19th-century women weren't supposed to be devious - and that's what made them such effective spies. Hundreds of women tied gun parts to their crinolines, baked quinine into bread loaves, hid generals in their attics, and made daring midnight rides for their cause. In this episode, we follow four of them: Union ladies Elizabeth Van Lew and Mary Jane Bowser and Confederate dames Rose O'Neal Greenhow and Bell Boyd. They flirted, tricked, and cajoled the men around them, using their prejudice about a woman's place to achieve outrageous feats of courage and ingenuity. You won't believe what they did, and what they risked, to do their part for the conflict raging all around them.

Victorian America was a very haunted place, and by mid-century the Spiritualist movement was sweeping through it. People went in droves to see mediums - who were mostly women - to try and reach the spirits of their loved ones just beyond the veil. They made tables levitate, answered philosophical questions in front of huge crowds, and found a kind of fame and attention that suffragists would have killed for.

I'm bringing one of my bonus episodes out of the Patreon vault and sharing it with everyone! Back by popular demand, this bonus gives a more in-depth glimpse into sex in 19th-century: specifically the fascinating lives and times of two very prominent madames. One was Washington's most renowned brothel owner, who opened up a gilded bawdy house just a stone's throw from the Capitol building. The other made quite a scandalous splash as the East Coast's most infamous lady doctor/abortionist. Let's talk about sex, scandal, contraception and abortion - about the lives of women of the evening, and the lengths 19th century women went to in order to find a little help in the realm of family planning.

If you like this episode, go to www.patreon.com/theexploresspodcast, become a patron, and dive right into 2+ hours of bonus content (and counting). I'd love to see you there!