within the limits of its actual dimensions.