  pauline cushman (born harriet wood) (june 10, 1833 &ndash; december 2, 1897), was an american actress and a spy for the union army during the american civil war. ==early life== harriet was born in new orleans, louisiana on june 10, 1833, the daughter of a spanish merchant (son of one of napoleon bonaparte's soldiers) and a frenchwoman, who was the daughter of a bordeaux winegrower. harriet and her six brotherssaramiento pauline cushman were raised in grand rapids, michigan. pauline cushman's parents moved to grand rapids, michigan to set up a trading post with indians. pauline cushman's friends growing up were little indian girls. she was accepted into their tribe and they called her the "laughing breeze." pauline was a very caring little girl and always wanted to help people in need. she would open her parents home to the indians that needed shelter and food. in 1851 she returned to her native louisiana to join the performance group: new orleans varieties. later she would travel to new york where she would take the stage name pauline cushman. ==spy== after a northern performance, pauline was paid by two local pro-confederate men to toast confederate president jefferson davis after a performance. the theatre fired her, but she had other ideas. she had decided to ingratiate herself with the rebels by making the toast, while offering her services to the union as a spy. by fraternizing with rebel military commanders, she managed to conceal battle plans and drawings in her shoes, but was caught and brought before confederate general braxton bragg, tried by a military court, and sentenced to death. it is said that she was saved three days before her hanging by the invasion of the area by union troops. some reports state that she returned to the south in her role as a spy dressed in male uniform for references. she was awarded the rank of brevet major by general james a. garfield and commended by president abraham lincoln for her service to the federal cause, and became known as "miss major pauline cushman."{{citation | publication-date = jan. 20, 1876 | title = minor items | magazine = the cultivator and country gentleman | volume = xli | issue = 1199 | publisher = luther tucker & son | publication
1833_births 1893_deaths Actresses_from_New_Orleans,_Louisiana American_Civil_War_spies Burials_at_San_Francisco_National_Cemetery Female_wartime_cross-dressers_in_the_American_Civil_War Female_wartime_spies People_from_Casa_Grande,_Arizona People_of_New_York_in_the_American_Civil_War