Tells the stories of women who acted as spies, as daughters of the regiments, or, disguised, as male soldiers during the Civil War, discussing why they chose nontraditional ways to help the cause, and providing a portrait of the lives of women in the nineteenth century.

"First published in the United States of America by W.W. Norton and Company, 1999"--T.p. verso.

The ladies were terrific : a handful of Civil War women spies -- The women are the worst of all : the broad scope of female espionage and resistance during the Civil War -- Half-soldier heroine : a handful of Civil War women and their predecessors -- As brave as a lion and as pretty as a lamb : more Civil War women, real and fictional -- The beardless boy was a universal favorite : Deborah Sampson and a handful of Civil War women soldiers -- To "Don the breeches, and slay them with a will!" : a host of women soldiers -- A devoted worker for her cause : the question of motivation.