Rose Greenhow: Spy for the Confederacy
By Doris Faber, Spies of the World Series, copyright 1967, 128 pages.
Genre: Biography/Civil War
RL: 5th - adult
No one knows very much about Rose Greenhow, who her parents were, where she was born, what her private life was like. But what we do know is the Rose Greenhow was a spy and a good one at that. She used her charm and influence to get information from Union soldiers and government officials. She had the intelligence to decipher bits of information and get it into Confederate hands. Her warnings were influential in alerting the Confederate army to the Union's plan to march against Richmond. Rose's work for the Confederacy eventually resulted in her arrest by Detective Allan Pinkerton. She and her youngest daughter, also Rose, were held prisoner for many months before they were taken across the enemy lines and set free. After that Rose did all that she could to help the Confederate cause, a cause she believe in so much that she would give her life in it's aid.
I had never heard of Rose Greenhow before I read this book. The title intrigued me, so I picked it up and finished it in about three days (which is record time for me!). As a spy, Rose was careful not to leave a paper trail, so not much is known about her movements as a spy, what information she sent or how she received her information. Much of this is left to speculation but the author does a wonderful job writing and portraying the story of this fascinating woman.
Genre: Biography/Civil War
RL: 5th - adult
No one knows very much about Rose Greenhow, who her parents were, where she was born, what her private life was like. But what we do know is the Rose Greenhow was a spy and a good one at that. She used her charm and influence to get information from Union soldiers and government officials. She had the intelligence to decipher bits of information and get it into Confederate hands. Her warnings were influential in alerting the Confederate army to the Union's plan to march against Richmond. Rose's work for the Confederacy eventually resulted in her arrest by Detective Allan Pinkerton. She and her youngest daughter, also Rose, were held prisoner for many months before they were taken across the enemy lines and set free. After that Rose did all that she could to help the Confederate cause, a cause she believe in so much that she would give her life in it's aid.
I had never heard of Rose Greenhow before I read this book. The title intrigued me, so I picked it up and finished it in about three days (which is record time for me!). As a spy, Rose was careful not to leave a paper trail, so not much is known about her movements as a spy, what information she sent or how she received her information. Much of this is left to speculation but the author does a wonderful job writing and portraying the story of this fascinating woman.