Sarah Emma Edmonds Was a Great Pretender: The True Story of a Civil War Spy

Great things can come from games of make-believe. As a girl, Sarah Edmonds practiced at being what her father wanted most: a boy. This skill later served her (and the Union army) well when she joined ranks as a male nurse. “What part am I to act in this great drama?” Edmonds asked upon hearing that President Lincoln needed troops and refusing to accept that she couldn’t contribute. After a friend was killed in battle, Edmonds upped the ante and became a Union spy, sneaking behind Confederate lines to relay their strategies to the north. She recorded her exciting story in a book before she died. Ages seven to ten.

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