La Belle Rebelle by John Paul Strain ~ Confederate Spy Belle Boyd & 1st Lt. Henry Kyd Douglas
Front Royal, VA - May 23, 1862

The youngest member of Jackson's staff, 1st Lt. Henry Kyd Douglas spotted a woman running across the valley and fields separating the two armies.  Douglas would later write, "She seemed, when I saw her, to heed neither weeds nor fences, but waved a bonnet as she came on, trying, it was evident, to keep the hill between herself and the village.  I called General Jackson's attention to the singular movement just as a dip in the land hid her, and at General Ewell's suggestion, he sent me to meet her and ascertain what she wanted.  That was just to my taste and it took only a few minutes for my horse to carry me to meet the romantic maiden whose tall, supple, and graceful figure struck me as soon as I came in sight of her.  As I drew near, her speed slackened, and I was startled, momentarily at hearing her call my name.  But I was not astonished when I saw that the visitor was the well-known Belle Boyd whom I had known from her earliest girlhood.  She was just the girl to dare to do this thing."

Belle was a Confederate spy and had been gathering intelligence on the Federal force at Front Royal while visiting her aunt.  She exclaimed to Douglas that the 1st Maryland was the only regiment in town and they were ripe for the taking.  Returning to General Jackson and Ewell, Major Douglas passed on this new information.  Stonewall reacted with anger towards the traitorous Maryland Yankees and immediately ordered up his Confederate 1st Maryland to the front of his force.   General Jackson's attack was sudden, heavy, and successful.  His army routed the force of 1000 Federal soldiers, capturing 700 men and 20 officers, along with two valuable 10-pound Parrott guns.