Espionage During The Civil War
The Greenhows had eight children. Their first child died in infancy; the last, Rose's constant companion and namesake, was named Rose O'Neal Greenhow (her middle name being her mother's maiden). She would become known as "Little Rose".
Tragedy struck the family when Greenhow's husband died soon after little Rose's birth. After his death, their oldest child Florence married and move west, and then, just before the Civil War began, another child, Gertrude, died.
Greenhow's sympathy for the Confederate cause grew after her husband's death. She was strongly influenced in her commitment to the right to secession by her friendship with U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun. Greenhow's loyalty to the Confederacy was noted by those with similar sympathies in Washington, and she was soon recruited as a spy.
On July 9, 1861, and July 16, 1861, Greenhow passed secret messages to Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard containing critical information regarding military movements for what would be the First Battle of Bull Run, including the plans of Union General Irvin McDowell. Assisting in her conspiracy were pro-Confederate members of Congress, Union officers, and her dentist, Aaron Van Camp. Confederate President Jefferson Davis credited Greenhow's information with securing victory at Manassas for the Confederate Army over the Union Army.
Read more about this topic: Rose O'Neal Greenhow
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