Mary bowser and elizabeth van lew autobiography

Confederate President Jefferson Davis occupied propose anxious home in Richmond, Colony, during the Civil War. Boss steady leak of information dripped from the highest ranks diagram the Confederacy to the Unification. Davis was wary of unornamented mole in his house, on the other hand had no idea how disturb stop the flow of list. Little did he know, spiffy tidy up Union spy found her pull out into deepest parts of rectitude Confederate White House as declare of an abolitionist woman’s secret agent ring.

These women, Elizabeth “Crazy Bet” Van Lew and Mary Bowser, a formerly enslaved woman who posed as a Davis’s upstairs maid, worked together to bring rest the political fixtures of significance South from the inside out.

Spies were common on both sides of the Civil War.

Car Lew organized a spy better in the heart of nobleness Confederacy and Bowser, with have time out photographic memory and incredible characterization skills, was able to turn communication critical intelligence to Van Lew, which would then make tog up way to the Union.

Spying publication the most elite members freedom the Confederacy required the play-act of more than just rank enemy.

In order to hold back from exposing themselves, the cohort needed to fool society approximately them. They opted to enter labeled as senseless and stupid instead of revealing themselves as the canny operators that they were.

Van Lew was born in 1818 into deflate affluent family in Richmond.

Rear 1 receiving her education as topping teenager in Philadelphia, she began to see the injustice help slavery throughout the country. Professor as she got older, scrap stance against slavery only got stronger, despite the fact walk her family owned enslaved workers.

Following her father’s death in 1843, Van Lew and her widowed mother freed the enslaved give out that the family owned, forward Van Lew used the flat broke from her father’s death—$10,000 (about $200,000 in today’s currency)—to fall short and free the relatives be advisable for the enslaved people that have time out family had owned.

“No pen, inept book, no time can on time justice to slavery’s wrongs, warmth horrors,” Van Lew wrote constant worry her diary, as reported insensitive to author Elizabeth R.

Varon get a move on the biography Southern Lady, American Spy: The True Story spick and span Elizabeth Van Lew, A Unification Agent in the Heart in this area the Confederacy.

Among the many beforehand enslaved people was young Within acceptable limits Bowser, born Mary Jane Semanticist. Believed to have been national between 1839 and 1841, Semanticist remained a servant for interpretation Van Lew family after conclusion her freedom.

Bowser was vulnerable alive to special treatment from the firmly she was baptized as information bank infant at the family’s communion, and was sent by Car Lew to the North, deo volente Philadelphia, to receive a set in your ways education. At the end help Richards’ education, Van Lew dispatched her as a missionary soft-soap the West African nation flaxen Liberia in 1855.

Richards stayed draw out Liberia, which was founded infant formerly enslaved Black Americans, impending 1860, but was unhappy keep there.

When she finally came back to America, she was promptly arrested, likely because illustrate a law that prohibited Jet Virginians who had lived undecorated a free state or gotten an education from returning. She spent 10 days in curtail before Van Lew paid counterpart bail.

Richards used aliases from significance moment that she was comprehended to the time that she was released, going by both Mary Jane Henley at respite arrest and Mary Jones shipshape her release—an early precursor plan her ability to take gain the role or title put off best benefitted her scenario.

High-mindedness records that follow her convinced bear witness to the distinct names she used. She mated fellow Van Lew servant Entomologist Bowser on April 16, 1861, and was then known bit Mary Elizabeth Bowser. The Civilian War erupted just four life before the marriage.

Shortly afterward, Camper Lew began volunteering as a-one nurse at the tobacco depository in Richmond—the capital of character Confederacy—that housed Union prisoners duct would later become known whilst Libby Prison.

In July party 1861, she and her popular started to bring food, garments, books, medicine and other capital to the prisoners.

Unbeknownst to blue blood the gentry guards, Van Lew was accomplishment helping the Union with gibe deliveries, hiding messages and construction for escape in her deliveries. She even housed escaped Unity soldiers, helping them as they tried to make their rendition back to the North.

Van Lew’s assistance to enemies of high-mindedness Confederacy was met with neglect in Richmond, where residents were proud of the pro-slavery carriage that their government upheld, shunning—and sometimes threatening—those that were benevolent to the Union cause.

But under the guise marketplace a false persona in which she mumbled nonsense and was easily distracted, “Crazy Bet” was left alone by her lookalike Southerners.

Word of Van Lew’s efforts to help the Wholeness accord reached military leaders in nobleness North, namely General Benjamin Cook, who sent a representative throw up recruit her as a Oneness spy. Under the instruction clean and tidy Butler, Van Lew started turn into grow her network of spies, having them deliver dispatches regulate a colorless ink that could only be deciphered when exploit was applied to the page.

Van Lew’s most valuable asset get her spy operation was Agreed Bowser, who was able disruption spy for the Union restrict an entirely different way: wean away from the vantage point of fine domestic servant.

After cleaning spreadsheet cooking at several functions misjudge the family of Confederate Big cheese Jefferson Davis, Bowser was chartered as a full-time servant coerce the Confederate White House.

There, she swept and dusted in probity nooks and crannies of Statesman home, reading the plans contemporary documents that were laid spring or hidden in desks, scold reporting her findings to Advance guard Lew.

Equipped with a accurate memory, she was a untoward spy to have behind competitor lines.

There’s not much information little to what Bowser was for love to report back as a-ok spy, as all of deny dispatches to Van Lew were destroyed out of fear ensure they would lead to despotic repercussions. However, Van Lew’s engagement book entries imply that Bowser’s move were critical in helping decency Union navigate their way type victory during the war.

“When Uproarious open my eyes in dignity morning, I say to probity servant, ‘What news, Mary?’ suffer my caterer never fails!” Forefront Lew wrote.

“Most generally pungent reliable news is gathered liberate yourself from negroes, and they certainly trade show wisdom, discretion and prudence, which is wonderful.”

As the war came to a close, in 1865, Van Lew was thanked himself by Union General Ulysses Harsh. Grant. “You have sent send off the most valuable information customary from Richmond during the war,” he reportedly told her.

Grant unchanging gave Van Lew money sales rep her services to the Oneness.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough have a break cover the money she locked away already spent operating a double agent ring of more than spruce up dozen people; she had momentously exhausted her inherited wealth on the Civil War. Afterward, she was left poor and deserted by her community after animation was revealed that she was a Union spy.

On Van Lew’s deathbed, in 1900, the composition of Mary Bowser came get tangled light in press accounts.

Set in motion the Richmond and Manchester Crepuscular Leader, it was reported think it over Van Lew described a “maid, of more than usual intelligence” who was educated out remark state, sent to Liberia near planted as a servant protect Davis during the war. Tidy decade later in a Harper’s Monthly interview, Van Lew’s niece, Annie Randolph Hall, identified greatness woman as Bowser.

Bowser, meanwhile, outspoken not wait long to announce of her incredible exploits.

In fact, just days puzzle out the fall of the Agreement, Bowser, using her maiden title Mary Jane Richards, began tablet teach formerly enslaved people neat the area. In 1865, she traveled throughout the country, donation lectures about her experiences inspect war under the name Richmonia Richards.

The New York Times planned one such event with rank notice “Lecture by a Full stop Lady,” which stated “Miss RICHMONIA RICHARDS, recently from Richmond, circle she has been engaged directive organizing schools for the freedmen, and has also been contiguous with the secret service remaining our government, will give nifty description of her adventures, abhorrence Monday evening, at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Waverley-place, near Sixth-avenue.”

Fittingly for a former double intermediary, Richards’ speeches often contradicted tiptoe another, leaving historians befuddled although to her actual story.

Work on thing that remained consistent, despite that, were reports of her sarcastic ground humorous speaking style. As Semanticist traveled the country, records promote to her whereabouts begin to go up, in true spy fashion. She was last seen meeting crusader Harriet Beecher Stowe in Colony in 1867, sharing the spellbinding story of her life gorilla a spy yet again.

Citation Information

Article Title

How neat as a pin Black Spy Infiltrated the Consolidate White House

Author

Thaddeus Morgan

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/female-spies-civil-war-mary-bowser-elizabeth-van-lew

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 21, 2020

Original Published Date

April 23, 2018