Sarah Emma Edmonds Sarah Emma Edmonds ( December 1841 — September 5 , 1898 ) , was a Canadian - born woman who is known for serving as a man with the Union Army during the American Civil War . A master of disguise , Edmonds exploits were described in the bestselling " Nurse and Spy in the Union Army " . In 1992 she was inducted into the Michigan Women ' s Hall of Fame . Biography . Sarah Emma Edmonds had always been adventurous and her interest in adventure was sparked by a book she read in her youth called " Fanny Campbell , the Female Pirate Captain " , telling the story of Fanny Campbell and her adventures on a pirate ship while dressed as a man . Fanny remained dressed as a man in order to pursue other adventures , which Edmonds attributes to her desire to cross dress . During the Civil War , she enlisted in the 2nd Michigan Infantry on her second try , disguising herself as a man named " Franklin Flint Thompson , " the middle name possibly after the city she volunteered in , Flint , Michigan . She felt that it was her duty to serve her country and it was truly patriotic . Extensive physical examinations were not required for enlistment at the time , and she was not discovered . She at first served as a male field nurse , participating in several campaigns under General McClellan , including the First and Second Battle of Bull Run , Antietam , the Peninsula Campaign , Vicksburg , and others . However , some historians today say she could not have been at all these different places at the same time . Frank Thompson ' s career took a turn before the war when a Union spy in Richmond , Virginia was discovered and went before a firing squad , and a friend , James Vesey , was killed in an ambush . She took advantage of the open spot and the opportunity to avenge her friend ' s death . She applied for , and won , the position as Franklin Thompson . Although there is no proof in her military records that she actually served as a spy , she wrote extensively about her experiences disguised as a spy during the war . Traveling into enemy territory in order to gather information required Emma to come up with many disguises . One disguise required Edmonds to use silver nitrate to dye her skin black , wear a black wig , and walk into the Confederacy disguised as a black man by the name of Cuff . Another time she entered as an Irish peddler woman by the name of Bridget O ' Shea , claiming that she was selling apples and soap to the soldiers . Yet another time she was " working for the Confederates " as a black laundress when a packet of official papers fell out of an officer ' s jacket . When Thompson returned to the Union with the papers , the generals were delighted . Another time , she worked as a detective in Maryland as Charles Mayberry , finding an agent for the Confederacy . Edmonds ' career as Frank Thompson came to an end when she contracted malaria . She abandoned her duty in the military , fearing that if she went to a military hospital she would be discovered . She checked herself into a private hospital , intending to return to military life once she had recuperated . Once she recovered , however , she saw posters listing Frank Thompson as a deserter . Rather than return to the army under another alias or as Frank Thompson , risking execution for desertion , she decided to serve as a female nurse at a Washington , D . C . hospital for wounded soldiers run by the United States Christian Commission . There was speculation that Edmonds may have deserted because of John Reid having been discharged months earlier . There is evidence in his diary that she had mentioned leaving before she had contracted malaria . Her fellow soldiers spoke highly of her military service , and even after her disguise was discovered , was considered a good soldier . She was referred to as a fearless soldier and was active in every battle her regiment faced . In 1864 Boston publisher DeWolfe , Fiske , & Co . published Edmonds ' account of her military experiences as " The Female Spy of the Union Army " . One year later her story was picked up by a Hartford , CT publisher who issued it with a new title , " Nurse and Spy in the Union Army " . It was a huge success , selling in excess of 175 , 000 copies . In 1867 , she married L . H . Seelye , a Canadian mechanic with whom she had three children . In 1886 , she received a government pension of $ 12 a month for her military service , and after some campaigning , gained an honorable discharge . In 1897 , she became the only woman admitted to the Grand Army of the Republic , the Civil War Union Army veterans ' organization . Edmonds died in La Porte , Texas and is buried in Washington Cemetery in Houston , Texas . She was inducted into the Michigan Women ' s Hall of Fame in 1992 . Edmonds ' book was reprinted again in 1999 with a new title , " Memoirs of a Soldier , Nurse and Spy . " Girl , soldier and spy : Sarah Emma Edmunds , by Mary Duprey Hoehling ( 1959 ) A young adult novel . 8 Sarah Emma Edmonds a . k . a . Private Franklin Thompson