The first thing you need to know about Maria Isabella “Belle” Boyd (1844-1900) is that she refused to be ignored. After that, you need to know that the first thing about her informs the second thing about her, which was that she was one of the most successful Confederate spies, if not one of the [...]
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) is most often recognized for her skillful navigation of the Underground Railroad, but too few people seem to know that she was also a highly successful Union spy. What is a long and worthy life story to know is unfortunately going to get the Reader’s Digest treatment here and then I’m going [...]
Elizabeth Van Lew
Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900) was a Quaker educated daughter of a Virginia plantation owner who became a Union Military spy during the Civil War. Aside from Elizabeth’s involvement in the Mary Elizabeth Bowser spying affair, Van Lew was openly Pro-Union, an abolitionist, openly provided food and clothing to Union POW’s (also helped a few escape [...]
Mary Elizabeth Bowser
Mary Elizabeth Bowser (1839-Unknown) was an unbelievably courageous freed slave who worked as a Union spy during the Civil War. Mary began life as a slave on a plantation in Richmond, Virginia. When the plantation owner passed away in 1851, his daughter, Elizabeth Van Lew, a staunch abolitionist, freed Mary. Mary stayed on and continued [...]
