Join a Discussion of "Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy" at Wilton Historical Society on Feb. 3

The Wilton Historical Society’s history reading group will discuss “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy” by Karen Abbott on Tuesday, Feb. 3 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. Attendees are invited to bring their own lunch, and the Society will provide beverages and dessert.

Abbott's book landed on several “Best Books of 2014” lists, at Amazon, “Library Journal,” and “Christian Science Monitor.” “Devil in the White City” author Erik Larson said of the book, “Karen Abbott declares herself the John le Carré of Civil War espionage—with the added benefit that the saga she tells is all true and beautifully researched.”

Abbott is the New York Times bestselling author of “Sin in the Second City” and “American Rose” A regular contributor to Smithsonian.com, she also writes for "Disunion," the New York Times series about the Civil War. The Philadelphia native lives with her husband and two African Grey parrots in New York City.

About the book, courtesy of the Wilton Historical Society: In “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy,” bestselling author Karen Abbott tells the spellbinding true story of four courageous women who risked everything—their homes, their families, and their very lives—during the Civil War. A socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow; their history is one of the most fascinating yet unknown aspects of the war. 

 After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.

Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies’ descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four forgotten daredevils throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy” draws you into the war as these daring women lived it.

The Wilton Historical Society is located at 224 Danbury Rd. in Wilton, Conn. To register for Booked for Lunch at the Wilton Historical Society, please contact Katherine Demo at kdemo@wiltonhistorical.org or (203) 762-7257.