Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for July 18–24
American History
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By Gerri Willis
Elizabeth Van Lew, a Southern belle, was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Wealthy, well-connected, and charming, she utterly opposed slavery. When Virginia seceded, she support
ed the Union. Hiding any outward signs of Union sympathy, she provided the North secret support. She helped Union POWs escape North and eventually became a spy. T
his book tells her
powerful story, and the story of the escape and espionage ring she ran from Richmond. It shows what one determined person can accomplish.
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