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Quiz about Emma Edmonds  Nurse Soldier Spy
Quiz about Emma Edmonds  Nurse Soldier Spy

Emma Edmonds: Nurse, Soldier, Spy! Quiz


Emma Edmonds pretended to be a man and served in the Union troops of the American Civil War. She also became involved in espionage. Come learn more about this fascinating woman!

A multiple-choice quiz by stephgm67. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
stephgm67
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
408,554
Updated
Mar 18 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
210
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: pusdoc (6/10), matthewpokemon (9/10), OswaldEllie (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Emma Edmonds was born Sarah Emma Edmondson in Canada in 1841. She was the youngest child in her family and, much to her angry father's disappointment, not a boy. His only son was sickly and had "fits". What neurological disease, characterized by seizures, did Emma's brother have? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. When she was nine years old, Emma Edmonds was given a book by a peddler passing through the area. This story would shape her life. It was about a girl named Fanny Campbell. What was Fanny's role in the novel? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. By age 15, Emma Edmonds had decided to run away from home to avoid both an abusive father and an arranged marriage to an older man. To ensure she was not followed easily, she took on the disguise of a boy and called herself Franklin Thompson. In Connecticut, she became a successful salesman. What tome, which is the most read book in all the world, did she sell door to door? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Emma Edmonds had made her way to Michigan by 1861 and, when the American Civil War started, she felt loyal to her new country and enlisted as Frank. She passed the physical. She felt she had been gifted with "magical powers in her hands" so she was pleased with the role she was assigned. What was it? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In 1862, Emma Edmonds still did some nursing duties but was also assigned a separate role. She would be using her riding skills and delivering something that almost every soldier anticipated from home. What was it she was carrying that would have made Ben Franklin proud? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The year of 1862 found Allan Pinkerton, a detective and spy for the Union, looking for people to hire. Three of his top detectives had been caught and hanged. Emma Edmonds's ranking Colonel and mentor suggested her to fill the role based on her "brave, willing, and cheerful" disposition. Who was this leader (who shared his last name with the author of "The Tell-Tale Heart")? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Throughout 1862 and into the beginning of 1863, Emma Edmonds donned a variety of disguises in order to infiltrate the Confederate camps and gather information. Sometimes she was a young Southern soldier going home, sometimes she was an Irish peddler woman, and sometimes a runaway slave. The times she used the slave persona (called "Cuff") what did she use to blacken her skin? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Emma Edmonds was suffering from a broken leg in 1863 after she fell from a horse during a night ride. Then she got very sick. Realizing she would be found out if she was admitted to the hospital, "Frank" deserted one evening. What was the sickness, frequently caused by the irritating mosquito, that ended Emma's espionage activities? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In 1882, now married with children, Emma Edmonds decided that she was due a pension for her hard work as a soldier and spy. She requested affidavits from comrades from her regiment. True or False -- The men were horrified that they had served with a woman and denied her requests.


Question 10 of 10
10. Emma Edmonds died in 1898, at the age of 56, as a result of the lingering after-effects from malaria. She had also worked on a memoir during the latter part of her life called "Nurse and Spy in the Union Army". It was a big success. What did she do with the money? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Emma Edmonds was born Sarah Emma Edmondson in Canada in 1841. She was the youngest child in her family and, much to her angry father's disappointment, not a boy. His only son was sickly and had "fits". What neurological disease, characterized by seizures, did Emma's brother have?

Answer: Epilepsy

Emma was born in New Brunswick, Canada. Her family lived close to the border of Maine. Emma was the last of six children born to Isaac and Elizabeth Edmondson and the fifth girl. Her father was noted for having a terrible temper and was very upset that his only son was weak and suffered from epilepsy.

The frequent seizures from this malady prevented him from helping on the farm. According to Emma, her father often physically abused the girls in piques of anger.
2. When she was nine years old, Emma Edmonds was given a book by a peddler passing through the area. This story would shape her life. It was about a girl named Fanny Campbell. What was Fanny's role in the novel?

Answer: Pirate Captain

Emma was fascinated by the book "Fanny Campbell, the Female Pirate Captain". It was about a teenage girl who disguised herself as a sailor and went looking for her missing beau. Upon finding him, she was embroiled in a vicious sea battle with pirates and went on to be a successful privateer for years. The book, published in 1844, was very popular.
3. By age 15, Emma Edmonds had decided to run away from home to avoid both an abusive father and an arranged marriage to an older man. To ensure she was not followed easily, she took on the disguise of a boy and called herself Franklin Thompson. In Connecticut, she became a successful salesman. What tome, which is the most read book in all the world, did she sell door to door?

Answer: The Holy Bible

Emma changed her last name to Edmonds and also took on a persona of Frank Thompson. She claimed that her father had often made her dress as a young boy so she was comfortable with the idea. She made her way down to Hartford, Connecticut and worked for Hurlburt and Company, which was a profitable Bible bookseller.

She did very well and was one of their top performers. Emma's religion would always play a part in her life.
4. Emma Edmonds had made her way to Michigan by 1861 and, when the American Civil War started, she felt loyal to her new country and enlisted as Frank. She passed the physical. She felt she had been gifted with "magical powers in her hands" so she was pleased with the role she was assigned. What was it?

Answer: Nurse for the brigade

When Emma first volunteered as Frank Thompson, she was denied for being below the required height standard. The rules were changed several weeks later and she was given a physical exam. Because so many people were needed in the roles, the exam consisted of checking hand strength, arm strength, and teeth condition.

She passed and became a Private in Company F, Second Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Due to her slight nature and kind manner, she was assigned as a male nurse. She was satisfied with this role as she felt she had a skill, like her mother, to be able to soothe and heal people with her hands.

She worked with patients suffering from amputations to dysentery to venereal disease.
5. In 1862, Emma Edmonds still did some nursing duties but was also assigned a separate role. She would be using her riding skills and delivering something that almost every soldier anticipated from home. What was it she was carrying that would have made Ben Franklin proud?

Answer: Mail

By the second year of the war, soldiers were either in the thick of battle or bored in their downtime. Almost all of them treasured mail as a link between their camp, battlefields, and "back home". Emma was assigned (as Frank) to collect, distribute, and deliver soldiers' mail.

She traveled from wagons and tents serving as post offices to various camps. She was often out late at night and in bad weather and was even injured a couple of times in the line of duty. (Note: Ben Franklin was America's first postmaster general.)
6. The year of 1862 found Allan Pinkerton, a detective and spy for the Union, looking for people to hire. Three of his top detectives had been caught and hanged. Emma Edmonds's ranking Colonel and mentor suggested her to fill the role based on her "brave, willing, and cheerful" disposition. Who was this leader (who shared his last name with the author of "The Tell-Tale Heart")?

Answer: Orlando Poe

Orlando Metcalfe Poe served as the colonel for the regiment and was responsible for giving Emma (alias Frank) the roles of his aide and as mail carrier. He passed along the suggestion of her as a spy to the regiment chaplain who, in turn, alerted Pinkerton.

When approached, Emma said she would need to pray about the decision. She decided it was "God's will" and agreed to accept the upcoming assignments.
7. Throughout 1862 and into the beginning of 1863, Emma Edmonds donned a variety of disguises in order to infiltrate the Confederate camps and gather information. Sometimes she was a young Southern soldier going home, sometimes she was an Irish peddler woman, and sometimes a runaway slave. The times she used the slave persona (called "Cuff") what did she use to blacken her skin?

Answer: Silver nitrate

Emma used quite a few disguises. Sometimes she would use silver nitrate (used for medical cauterizing) to darken her skin and would pretend to be a slave. She would act as "Cuff" and wander around the Confederate camp doing odd jobs but really taking mental and physical notes.

She also would dress as a plump Irish woman selling fruit to the Southern soldiers. This was ironic because it was a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman!
8. Emma Edmonds was suffering from a broken leg in 1863 after she fell from a horse during a night ride. Then she got very sick. Realizing she would be found out if she was admitted to the hospital, "Frank" deserted one evening. What was the sickness, frequently caused by the irritating mosquito, that ended Emma's espionage activities?

Answer: Malaria

At the start of 1863, Emma fell sick to malaria with its chills, aches, exhaustion, and jaundice coloring. The medical group at the regiment urged her to go to a hospital but she knew that her true identify would be discovered. She sneaked out of camp and checked into a private hospital under her real name.

When she was able to be discharged, she discovered that Frank had been charged a deserter with a punishment of death. She moved to Washington, D.C. and served as a nurse under her real name.
9. In 1882, now married with children, Emma Edmonds decided that she was due a pension for her hard work as a soldier and spy. She requested affidavits from comrades from her regiment. True or False -- The men were horrified that they had served with a woman and denied her requests.

Answer: False

Emma started the process with a notarized letter to the Michigan adjutant general stating that she and Frank Thompson were the same person. She then visited and wrote letters to many of the men she had known from her days as a soldier. Although they were shocked, they heartily endorsed her wish to get a pension.

She received the $12 per month, attended the reunion, and got a desertion charge removed from the records.
10. Emma Edmonds died in 1898, at the age of 56, as a result of the lingering after-effects from malaria. She had also worked on a memoir during the latter part of her life called "Nurse and Spy in the Union Army". It was a big success. What did she do with the money?

Answer: Donated it to soldiers' aid establishments

Even though Emma could have used the money, she requested that all her proceeds be given to charitable organizations that help active soldiers and veterans. She was the second of only two women to be in the Grand Army of the Republic which was a Civil War veteran group.

She died in September of 1898 and was buried in La Porte, Texas before her body was moved to the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in Houston.
Source: Author stephgm67

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