Rose+O'Neal+Greenhow



Rose O’Neal Greenhow was one of the most renowned spies of the American Civil War. A passionate secessionist and leader in Washington society, Greenhow was credited by Jefferson Davis as being an integral part of the Civil War – without her, he claimed, the South would have lost Manassas.

Greenhow was born in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1817. She was called “Wild Rose” when she was young because of her vivacious personality. She was orphaned as a young girl and went to live with her aunt during this time, earning many suitors because of her beauty.

Greenhow was obviously affected by the war because she was a clear part of it – as a spy for the Confederates, she worked with men in Congress sympathetic to the Confederacy, Union officers, and her dentist.

Greenhow was imprisoned in the Old Capital Prison for her espionage.

A list of her letters and original documents can be found here: [] I’d like to ask her how much her children knew about her line of work. Also, I’d like to know how she juggled her life as a single mother with all this work.