Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy (An Odyssey/Great Episodes Book) [Paperback]

Seymour Reit (Author)

Book Description

Series: An Odyssey/Great Episodes Book

Combining U.S. Army records and files from the National Archives, Reit has reconstructed the story of an incredible woman who joined the Yankee army disguised as a man. "A suspense-filled account of a brave and loyal feminist."--Booklist.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 According to the estimates of some historians, as many as 400 women fought in the Civil War disguised as men. One such woman was Emma Ed monds, 21 years old and Canadian born. She felt fiercely patriotic towards her adopted country, and was deter mined to fight for the Union. Not only did she serve as a field nurse, tending the wounded at the battle sites, but she also served as a Union spy. Reit has used Emma's own published memoirs (long out of print), research from the National Archives, and U. S. Army re cords. It should make for an exciting tale. Unfortunately, the finished prod uct doesn't measure up to its promise. The style is far too episodic, with little unity between adventures, and not enough fleshing out of events. Some fictionalizing of dialogue and thoughts occurs. This is most likely to appeal only to those with a frenzied obsession with the Civil War. Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Copyright 1988 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“The story is fast-moving, and Emma’s spunk...is evident.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This stranger-than-fiction story will captivate history buffs and hold the attention of the most reluctant reader.”—Bank Street College of Education
“A suspense-filled account of a brave and loyal feminist.”—Booklist

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 114 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books (J) (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152004246
• ISBN-13: 978-0152004248
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #622,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of the brave young lady with the imp voice..., January 29, 2003

By 

Priscilla Stafford (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story Of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Great Episodes (Prebound)) (School & Library Binding)

Written by Seymour Reit, "Behind Rebel Lines" tells the true story of Emma Edmonds. Running away from her father at the age of sixteen, she had left Canada for the country where freedom and liberty would become a reality. Now the year 1861, Emma is now 21 and the Civil War between states has begun. When President Lincoln asks for volunteers, Emma is determined not to just sit by. She disguises herself as a man and enlists herself into the Union Army. Now everyone, including her superior officers and fellow soldiers, believe her to be Private Franklin Thompson, assigned to Company F. But Emma wants to do more, so she volunteers to be a Union spy. But while she has been all this time fooling her own army, can she keep her secret behind rebel lines?

A truly well-written story, "Behind Enemy Lines" is sure to please. The author did a lot of research to write this book, re-creating Emma Edmond's story through Emma's memoirs, U.S. Army Records, and files from the National Archive. At the front cover of the book it is written "Great Episodes". This is because each chapter is separated in such a way. In that sense, while reading the story the reader might feel as though the book does not really flow as well as you would like. But on the overall, the whole story is written well if not a bit aimed more for younger audiences.

Emma's character is captivating and very realistic. Oh, I know that she WAS a real character, but in few cases, some authors cannot seem to grasp the character of who they're writing about. Fortunately, Seymour Reit puts down Emma's life down on paper flawlessly. You can almost 'hear' the imp voice in Emma's ear!

On the whole, "Behind Rebel Lines" is a gripping and fascinating historical biography and I can easily recommend it. Best for ages 10 - 14 but older teens and some adults might find this a good read.

"This stranger-than-fiction story will captivate history buffs and hold the attention of the most reluctant reader."
-Bank Street College of Education-

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Girl Power, March 22, 2003

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a very quick read even for the 9-12 year age group it is intended for. Never-the-less, it is a very exciting and interesting bit of true Civil War drama. It is the story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, or Emma Edmonds as she was known, a young woman, born in Canada, who, disguised as a man, became a solider, battlefield nurse, spy and detective for the Union army. Emma was sworn into the Union army as Private Franklin Thompson and served bravely and cunningly in many dangerous missions and in many disguises. She was also a devoted and skilled battlefield nurse and tended the wounded of both the Union and the Confederacy with compassion. Her career as a male soldier ended at Vicksburg when she became so ill with malaria that she had to go AWOL in order to escape detection as a female. Her adventures did not stop there. This book is sure to grab the interest of anyone who picks it up. It is not a great work of writing skill, being very episodic with little to link together the various elements of Emma's courageous life. The dialogue is fabricated, of course, and rather stilted, but the facts here are accurate and taken from Emma's memoirs and other historical documents. At least 400 women disguised as men fought for the North during the Civil War, but Emma's tale of espionage is perhaps the most thrilling. I highly recommend this book to young people as a wonderful introduction to the Civil War. Getting to know the people who fought this tragic and bloody war is a wonderful way to understand this astonishing chapter of American history. This book is definitely a page turner and so all the better for keeping interest high and fostering curiosity and discovery. Don't miss it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Me from TN(I'm not really under 13 shhhhhh), October 15, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a true story,written by Seymour Reit, about a woman overcoming the odds in a man's place. The incredible woman i am talking about is Emma Edmonds. She posed as a male nurse named Franklin Thompson. Edmonds was sent as a spy behind rebel lines.She successfully completed 11 missions!
Behind Rebel Lines really did make me think. This book was excellent! I loved it. I could barely put it down(but I did haha). I loved reading about the struggle of a real woman who could demonstrate this amount of courage. It is so inspirational. By the way,I know I sound like a fruit but my teacher is making me write this haha. See ya!Have a GREAT day!!Love yas!