Behind Reble Lines

Behind Rebel Lines by Seymour Reit
I ordered and read this book because my son wants to be a spy, and because I am trying to read things that I can talk about with him. The first page of the book told me that I would enjoy this true story.
The book is about a woman named Emma who feels called to help in the civil war. She realizes that she could help in the way the other women are like sewing sew bandages, and writing letters for those who are too sick, but she wants to do more. She calls the voice inside of her that keeps telling her to do dangerous things her "imp" voice. It had been with her all of her life, sometimes daring her to climb tall trees, or ride the fastest horses, and now the "imp" voice is telling her to join the war on the Union side. She was a believer in what the Union side stood for and wanted to help but the only way she could join would be to dress as a man because women were not allowed to be soldiers at this time. Emma dresses as a man, becomes enlisted, and does amazing things for the Union. She goes on spy missions dressed as a black person named Cuff, as a washerwoman, a black woman slave, and a handsome man-about-town. She does well on all of these, and does much to help the Union cause. She was a very brave, smart, and daring woman.
I was surprised at how much information I gleaned from this book. The way that I was schooled inadvertantly taught me how to 'cram' information for tests and then promptly forget everything. The information in Behind Rebel Lines stuck out to me. I recognized names like "Stonewall" Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses Grant. I had not realized that these names were at the same time period as Abraham Lincoln, or that they were even "real" people. I am anxious to learn more history through classics because the people come alive and make a difference in my education.-Elisa