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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at into History.com. It's July 29th, 1862, at a mansion in Front Royal, Virginia.

The American Civil War is underway, and the city that once was a Confederate stronghold is now swarming with Union troops.

18-year-old Bell Boyd rushes down the hall of the mansion toward her bedroom.

She's wearing a long dress, a soldier's belt around her waist,

in a bandana decorated with Confederate stars.

Closing herself in her room, she snatches a piece of paper from her desk.

As fast as she can, Bell scribbles a note.

It's to a Confederate commander whose men are hiding in the foothills surrounding Front Royal. The note explains that Union troops are

gathering strength to attack. Bell has been waiting for the right moment to send the note,

but now she's run out of time. Union soldiers are on their way to Bell's house. So once she

finishes writing it, she hands the note to her enslaved maid who hides it inside a book and

promises to deliver it as soon as she can.

But just at that moment, Bell's butler arrives at her bedroom door,

telling her that a union officer wants to see her downstairs.

Bell descends the stairs with caution. Then in the parlor, she finds a stern-looking

soldier who smells like he hasn't bathed in weeks. Bell greets the officer with a smile, but before she can attempt to charm him, he seizes her by the arm and informs Bell that she's under arrest for espionage and will be escorted directly to Washington, D.C. Bell struggles to break free from the officer's

grasp, but his grip is tight and he manages to get her outside and into a waiting carriage.

The officer then slams a carriage door shut and directs the driver to take

Bell to the capital prison.

...