Awesome Stuff Women Did

Feigned insanity as a disguise to secretly build and operate an extensive spy ring for the Union during the American Civil War. Defying her well-bred white Richmond society as well as civil and military authorities, she freed her family’s slaves and then got one former slave, Mary Bowser, hired as a house servant for Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Like her former employer, Mary also feigned a dim-witted, slightly crazy demeanor, allowing her to listen in on conversations and read documents that were left out.

Managed and organized many people in the greater Richmond area - farmers, storekeepers, factory workers, slaves, servants, laundresses. These people received Union agents and escaped soldiers, prisoners, and slaves, and they passed along messages. One friend, a seamstress, stitched messages into her patterns. Despite Confederate guards handling the materials, they never discovered the messages. Motto: “Keep your mouth shut, your eyes and ears open.” (Elizabeth Van Lew)