{"product_id":"lincolns-lady-spymaster-the-untold-story-of-the-abolitionist-southern-belle-who-helped-win-the-civil-war-isbn-9780063333659","title":"Lincoln’s Lady Spymaster: The Untold Story of the Abolitionist Southern Belle Who Helped Win the Civil War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAN INSTANT\u003ci\u003e NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn this gripping Civil War history, Fox Business's Gerri Willis charts the making of a spymaster genius.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew had it all. Money, charm, wit—the most elegant mansion in Richmond. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSo why risk everything to become a Union spy? \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe answer was simple: freedom. Right in the heart of the Confederate capital, Elizabeth played the society lady while building a secret espionage network—the Richmond spy ring—of slaves, Unionists, and prisoners of war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt would cost her almost everything. Flouting society’s expectations for women in the Civil War, Elizabeth infiltrated prisons and defied public opinion. Her story is filled with vivid personalities, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAssassin John Wilkes Booth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWashington socialite and Southern spy Rose Greenhow\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrison escape artist Thomas Rose\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCavalry hero Ulrich Dahlgren\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlack spy Mary Bowser who infiltrated the Confederate White House\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom grave robbery to a bold voyage across enemy lines, Elizabeth’s escapades only grew more daring. But it paid off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this meticulously researched biography, Gerri Willis uncovers the Southern abolitionist heroine that the Lost Cause buried—an unbelievable tale of one woman’s courage, resistance, and liberation. Heartfelt, thrilling, and inspiring, this work of women's history, \u003ci\u003eLincoln’s Lady Spymaster\u003c\/i\u003e, restores a forgotten hero to her rightful place as an American icon.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eGerri Willis’ masterful \u003cem\u003eLincoln’s Lady Spymaster\u003c\/em\u003e will have you glued to the incredible true story of Elizabeth Van Lew, the Southern belle turned Union spy. If you thought you knew the most interesting stories of the American Civil War, you didn’t—until now. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eArthur C. Brooks, #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Strength to Strength\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAntebellum hoop skirts and coming-out parties juxtaposed with the dark scenes—down the street, families inspected and sold by slave traders. Gerri Willis takes us deep inside the history of the Civil War through the eyes of Elizabeth Van Lew, genteel but fierce, whose life takes an irresistible and dangerous turn as ‘Lincoln’s lady spymaster.’ It is shocking that this story—as captivating as it is historically consequential—was under wraps in the archives for so long. Elizabeth is not unlike Gerri in her courage and tenacity, and she seems to have chosen Willis personally to tell us her story. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMartha MacCallum, New York Times bestselling author of Unknown Valor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuckle up! Espionage, courage, and resilience are all woven into this true-life history of forgotten Civil War spy, Elizabeth Van Lew. Gerri Willis takes us on an emotional adventure as she recounts the details of this fascinating woman's life and career. Elizabeth risked it all to change the course of history, and every American should know her story.  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlison Levine, New York Times bestselling author of On the Edge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJust when we thought the American Civil War had little new to offer, along comes \u003cem\u003eLincoln’s Lady Spymaster\u003c\/em\u003e by Gerri Willis, a masterful study of Elizabeth Van Lew, a loyal Southerner who operated a highly successful Union intelligence network right under the nose of the Confederate government in Richmond. With a keen eye for historical detail, Willis spins a yarn with enough real-life colorful characters and cloak-and-dagger twists to make even Ian Fleming blush. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWilliam B. Feis, author of Grant’s Secret Service\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWillis draws on Van Lew’s published diary, a biography of Van Lew, and biographies of Civil War figures to create a brisk, well-populated chronicle of her subject’s perilous work. A fresh look at Civil War history. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48588018417893,"sku":"NP9780063333659","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063333659.jpg?v=1773960557","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/lincolns-lady-spymaster-the-untold-story-of-the-abolitionist-southern-belle-who-helped-win-the-civil-war-isbn-9780063333659","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}