Varon, Elizabeth R. Southern lady, Yankee spy; the true story of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Union agent in the heart of the Confederacy.VARON, Elizabeth R Elizabeth R is a BBC television drama serial that was broadcast in six, 85 minute parts on terrestrial channel BBC Two from February to March 1971. Starring Glenda Jackson in the title role, it was a largely accurate, historical portrayal of the life of Elizabeth I of . Southern lady, Yankee spy; the true story of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Union agent in the heart of the Confederacy Confederacy, name commonly given to the Confederate States of America (1861–65), the government established by the Southern states of the United States after their secession from the Union. . Oxford. 317p. illus. notes. index. c2003. 0-19-517989-7. $16.95. A Sadly, by the end of her life Van Lew had more friends in Boston than in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia Richmond IPA: [ɹɯʒmɐnɖ] is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. , where she had become a social outcast. Born into a prominent family, Elizabeth and her mother Eliza owned slaves but treated their servants with dignity and compassion. When the Civil War broke out, Van Lew visited Richmond prisons to bring comfort to Union soldiers held there. Because of her gender and her social standing, she was allowed easy access and was able to run a successful network of Union sympathizers and spies. Although not a spy herself, she was a capable spymaster spy·mas·ter n. One who directs clandestine intelligence activities. Noun 1. spymaster - someone who directs clandestine intelligence activities master - directs the work of others , recruited by Benjamin "the Beast" Butler himself in 1864. She was instrumental in helping with the famous breakout at the Libby Prison Libby Prison, in Richmond, Va., a Confederate prison for captured Union officers in the American Civil War. It was previously a tobacco warehouse. Living conditions were extremely bad; the food, sometimes lacking altogether, was poor and sanitation practically , when 109 men tunneled their way to freedom. In 1869, President Grant appointed her postmaster postmaster - The electronic mail contact and maintenance person at a site connected to the Internet or UUCPNET. Often, but not always, the same as the admin. The Internet standard for electronic mail (RFC 822) requires each machine to have a "postmaster" address; usually it is of Richmond, an act that angered Southerners. A local newspaper wrote, "We regard the selection of a Federal Spy to manage our post-office as a deliberate insult to our people." As time went on and the mythology of the "Lost Cause" grew in the South, Van Lew became a recluse, shunned by her neighbors. She was supported in her last years by donations from influential Bostonians. After her death, the myth of "Crazy Bet" sprang up: she was pictured as a mad old woman who wore odd clothes and had no friends. This seminal biography dispels that myth. Varon's Elizabeth Van Lew is fleshed out as she was, a complicated woman dedicated to her principles. Janet Julian, English Teacher, Grafton, MA A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries. |
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