Many of us have never heard of Elizabeth Van Lew, but her efforts on behalf of the Union during the Civil War were so significant that she was posthumously inducted into the military intelligence Hall of Fame. Born in Virginia, to aristocratic slave-owners and educated in Pennsylvania, Richmond native Lizzie was appalled when Virginia seceded from the Union to join the Confederacy. She used the idea of Christian charity to try and care for Union prisoners in notorious Libby Prison and created a network of people also dedicated to the Union cause to provide intelligence to the North, despite the danger and costs, both financially and emotionally.
This author does a great job focusing on women throughout history, who should be better known.