"Here is a lively account of an interesting and relatively little known aspect of the Civil War. The women whose exploits are documented in these pages were dedicated, shrewd and highly courageous; and the fact that there were women in those days of the 'helpless female' who made real contributions to the war effort is an extremely timely issue in itself. It is interesting to note that the courtly manners of the day turned out to be very useful to the woman spies: 'The average man was loath to go on record as being harsh in his treatment of women. Even the roughest and crudest of men were obligated to treat their women-folk with an acceptable standard of conduct ... ' The accounts are well written, authentic, and consistently hold the reader's interest. Aside from interest in each separate episode, the material as a whole gives a colorful portrait of the war era, appealing in the relative unsophistication of spying techniques and in the opportunities for intense, highly productive commitment to a national cause on the part of anyone with motivation and intelligence to take advantage of them"--Jacket.