Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy

Emma’s need to make a difference isn’t limited to battlefield heroics or espionage. She’s equally adept at caring for the injured and dying. For that reason, hospitals feature prominently in the story. After enlisting as a private, Emma’s first assignment is as a male nurse in a military hospital. Whereas society traditionally keeps female nurses far from the battle lines, Emma’s male attire allows her to remain in the thick of the action. When she receives a special assignment as a spy, she manages to slip back to the hospital tent and fool the doctor in charge, who doesn’t recognize her in her Cuff disguise.

When she’s not working as a spy, Emma continues caring for the injured. For example, when the Union grants her a two-week furlough in Williamsburg, she finds military hospitals in town where she can volunteer. Significantly, Emma cares for both Union and Confederate soldiers. Despite her fervent support for the Union cause, she’s keen to minimize the suffering of soldiers on either side of the conflict.

Hospitals also prove to be Emma’s undoing. After she contracts malaria, she’s afraid to risk going to a military hospital for treatment and thereby revealing her identity as a woman. Instead, she flees to Illinois, where no one will recognize her. The consequence is that the Union brands her male persona, Franklin Thompson, a deserter. Unable to correct the situation while the war is still raging, Emma turns her attention to doing what she can from the sidelines. She takes a job at a hospital in Washington until the war ends. Her military career begins and ends in a hospital.