Truesdail proposed that Pauline go south, and report back on the state of Confederate defenses in central Tennessee. He warned her that the mission was hazardous and could result in her death if she were to be caught, but she readily accepted the challenge. She was then publicly evicted from the Union lines on the pretext that she was a Southern sympathizer. Cushman quickly became the darling of the Southern troops. Her good looks and her feigned interest gained her numerous invitations from Confederate officers to accompany them along their lines. In this process, she gathered important information on rebel troop strength and positions.