Born 1843 or 1844
Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia)
Died 1900
Kilborn, Wisconsin
Confederate spy known as
"Cleopatra of the Secession"
Belle Boyd was a daring and flamboyant young woman who enjoyed the thrill of spying for the Confederacy.
Belle Boyd. (Reproduced by permission of Corbis-Bettmann.)
Belle Boyd. (Reproduced by permission of Corbis-Bettmann.)
Belle Boyd was one of the most famous Confederate spies of the Civil War, but not necessarily one of the most successful. She carried information to Confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (1824–1863; see entry) that helped him win battles in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley in 1862. But Boyd loved the thrills of spying and basked in the attention she received as a spy. As a result, she became less...
Source: American Civil War: Biographies, ©2000 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 1506 words.)
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