Belle Boyd grew up in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. She is a lively, energetic young teen who can’t keep her temper contained. With her father away at war, the only people in her home are her, her mother, and Eliza (her sister). But, when Union soldiers come into her home and try to violate her mother in a way that diminishes a woman 's …show more content…
Emma Edmonds disguised herself as a man, so she would be able to enlist in the union army. Her name was changed to “Franklin Thompson”, who witnessed many deaths and bloody battles that would forever stay with her. Edmonds didn’t plan to join the army, until President Lincoln called for volunteers and she posed the question to God, who made the decision for her. Edmonds childhood was far from perfect. While she received harsh chastisement from her father and the impending arranged marriage of a neighbor she couldn’t stand, leaving was not a hard decision to make. From then on, she was known as a soldier and was a very good one at