Pauline Cushman

In 1862 Pauline Cushman was a struggling actress employed in a Louisville playhouse when a new opportunity soon presented itself, however: the chance to spy for the Union. In lace and petticoats, she became a camp follower of the Confederate army in Kentucky and Tennessee. Her allure and beauty aided her in obtaining valuable information for the federal army. Yet the frustrated actress soon proved to be wanting at spying as well. She aroused suspicions and was finally caught with secret papers. General Braxton Bragg had her tried, and a military court sentenced her to hang, whereupon her health broke and her sentence was delayed. Then military operations intervened. Bragg moved his army, leaving Cushman behind. Rescued by Yankees at Shelbyville, Tennessee, she traveled north to much acclaim. President Lincoln made her an honorary major, and Cushman, wearing her new uniform, lectured about her clandestine adventures behind rebel lines.