When the Civil War erupted, women answered the call for help. They left their traditional roles and served in many capacities, some even disguising themselves as men to enlist in the army. Estimates of these women range from 400 to 700, with records indicating that some 60 women soldiers were killed or wounded.

Featured in this work are the more than sixty women who fought or otherwise served the Union or Confederacy. Among them are Sarah Thompson, the Union spy and nurse who brought down the famous raider John Hunt Morgan; Elizabeth Van Lew, the Union spy instrumental in the Civil War's largest prison break; Sarah Malinda Blalock, who fought for the Confederacy as a soldier and then for the Union as a guerrilla raider; and Dr. Mary Walker, a Union doctor and the only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for Civil War service.

This entry refers to the LARGE PRINT edition. For the standard edition please see ISBN 978-0-7864-1493-2.