Letter from Florence Moore to Her Mother Rose Greenhow Concerning a Potential Attack on Washington
5/16/1861
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Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a popular socialite in Washington, DC. During the Civil War, she became a spy for the Confederacy. She wrote ciphered (secret code) messages to the Confederates and provided information about Union military plans.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis credited her with helping the South win the First Battle of Bull Run. Greenhow provided a message about the Union troop's movements in time for Brigadier Generals Beauregard and Johnston to meet at Manassas, Virginia. A young woman working with Greenhow named Betty Duvall carried the message wrapped in a tiny black silk purse and wound up in a bun of her hair.
Head of U.S. Intelligence Service Allan Pinkerton observed Rose Greenhow as part of his counterintelligence activities and found sufficient evidence to place her under house arrest. Greenhow claimed she knew she was under surveillance but had defiantly continued her spying activities. Pinkerton and his men searched Greenhow's home and seized documents including letters, maps, notes, ciphered messages, and burnt papers that Rose had tried to destroy in her stove.
After a period under house arrest, Greenhow was transferred to Old Capitol Prison where she continued to send encoded messages and collect secret information. After her hearing, she was deported to Richmond, Virginia, in May 1862. Jefferson Davis sent her on a diplomatic mission to Europe in 1863. On her return trip to the South on October 1, 1864, the blockade runner the Condor encountered Northern forces and ran aground. Rose Greenhow tried to escape in a rowboat, but it turned over and she drowned.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis credited her with helping the South win the First Battle of Bull Run. Greenhow provided a message about the Union troop's movements in time for Brigadier Generals Beauregard and Johnston to meet at Manassas, Virginia. A young woman working with Greenhow named Betty Duvall carried the message wrapped in a tiny black silk purse and wound up in a bun of her hair.
Head of U.S. Intelligence Service Allan Pinkerton observed Rose Greenhow as part of his counterintelligence activities and found sufficient evidence to place her under house arrest. Greenhow claimed she knew she was under surveillance but had defiantly continued her spying activities. Pinkerton and his men searched Greenhow's home and seized documents including letters, maps, notes, ciphered messages, and burnt papers that Rose had tried to destroy in her stove.
After a period under house arrest, Greenhow was transferred to Old Capitol Prison where she continued to send encoded messages and collect secret information. After her hearing, she was deported to Richmond, Virginia, in May 1862. Jefferson Davis sent her on a diplomatic mission to Europe in 1863. On her return trip to the South on October 1, 1864, the blockade runner the Condor encountered Northern forces and ran aground. Rose Greenhow tried to escape in a rowboat, but it turned over and she drowned.
This primary source comes from the General Records of the Department of State.
National Archives Identifier: 1634091
Full Citation: Letter from Florence Moore to Her Mother Rose Greenhow Concerning a Potential Attack on Washington; 5/16/1861; Letters from Captain Treadwell S. Moore and His Wife Florence (Son-in-Law and Daughter) to Mrs. Rose O'Neal Greenhow; Seized Correspondence of Rose O'Neal Greenhow, 8/23/1861 - 8/23/1861; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/1-moore-greenhow, June 12, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
