The Civil War's Most Notorious Female Spies

Born in New York, Mary commonly wore men's clothing while helping out on the family farm, according to the American Battlefield Trust. As a teen, she attended several schools and, per the U.S. Army, earned her medical degree from Syracuse Medical College in 1855. During her marriage shortly afterwards, Mary wore trousers, refused to say "obey" in her vows, and kept her last name. And when she volunteered as a Union Army surgeon in 1861, she wasn't allowed to become one due to her sex. Mary volunteered instead.

Mary worked in Virginia during 1862 (per Changing the Face of Medicine). The following year, she worked in Tennessee, then Ohio, and finally, Georgia, where she finally received a paid surgeon contract. American Civil War says she was considered a spy since she crossed enemy lines to treat Confederate soldiers. She was arrested as such in 1864, spending four months in prison under unsanitary and grueling conditions before being traded for imprisoned Confederate doctors. 

A year later, she became the first woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for her work. She also tried unsuccessfully to vote, and was arrested for cross-dressing in 1871. When her medal was revoked in 1917, Mary refused to give it up until she died in 1919. In 1977, her family successfully appealed to President Jimmy Carter to restore the honor.

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