Includes bibliographical references (pages 129-130).

When war erupts between the States in 1861, President Lincoln makes an impassioned plea for volunteers. Determined not to remain on the sidelines, young Emma Edmonds poses as a man and enlists in the Union Army, becoming a cunning master of disguise, risking discovery and death behind Confederate lines. Illustrations. In 1861, when war erupted between the States, President Lincoln made an impassioned plea for volunteers. Determined not to remain on the sidelines, Emma Edmonds cropped her hair, donned men's clothing, and enlisted in the Union Army. Posing in turn as a slave, peddler, washerwoman, and fop, Emma became a cunning master of disguise, risking discovery and death at every turn behind Confederate lines.