Maria Isabella ‘Belle’ Boyd was a spy that played a pivotal role during the Civil War.She was born on 9 May 1844, in Martinsburg, Virginia. She became a spy at the young age of 17.She first became a spy unofficially, but as she started becoming famous, she began officially delivering secrets to the Confederates. She was arrested, imprisoned, and exiled many times throughout her life and was even sent to the Capitol Prison in Washington D.C.Read on to know more facts about Belle Boyd and if you like this article, then also check out Abraham Lincoln Civil War and American Civil War facts.Fun Facts About Belle BoydMaria Isabella ‘Belle’ Boyd was one of the most notable American women who succeeded as a spy, and she is probably one of the very first American spies. Her life was an interesting one, and some of the facts about her life may blow your mind.Belle Boyd had two siblings; a brother named Bill Boyd and a sister named Mary Jane Boyd.Virginia Hall is officially considered the first woman spy in military history. She worked with the American Office of Strategic Services and the Special Operations Executive of the United Kingdom during World War II in France. The work of these organizations included conducting reconnaissance, sabotage, and espionage in an occupied Europe against the then Axis powers, like Nazi Germany. However, Belle Boyd lived and worked for the Confederate side and helped Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.Belle Boyd started her career when she was only 17 years old as a rebel spy. After being arrested, imprisoned, and exiled many times when she came back to the United States, she resumed her life as an actress. After her marriage ended with Samuel Hardinge, Belle Boyd married two more times. She had four children with her second husband, John Swainston Hammond. She died on 11 June 1900, at the age of 56.Belle Boyd’s TimelineBelle Boyd was born in Martinsburg, Virginia (current West Virginia) on 9 May 1844. She had a happy and spirited childhood. After attending Mount Washington College at the age of 12 in 1856, she started to show her talent as a spy from the age of 17.Isabella Maria Boyd was the eldest daughter of a shopkeeper, Benjamin Reed Boyd, and Mary Rebecca Glenn Boyd. Born in Martinsburg, Virginia, which is now a part of West Virginia, she had two siblings and had described later in life that her childhood was rather happy and she was a spirited kid. She belonged to a prosperous family and, thus, received a good enough education. She finished her preliminary school in Martinsburg and then went to the Mount Washington Female College in 1956 in Baltimore at the young age of 12. She was rebellious from a young age. Once in her childhood, she was told that she was too young to go to a party in her family’s home. As a way out, she rode a horse to the party and stated that her house was old enough.Before the Civil War started, she spent the winter of 1860-61 as a debutante in Washington D.C. In 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union, but there were still a lot of Union supporters in Martinsburg. Still, Benjamin Reed Boyd trusted in the Confederate cause and volunteered to join the 2nd Virginia Infantry. After that, Belle Boyd returned home and started working as a nurse in Martinsburg. Later that year, on 3 July, Union troops occupied Martinsburg. The next day, some Union soldiers arrived at the Boyd residence and started using obscene language towards Belle and her mother, Mary Rebecca Glenn Boyd. When the matter got out of control, Belle Boyd shot the man.Later, when a Union commanding officer came to investigate the matter, he stated that Belle Boyd acted in a proper manner, so she didn’t have to suffer punishment. However, she began her career as a confederate spy at the young age of 17. She got arrested many times throughout her life but only had to stay a few months in custody each time. After a while, she moved to England, married a couple of times, and had a few children. She wrote a book and even became an actress until she died at the age of 56 on 11 June 1900, in Wisconsin.Facts About Belle Boyd’s Role In The Civil WarBelle Boyd started her life as a spy when she was a 17-year-old girl. She started her spy life by killing a Union officer who insulted her and her mother. She became an unofficial spy for the confederate army until she was officiated.On 4 July 1861, after the day the Union army took over Martinsburg, some Union soldiers came by Boyd’s family house as they saw Confederate flags in the house. They started to insult Belle Boyd and her mother. In Belle Boyd’s own words, the Union soldier continued to use such offensive words toward her mother that it quickly became intolerable, so she drew out a pistol and shot the officer. When a Union commanding officer later came to the house to investigate the incident, he declared that Boyd did no wrong, and she was exonerated.However, Union officers were keeping an eye on them, and sentries were posted outside her house. She made the best out of this situation and started her work by charming Captain Daniel Keily, one of the officers, into disclosing plenty of military secrets. She kept delivering the Union secrets she accumulated in a hollowed-out watch case by the hands of Eliza Hopewell, her slave to Confederate officers. Belle Boyd was charming, to say the least, and she used that to her advantage. Additionally, no officer from the Union forces imagined that a teenager was of any threat. So she kept doing the job until one of the messages she sent was intercepted. It could’ve led to her execution, but she was only warned for the time being.After that, Belle Boyd was officiated to serve the South and officially became the messenger for the Confederate generals, Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, and P.G.T. Beauregard. In the beginning, she transported medical supplies along with the secrets she collected. After her arrest at 18, everyone came to know her identity. Her name even reached the press, and they were calling her ‘Rebel Joan of Arc’, the ‘Siren of the Shenandoah’, ‘La Belle Rebelle’, and the ‘Cleopatra of the Secession’. Spies are actually meant to live privately, but this publicity didn’t stop her from her work. However, it did get her arrested a few more times.Facts About Belle Boyd’s ArrestIn total, Belle Boyd was exiled twice, imprisoned thrice, and arrested six times. None of her punishments lasted for her entire life. Every time she got released, she started her work again. In the end, she went to England, wrote memoirs, and even became an actress until she died in 1900.In the year following the incident in which Bella Boyd killed the Union soldier, she did an incredible task by obtaining some very crucial information from the Union officials. She had attained the information which the Confederate force required to help the forces of Stonewall Jackson recapture the Front Royal town. After this, her lover at that time gave her up, and she was arrested on 29 July 1862 and was sent to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington D.C. She was kept behind bars for a month and was released on 29 August 1862. She was arrested again in June of 1863, and she stayed behind bars for five months but was released when she contracted typhoid fever.After that, Belle Boyd was exiled to the South, but she still kept working. She was moving to England to transport some Confederate papers in May of 1864, but the ship was intercepted, and she was arrested again. She then fell in love with Samuel Hardinge, a Union Naval officer who was also one of her captors. Belle Boyd married the Union Naval officer and they had a daughter together. She thought she would be able to woo him to the side of the Confederates. Later, Belle Boyd got arrested again along with her husband, who had to serve a little time behind bars for helping Belle Boyd. Even after being arrested, she convinced the Union authorities to let her leave for Canada. She made her way to England from Canada and there started her life as a writer and an actress.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 111 Belle Boyd Facts: Everything You Need To Know About The Spy then why not take a look at Civil War uniform or William Booth facts?
Maria Isabella ‘Belle’ Boyd was a spy that played a pivotal role during the Civil War.
