Behind Rebel Lines

by Seymour Reit

Seymour Reit, the creator of Casper the friendly ghost, blends fact with fiction in this captivating tale about one woman who dared to go behind enemy lines as a spy for the Union Army.

Canadian-born Emma Edmonds loved the thrill of adventure and chasing freedom, so in 1861 when the Civil War began, she enlisted in the Union Army.

With cropped hair and men’s clothing, Emma transformed herself into a peddler, slave, bookkeeper and more, seamlessly gathering information and safely escaping each time.

This fictionalized biography about the daring exploits of a cunning master of disguise, risking discovery and death for the sake of freedom, will inspire readers for generations to come.
 

Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, School, Childrens

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Seymour Victory Reit was the author of over 80 children's books as well as several works for adults. Reit was the creator, with cartoonist Joe Oriolo, of the character Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But how could you know the limits of your courage if you never put it to the test?”
― Seymour Reit, Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy

This book is at once educational, inspiring and just fascinating.

Emma Edmonds  was a smart and I'd say fearless, woman who was just a girl during the Civil War. She wanted to help the Northerners in battle but how could she? Women, after all, were not allowed to fight. And she did not want to stay on the edges doing something like sending Postcards. She wanted to make a difference. She wanted to change the world.

And she did.

Emma joined the forces by posing as a boy. At the time, they were desperate for troops. She slipped into costume easily. And nobody found out her secret during the entire time she was with them.

She started as a Nurse but in time, she would become a super spy, utilizing various disguises to penetrate the Confederate armies. She posed as a Slave. As an old lady. And even as a "distinguised gent".

Nobody ever found out her secret and her reputation as a Spy grew. It was only that she was known as a "he"

I had never heard of Emma but am sure glad I read about her. The book is short and those who expect alot of detail maybe let down. This is a good book but it is light on details and I am sure any reader will have additional questions. Luckily, at the end, the writer includes an index on other works where we can read more about Emma.

If there is one thing that saddens me it is that Emma wrote her own memoir but the writer explains it is very difficult to find and only a few copies even exist anymore. That is sad because I'd have adored reading her own Memoir.

This woman had so much courage and she made a difference. I mean..I could never do what she did and I doubt many people could. Her story is a fascinating one and for people who enjoy Historical Bios, you should read this book and get to know Emma and her story of courage, hope and salvation.

[Cherisa B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on a true story, Sarah Emma Edmonds was a teenaged Canadian runaway girl who passed as a male nurse in the Union Army for more than two years. She rotated between field hospital nursing and duty as a spy over rebel lines for 11 missions, providing actionable intelligence to her COs. Never discovered, she went awol when she was too sick from malaria to attend her duties, to prevent being humiliated by giving up her secret. After the war, she came clean and her awol status was expunged. She was even granted a veteran’s pension.

A great YA story for bending social expectations of gender roles and abilities.

[• honeztly.quiescentt • · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book for school

[Kaytlin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this is insane! Like...what? How?

I'm not going to do my normal review on this one because it's partly fiction, but most of it is true besides what the characters said.

Emma Edmonds joined the Union Army at the age of 21 and pretended to be a man named Franklin Thompson for 2 years! She joined as an amlrmy medic and became one of their best spies with her out of the box disguises. She infiltrated the Confederate army camp 11 times! 11 times!

I mean, that's impressive... and also not being discovered while pretending to be a man for 2 years is impressive too...wow.

Unbelievable. Definitely an interesting read.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light retelling of Emma Edmonds' adventures during the American Civil War. She enlisted as a man and served in several capacities as a male soldier for the Union Army. This book is definitely written for young readers but provides an engaging overview of this brave woman's life. It has inspired me to read Emma Edmonds' own telling of her story.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

زمان اصلی کتاب در زمان جنگ داخلی آمریکا هست. همچنین تمام داستان ها و بخش هایی که بیان میکنه، کاملا حقیقت هستن و وقایع تاریخی ان البته در مورد دیالوگ ها کاملا صادق نیست، که خود نویسنده هم ذکر کرده این قضیه رو و گفته که برای اینکه بیشتر شخصیت اصلی رو به این زمان بیاریم، کمی از دیالوگ ها رو تغییرات اندکی دادیم. روند اصلی داستان سریع پیش میره و خوندنش ساده س و توصیفات خوبی برای نشون دادن میزان حساس بودن شرایط کاری شخصیت اصلی داستان داره. خود نویسنده برای نوشتن این اثر تحقیقات زیادی انجام داده. نکته جالبی که داشت این بود نویسنده بیان کرده بود : مورخان ذکر کردن که حدودا 400 نفر در زمان جنگ داخلی، که در هر دو جبهه می جنگیدن، زن بودن که به صورت مخفی و با ظاهر مردان به کارشون ادامه میدادن.

[Kim Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good historical read about a woman disguising herself as a man during the Civil War. She was a master of disguises and was a successful spy crossing the enemy lines many times to bring back important info to the Union army. Really enjoyed this. Easy read, really captures a reader’s interest. Suspenseful. Good YA for a Social Studies or History student.

[Karen Hogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Historical fiction about a civil war spy, but Geared toward a much younger reader.

[Jessin Stalnaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of an overview of Emma Edmonds career as a soldier and spy, omitting some details and personal facts to create a better backstory.
A deeper dive into her story would make for a fascinating read.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really cool and a true story. I really enjoyed this because I was captured into the different spy missions Emma went on and how cool it was for her to go under cover in the army to help her country.
It was a little boring at first but it soon got really interesting. Other than that I thought It was early fascinating and I definitely recommend it.

[Johnny G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick little read about a woman who volunteers for the Union Army during the Civil War - disguised as a man! She had some great adventures and was incredibly lucky to stay alive, as she ended up going behind enemy lines on 11 missions. To fully understand the book, I feel that young readers need some background on the Civil War...there are a lot of names and places which can be confusing.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another historical novel set during the Civil War. Unfortunately not very well written, but it's a quick read and a fascinating story with some basis in fact. About a woman who disguised herself to enlist and endup on special spy missions. It felt like the author didn't do enough research, the asute young reader will discover holes in the story's believability.

[Lilly #2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty nice quick read. The style of the book isn't really my thing, it was a bit short, and some spots were explained weirdly. Also the point of view switches from she to he at random points, which was a bit jarring. Overall, it was pretty nice.

[Eloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for school and I ended up really liking it! I learned so much about the civil war and Emma Edmonds is now one of my new favourite historical characters.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A person requires much courage if they are going to become a soldier.
It took a woman of great courage & bravery to freely decide to join the Union army of the Civil War.

Although most people didn't know at the time, several women (at least 400) joined the army undercover during the Civil War, and no one ever suspected it. At the age of 21, that is what Emma Edmonds, a Canadian-born, did. This book fictionalizes her true story. Emma Edmonds enlisted under the name of Franklin Thompson, but it didn't stop there. The journey of her first alias led her into becoming a reliable spy for the Union. She created new characters for herself on almost every mission the army sent her on, so that her old characters wouldn't be recognized by the Rebel army.

Bridget O'Shea, Irish peddler.
Cuff, freed slave.
Charles Mayberry, detective.

Those are just a few of her undercover names & disguises. The lengths Emma went to in order to keep her true identity a secret for years from either army... Amazing.

Behind Rebel Lines is one author's account of how the real Emma Edmond's story came to be. It is a simple, easy book to read, but I won't be forgetting what I learned. Recommended for ages 8-12, and up.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Behind rebel lines” is the story of Emma Edmonds. She is a woman who disguises herself as a man to serve in the Union Army during the United States Civil War.I found the story to be personally inspirational. I feel that young readers will have similar responses. Particularly female readers, stories of this type are predominately told with male role models. This book shows that women are strong, capable, and proficient.
I however, didn't care for the style of the book. First off, I understand that Edmonds dresses herself as different characters. That is well established. So, I found it irritating when the author switches the personal pronoun of Edmonds from a she to a he at various times of the book. It felt it unnecessary and it made parts of the book seem awkward. I also felt that their where many unanswered questions as to how she managed to pull this charade off. The explanations where vague at best, while this is an authentic biography, this lack of information seems to damage the credibility of the story.

[Evelyn Helsel · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific little book.

[Kymberli Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is based on the incredible true story of Emma Edmonds. She was a 21 year old woman who had a lot of spunk and bravery in her blood. As a sentence in the book goes- “… how could you know the limits of your courage if you never put it to the test?” Emma did just that. Pretending to be male, she worked as an army nurse and then as a spy, using many disguises and aliases. During her time in the army she tended to injured and sick Union and Confederate soldiers both. Emma saw no differences, “wounds were wounds and pain didn’t play favorites.”

This book was a reread for me, as most of my May reads tend to be. I read this, oh goodness, probably twenty or so years ago and still had it on my Non-Fiction shelf. I decided to read it again this month, it had been way too long since I had picked it up. I wanted to see if I still liked it. I definitely do. The author tailored the story for ages 10-14 but that did not deter my enjoyment. For me, it was an easy read, and easy to understand. This book is going back on my shelf to read again another time. Maybe not with a twenty year wait this time? Lol.

*What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts. I was not compensated in any monetary way.*

Content Warnings– Mentions Death of Parent, Illness, Gun Violence, Mentions Bullying, Blood, Injury, Animal Injury, Smoking, War, Murder, Slavery, Racism, Mentions Physical Assault

[Susan Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, quick read, biography about a young Canadian woman who served as a spy for the Union troops during the Civil War. Her refusal to be limited by societal restrictions rings as important today as in the 19th century..

[Lilly Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a very good, quick, and interesting book.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good quick read if you are just trying to find some random book to read. It’s also a great book to do a book report on or something for school.

[Louis Z c1]

The story was fascinating, it was really interesting how Emma could sneak into the army as a woman.

[Catherine Ritter Guendel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars A short but interesting YA story about Emma Edmonds,a brave girl who wanted to make an impact during the Civil War. She had many roles-soldier, nurse and spy.

[Andréa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This woman is badass and what I aspire to be. My anxiety would never allow me to be this badass but to at least follow my dreams like this woman... that would be amazing.

[⋆˚࿔ julia 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, RTC! Wow, just wow. Such an amazing story!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book I picked up at the Gettysburg Museum. Emma was a person to be reckon with and I enjoyed reading about her incredible acts during the war.

[Honora Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story about Emma Edmonds! I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone looking for Civil War spy stories.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

The creator of “Casper the Ghost” wrote this twist between historical fiction and biography of a little known patriot of the Civil War. Simply told, younger readers will find the historical accuracy fascinating.

[Laura Messervy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up