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Quiz about Belle Of The Ball  And A Spy
Quiz about Belle Of The Ball  And A Spy

Belle Of The Ball -- And A Spy! Quiz


Belle Boyd, before she ever reached twenty years of age, was involved in key espionage activities during the American Civil War. Come learn a little more about this woman nicknamed "Cleopatra of the Secession".

A multiple-choice quiz by stephgm67. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
stephgm67
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
408,480
Updated
Mar 11 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
211
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 172 (3/10), bigwoo (7/10), ankitankurddit (5/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Belle was the oldest of eight children and grew up in Martinsburg, Virginia. The family home was very near to a key valley that would play a large part in the Civil War. What was the name of this place called "Breadbasket of the South"? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In July of 1861, Union soldiers broke through the family's front door and confronted Belle, her mother, and the family maid. The soldiers, who appeared to have been drinking alcohol, demanded the family immediately fly the Union flag. When the leader of the soldiers began to get physical, what did Belle do? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. By the end of 1861, Belle had volunteered to be a spy for the Confederacy and pass information to Southern troops. She used several techniques to hide messages and gain information. One way was to go to Union camps and to eavesdrop while she would entertain them with her pet talking bird. What kind of fowl was this? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Whenever a skirmish happened in the Shenandoah Valley in 1861 or 1862, Belle Boyd would sneak out to the Union camps. Many times a network of rebel ladies joined her in this secret work after the soldiers slept. What did these women confiscate? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Belle, during the beginning of 1862, began smuggling a valuable medicinal need to the Confederate troops. What was this potion, used to treat malaria, that made Belle and others run the inland blockade? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Belle Boyd had one particular Confederate General that she idolized. This was Thomas Jackson and her father served under his command. Belle would often risk life and limb during 1862 to get him key information. What was Jackson's nickname? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In July of 1862, Belle was still heavily involved in her espionage missions. This teenager, who was considered beautiful and wily and was given the name "Cleopatra of the Secession" was catching attention, however. She was arrested and sent to Old Capitol Prison. How were her secret activities discovered? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Belle Boyd did not stay in prison long and was sent out of Washington, D.C. to the capital of the Confederacy. She spent much of 1863 there and often visited with President Jefferson Davis. What city was this? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The year 1864 found Belle arrested again for violating parole. After a short stay in prison, she decided to run the blockade and sail to Europe. Her ship was captured and she was exiled to Canada before finally making her way to London. During this time of travel, she fell in love and married Samuel Hardinge. True or False: Samuel was a high ranking member of the Confederacy and was a hero in the South.


Question 10 of 10
10. In 1865, Belle had a daughter named Grace. During the next decade, she was widowed, remarried, and divorced. She had published a memoir and attempted a theatrical career back in America. She died in 1900 in Wisconsin at age fifty-six. How did she die? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 20 2024 : Guest 172: 3/10
Feb 16 2024 : bigwoo: 7/10
Feb 01 2024 : ankitankurddit: 5/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Belle was the oldest of eight children and grew up in Martinsburg, Virginia. The family home was very near to a key valley that would play a large part in the Civil War. What was the name of this place called "Breadbasket of the South"?

Answer: Shenandoah Valley

The Shenandoah Valley is in western Virginia and lies between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains. During the American Civil War, it was very important as a key strategic location as it gave the Union a route into the Confederate capital and served the Confederacy as both a barrier and a source of rich farming. Belle Boyd's family, with strong Southern ties, was considered affluent and lived at an edge of the Shenandoah Valley.
2. In July of 1861, Union soldiers broke through the family's front door and confronted Belle, her mother, and the family maid. The soldiers, who appeared to have been drinking alcohol, demanded the family immediately fly the Union flag. When the leader of the soldiers began to get physical, what did Belle do?

Answer: Shot him dead

Women in the Virginia area had been warned of "Yankee outrages" against women from the soldiers now occupying many cities. Belle carried a Colt 1849 pistol hidden in her skirts. When the leader of the group of soldiers in her house touched her mother's arms, Belle shot the man.

Then the seventeen year old girl turned to the others, dropped her weapon, and said that "only those who are cowards shoot women". After several interviews, the case was considered closed and Belle simply had to endure soldiers keeping a close watch on the house.
3. By the end of 1861, Belle had volunteered to be a spy for the Confederacy and pass information to Southern troops. She used several techniques to hide messages and gain information. One way was to go to Union camps and to eavesdrop while she would entertain them with her pet talking bird. What kind of fowl was this?

Answer: Crow

Belle utilized a variety of methods to pass messages to the Confederate lines. Often she would pretend to flirt with Union staff or entertain Union soldiers with her pet crow who could say the words "Miss Belle". The information she gathered from eavesdropping was then orally passed along or given to her maid to transport. Written ciphers were hidden in her shoe soles or inside dolls' heads.

She even had a custom "skin" for her dog and would affix a message to the dog and slip the skin over it before heading out to a rendezvous.
4. Whenever a skirmish happened in the Shenandoah Valley in 1861 or 1862, Belle Boyd would sneak out to the Union camps. Many times a network of rebel ladies joined her in this secret work after the soldiers slept. What did these women confiscate?

Answer: Weapons

Belle and her network would wear steel coils under their large hoop skirts and would gather up unattended pistols and sabers. They then hid them in their clothes and deposited them in various caches around the area where later they would be sent to the Confederate troops. One day the 28th Pennsylvania Regiment stumbled upon a stash of 200 sabers, 400 pistols, and 1,400 muskets awaiting transfer!
5. Belle, during the beginning of 1862, began smuggling a valuable medicinal need to the Confederate troops. What was this potion, used to treat malaria, that made Belle and others run the inland blockade?

Answer: Quinine

Malaria, a disease caused by parasites spread through the bites of infected mosquitos, was responsible for a large percentage of illnesses and deaths in the American Civil War. Quinine, made from a bark in the Caribbean and Central America areas, was delivered on ships to the Union to help infected soldiers. Blockade runners also managed to get some to the Confederacy. Belle, and some of her network, would smuggle quinine across the Potomac River late at night and deliver it to the waiting parties.
6. Belle Boyd had one particular Confederate General that she idolized. This was Thomas Jackson and her father served under his command. Belle would often risk life and limb during 1862 to get him key information. What was Jackson's nickname?

Answer: Stonewall

Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson earned his nickname when he stood resolutely in the line of fire at the First Battle of Manassas. Jackson was a key general under Robert E. Lee and fought many skirmishes in the Shenandoah Valley, near Belle's family home.

At one point, after having eavesdropped on Union troop movements, she literally ran through bullets to deliver the vital information to Jackson's command. She later received a hand-written thank you note from him detailing her "immense service" the cause.
7. In July of 1862, Belle was still heavily involved in her espionage missions. This teenager, who was considered beautiful and wily and was given the name "Cleopatra of the Secession" was catching attention, however. She was arrested and sent to Old Capitol Prison. How were her secret activities discovered?

Answer: Her romantic counterpart was also a spy

Belle was a very outgoing young lady and often used coquettish ways to gain information. During one of her soirees that she hosted, she met a young man who was serving in the Confederacy. She would often be found dining with, or in conversation with, C. Smitley. One evening she asked Smitley to deliver a message concerning Union movement to Confederate General Jackson.

She was horrified to soon find out he was a Union spy. This "romantic betrayal", as she called it, caused her to be sent to Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
8. Belle Boyd did not stay in prison long and was sent out of Washington, D.C. to the capital of the Confederacy. She spent much of 1863 there and often visited with President Jefferson Davis. What city was this?

Answer: Richmond, Virginia

Rose, upon reaching Richmond, was serenaded by the city band and greeted visitors in a local hotel alongside another female Rebel spy named Rose Greenhow. Belle spent time caring for Confederate soldiers in some of the hospitals and writing to her family and friends back in Martinsburg.

Her stay ended in Richmond when she received news her father was ill. Violating her parole, she headed home.
9. The year 1864 found Belle arrested again for violating parole. After a short stay in prison, she decided to run the blockade and sail to Europe. Her ship was captured and she was exiled to Canada before finally making her way to London. During this time of travel, she fell in love and married Samuel Hardinge. True or False: Samuel was a high ranking member of the Confederacy and was a hero in the South.

Answer: False

Samuel Hardinge was actually a Lieutenant in the Union Army and was one of the men responsible for capturing the ship Belle was on during her first attempt at going to Europe. They fell in love on board the ship and stayed in communication throughout her stay in Canada.

She joined him in England and they were married there in August of 1864. Belle was sure she could convince him to become a Confederate "in his heart".
10. In 1865, Belle had a daughter named Grace. During the next decade, she was widowed, remarried, and divorced. She had published a memoir and attempted a theatrical career back in America. She died in 1900 in Wisconsin at age fifty-six. How did she die?

Answer: Heart attack while on tour

Belle Boyd was widowed while in Europe and wrote a memoir of her espionage days. She also embarked on a stage career where she called herself "Belle Boyd of Virginia". She moved back to the U.S. and married a younger man. That union ended in divorce and Belle found herself deeply in debt.

She continued her shows throughout the Midwest and died of a heart attack during the tour in 1900. She is buried in Wisconsin with a simple marker stating her title of 'Confederate Spy'.
Source: Author stephgm67

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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  4. Rose Greenhow: Mother, Socialite, SPY! Easier
  5. Women Warriors of the World Very Easy

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