Belle Boyd's was a Confederate spy in the American Civil War. She worked in her father's hotel in Virginia and provided valuable information to the Confederate general's
Stonewall Jackson and Turner Ashby. Turner Ashby was responsible for guarding fords and bridges across the Potomac River in Maryland. He assisted Maryland men to cross over into Virginia.She served the Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. Stone wall Jackson was one of the best know general's. His military career include the Valley Campaign. In the Valley Campaign he employed fearless, daring movements on the interior lines. Jackson's 17,000 men marched 646 miles in 48 days.
Belle's first spy career began by chance. Some soldiers broke into her home in Martinsburg, intention raising the U.S. flag over the house. One of the soldiers insulted her mother, Belle drew a pistol and killed him. In mid May 1862, General James Shield and his staff gathered in the parlor in her father's hotel. Belle hid upstairs. She was eavesdropping in the keyhole. She learned that Shields had been ordered to the east from Front Royal, that would reduce the Union Army's strength. That night she used false papers to get past the sentries. She reported the news to Turner Ashby. When the Confederates was advance to Front Royal she ran to greet General Stonewall Jackson's men, braving enemy fire that put holes in her skirt. She said to an officer to inform Jackson that "the Yankee force is very small. Tell him to charge right down and he will catch them all." Jackson did and wrote her a letter saying "I thank you, for myself and for the army, for the immense service that you have rendered your country today." She was awarded " The Southern Cross of Honor". This was to honor the officers, non commissioned officers, and privates for there valor in armed forces of the Confederate States. In 1862 Union officers suspected her spying and banished her further south in the Shenandoah. Just two months later she delivered information to Stonewall during his campaign in the Valley that help them win the battle against General Nathaniel Banks.The latter general made her a captain and honory aid-de-camp on his staff. In 1862 she got betrayed by her lover, she got arrested at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington. Later in June 1863 while she was on a visit in Martinsburg she got arrested again.
Myra Maybelle Shirley also commonly known as the “Bandit Queen” was born on February 5, 1848, on a farm near Carthage, Missouri. She was one of six children, but the only daughter of her farmer parents, John and Elizabeth Shirley. When her family moved into Carthage her father became a prosperous innkeeper and slave holder. Belle attended the Carthage Female Academy, where she excelled in reading, spelling, grammar, arithmetic, manner, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and developed a love for playing the piano. She later attended another private school named Cravens, where she further nurtured her love for music. At the start of the Civil War, her parents were southern sympathizers and supporters of Confederate troops in Missouri. Myra’s parents were apparently pleased, and were even more dedicated to supporting the Confederate cause when their oldest son, John, joined a squad of bushwhackers in bloody reprisals along the Missouri-Kansas border. Later that as a result of fighting for the Confederacy with William C. Quantrill's guerillas, John was killed by Union troops in Sarcoxie, Missouri. Many believe that his influence led Belle in the decision of her life’s direction. By 1864, after Carthage was burned, the family had migrated to Scyene, Texas, near Dallas, and again established a hotel and tavern. They soon had multiple intriguing visitors.
The Valley Campaign of the Shenandoah Valley of 23 March to 9 June 1862 saw the rise of the Confederate Major General (MG) Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The Shenandoah Valley campaign allowed for MG Jackson to incorporate the principles of maneuver, offensive and surprise operations (US Army Center of Military History, 2012) through the use of his cavalry and foot soldiers.
General William Techumseh Sherman’s March through Georgia and South Carolina was the turning point in the American Civil War. After heavy fighting in Tennessee and Kentucky General Sherman requested permission to take a large force of men on a campaign to the Atlantic Ocean through North and South Carolina, Georgia, then turning North back through the Carolinas and Virginia. The goal of the campaign was to divide the Confederate states by going through the middle of them and destroying anything of military value. General Sherman’s March did achieve its goal from a military standpoint but the manner his army accomplished its goal was ethically improper. Perhaps the most famous portion of Sherman’s March was his campaign from Atlanta to Savannah and then to Colombia, South Carolina.
Her espionage career continued when in 1862, a Union troop gathered in her local hotel. Boyd hid upstairs, eavesdropping through a hole on the floorboards where clandestine Union information was revealed. Late that night, Belle rode out acting and bluffing her way past the Union sentries and conveyed this information to Col. Turner Ashby, who was scouting for the Confederates.
McDowell’s opponent at Manassas was General Beauregard, commanding the 22,000 troops facing McDowell, while at the same time General Joseph Johnston commanded the Army of the Shenandoah with some 10,000 troops. When Beauregard determined that the Union forces were on the way toward Manassas, he asked for help, at which time the Confederate Government sent Johnston east via the “Manassas Gap Railroad,” to act as reinforcements for Beauregard. Their arrival at Manassas at a critical time turned the tide in favor of the South,...
In the middle of 1863, the Civil war is in full swing and is very close to halfway over, Jennie Wade was having a normal day in Gettysburg, where she would typically wake up make some bread or other food and then do some chores for the day. She was born sometime in May in 1843, in Gettysburg
While Burnside waited, Lee was positioning himself for the best way to attack. Lee also had help from Stonewall; Stonewall was positioned down stream on the Rappahannock River. Stonewall had two regiments by the creek and two regiments by the railroad. Lee also had help from General Longstreet, who was positioned by the Rappahannock River and the railroad. The position that Lee had set up was good because he was on higher ground looking down on the Union. Lee, with the major adv...
To confuse the confederate defenders commanded by General Pemberston, Grant sent Union cavalry men under the command of Benjamin Grierson to raid the Confederate interior. His raid was highly successful. He successfully crossed the state of Mississippi, destroying railroads and other materials, while avoiding his pursuers.
When the Civil War broke out, Barton chose to resign from her position in the US Patent Office. She started working on the battlefield as a volunteer. At first her basic job was to distribute bandages and war supplies to the wounded soldiers. Barton took her job to another extreme.
During the War Between the States there were two large-scale, decisive battles fought near the town of Manassas, Virginia. This will be a guided look at the second of those two occurring at the end of August in 1862. There were several great leaders from both sides of the war involved in the 2nd of Manassas, however I am going to focus on the attitudes, maneuvers, and decisions of the four primary generals; General Robert E. Lee, Major General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Major General John Pope, and Major General George B. McClellan, as it was these men who, ultimately, shaped the actions and outcome of the battle. Following the Seven Days Battle, Maj. Gen. McClellan’s armies were camped on the banks of the James River, 20 miles from Richmond1 (Debelius 1998) and Gen Lee had just taken control of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 12 (Hennessy 2005). Maj. Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson was a subordinate commander in the Army of Northern Virginia and Maj. Gen. Pope was inbound to “assist” Maj. Gen. McClellan in securing the area of Northern Virginia for the Union high command. This study will focus on the mind-sets, maneuvers, and decisions these men made throughout the course of the battle that led to the defeat of the Union forces under Maj. Gen. Pope’s leadership.
General Burnside’s “Campaign to Richmond” led the Army of the Potomac to the far side of the Rappahannock River, opposite of Fredericksburg, on the 19th of November 1862. Burnside envisioned pontoon boats stretching twice across the river to allow for a swift and continuous passage of his army. This is where Burnside’s problems began. The pontoon boats arrived several days later and Confederate scouts in the city were able to report the Army of the Potomac’s location. Within days, General Lee’s Rebel f...
At the head of this revival was the memory of Stonewall Jackson, closely followed by Robert E. Lee (who would rise to the prominent position following his death in 1870). Other generals of the Confederacy who had died during the war followed, as did those who would pass on later.
Famed Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s legacy is hardly easy to define. His is most remembered for cunning speed and brutality in battle and many consider him without equal. The same strategies Jackson used in the Shenandoah Valley campaign were scrutinized by both Rommel and Patton for inspiration in WWII. Jackson’s personal discipline carried over into his command. Although his men were often barefoot and near starvation, he pushed them forward into battle, not wishing to sacrifice the element of surprise. Many of his battles were actually waged on Sundays which contradicts Jackson’s steadfast devotion to Christianity that many attribute to fanaticism.
"With a rusted sword in one hand and a Confederate battle flag in the other,a grim-faced Stonewall Jackson desperately rallied his faltering troops. What Rebel worthy of the name could abandon ‘Old Jack’ in his hour of need?”- Robert C. Cheeks. Thomas J. Jackson was a modern day hero for the great impact he made on any man or women who met him. He was a leader who had many qualities. His death was a major setback to the Confederacy because not only was he courageous, he was brilliant, and most importantly his strong religious beliefs.
Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee are best known for their careers in leading the Confederate Army. Few people know anything about them beyond battles fought and wars lost. History is written by the victors, and the victors have essentially extinguished all perceived importance of these two fallen leaders. However, both were not only soldiers fighting for a lost cause, but also educators. Both taught many of those who would fight alongside and against them in the war that ripped the United States of America in half. While the two had similar backgrounds and military careers, their careers in education were vastly different.