Portrait of Confederate spy, Rose O'Neal Greenhow¨
- Wilmingtons Confederate Spy
Portrait of Confederate spy, Rose O'Neal Greenhow¨
- Wilmingtons Confederate Spy
Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a renowned confederate spy during the American Civil War. Although she always considered herself a ¨Southern Woman¨, Ms. Greenhow was born in Montgomery County, Maryland. When the Civil War broke out, Greenhow closely associated herself with the Confederacy, as her ideas aligned with those of the South. She was an activist for pro-states' rights, as well as a slavery expansionist. In 1861, she was recruited by esteemed Confederate General, Thomas Jordan, who had created a pro-Southern spy network all throughout Washington D.C. He supplied her with a twenty-six symbol cipher (a classified secret language) for encoding messages. From here, her active role in aiding the Confederacy was instituted.
¨Rose O'Neal Greenhow and Her Daughter Rose [Photographed at Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC]¨
-Mathew Brady Studio, Albumen silver print, 1862, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
¨Rose Greenhow’s silk purse and part of her encrpyted message to Confederate General Beauregard.¨
- From “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy”
Rose O'Neal Greenhow's first mission for the Confederate Army was one of the most significant undertakings of the Civil War. After receiving word that the Union Army was consolidating forces, Greenhow recognized she had to act quickly and report this development back to her base. She drafted a woman named Bettie Duval to help her fulfill this task. Ms. Duval was a young Confederate-minded, brave woman up for the challenge. In order for Ms. Duval to deliver this news to Confederate headquarters safely, Greenhow wrote a cipher-coded letter and hid the note in Ms. Duval's hair. From there, Ms. Duval snuck out of Washington and assumed the role of a poor farmer. She then made her way to the Confederate-occupied Fairfax Court House in Virginia. Now amongst Confederate commanders, she unraveled her hair to reveal the secret letter. With this new information, the Confederate Army consolidated their army and prepared for attack. With the brave actions of Rose O'Neal Greenhow, and her innovative communication technique, the Confederate Army scored the first victory at the Battle of Manassas.
"I have a right to my own political opinions. I am a Southern woman, born with Revolutionary blood in my veins. Freedom of speech and thought were my birthright, guaranteed, signed and sealed by the blood of our fathers."
-Rose O'Neal Greenhow
¨Rose Greenhow’s cipher. ¨
-From “Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy”