Belle Boyd Research Paper
Maria Isabella “Belle” Boyd was born on May 9, 1844. Boyd grew up in Martinsburg, Virginia with her very Southern family. Boyd was destined to become a Confederate spy because many of her other family members were accused of being Confederate spies. Her father was a shoe keeper, but during the Civil War, he was a soldier in Stonewall Brigade.
On July 4, Boyd killed a Union soldier who made fun of herself and her mother. This event is considered what began her career as a spy at age 17. In 1862, to the Union Army, she was known as “La Belle Rebelle.” The New York Tribune said that her attire was “a gold palmetto tree beneath her beautiful chin, a Rebel’s soldier’s belt around her waist, and a velvet band across her forehead with seven stars …show more content…
She was released, then was arrested again in July 1863. Whilst in prison, she sang Dixie and waved the Confederate flag. In December of 1863, she was banished to the South. On May 8, 1864, she traveled to England, but got arrested as a Confederate courier. Boyd made her way to Canada with the help of Lieutenant Same Hardinge, and then they sailed to England and got married on August 25, 1864.
In England, she became a performer. When returning to America, she was a widow. She had to take care of her children on her own. In 1869, Boyd married John Swainston Hammond who had fought in the Union Army. They divorced in December 1884 after 16 years of marriage and four children. Two months after the divorce, she married Nathaniel High, an actor as well. On June 11, 19oo while on tour in Kilbourn, Wisconsin, Maria Isabella “Belle” Boyd passed away at 56. She died in poverty. She died of a heart attack, leaving her children and husband behind. She was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Wisconsin.
Maria Isabella “Belle” Boyd left this world with Many nicknames: Cleopatra of the Secession, the Rebel Spy, the Siren of the Shenandoah, the Rebel Joan of Arc, and Amazon of
On July 4, Boyd killed a Union soldier who made fun of herself and her mother. This event is considered what began her career as a spy at age 17. In 1862, to the Union Army, she was known as “La Belle Rebelle.” The New York Tribune said that her attire was “a gold palmetto tree beneath her beautiful chin, a Rebel’s soldier’s belt around her waist, and a velvet band across her forehead with seven stars …show more content…
She was released, then was arrested again in July 1863. Whilst in prison, she sang Dixie and waved the Confederate flag. In December of 1863, she was banished to the South. On May 8, 1864, she traveled to England, but got arrested as a Confederate courier. Boyd made her way to Canada with the help of Lieutenant Same Hardinge, and then they sailed to England and got married on August 25, 1864.
In England, she became a performer. When returning to America, she was a widow. She had to take care of her children on her own. In 1869, Boyd married John Swainston Hammond who had fought in the Union Army. They divorced in December 1884 after 16 years of marriage and four children. Two months after the divorce, she married Nathaniel High, an actor as well. On June 11, 19oo while on tour in Kilbourn, Wisconsin, Maria Isabella “Belle” Boyd passed away at 56. She died in poverty. She died of a heart attack, leaving her children and husband behind. She was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Wisconsin.
Maria Isabella “Belle” Boyd left this world with Many nicknames: Cleopatra of the Secession, the Rebel Spy, the Siren of the Shenandoah, the Rebel Joan of Arc, and Amazon of