Emma's Letter by Max Caspi

Dear War Department,

My name is Emma Edmonds. I was in the Union army during the Civil War under my alias Franklin Thompson. I was a nurse and a spy. I brought back a lot of good information. I was put as AWOL and as a dishonorable discharge. I would like to be reinstated as Honorably discharged. These are the reasons why. When I was in the army, I applied to be a nurse.

A little while into the war, the spy got captured and killed. They asked me to become a spy. My first mission I went to the rebel base as a slave named Cuff. I listed artillery and earthworks, and hid it in my shoe to bring it back to General McLellan. He personally thanked me.

Another reason I think you should reinstate me is because I was granted a furlough for two weeks and during those weeks I spent my the rest of my time working in the Confederate hospital and the Union hospital. When I went back to McLellan, he asked me to continue doing spy missions.

I think you should reinstate me because I was heading to a Confederate base as an Irish peddler when I saw an abandoned house. I went inside and heard moaning. I looked around and found a Confederate soldier dying of typhoid fever (71). I got him water and stayed with him overnight. He asked me to bring a gold pocket watch to his major, Major Mckee.

Then I was working as a man named Charles Mayberry. My cover was working for a man named Aylesworth. Aylesworth was supposed to make uniforms for the Union soldiers, but he ran a secret base of operations for the Confederate states. He was talking to a man named Hall. Aylesworth then told me that Hall was a big spy in the Confederate army and was carrying important Union documents. I talked with my contact before I went to the meeting spot. He told me there would be a Union ambush waiting for Hall and I. They arrested us and let me free(110).

Please consider my request for a reconsideration of my title as it, as of now is dishonorably discharged, I would like it to be changed to honorably discharged,I would very much appreciate it if you could do that, thank you.

Sincerely,

Emma Edmonds

(Franklin Thompson)