Seized correspondence of rose oneal greenhow national archives. C born into a large slaveholding family in maryland around 18, rose was sent to live with her aunt in washington d. She was born maria rosetta oneal and orphaned in childhood when a slave murdered her father. The digitized version of the rose oneal greenhow papers was developed as a project of the digital scriptorium of the duke university special collections library in collaboration with the duke university libraries womens studies bibliographer.
Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. You might have see the photograph of her which was taken while she was in prison. Wild rose, as she was called from a young age, was a leader in washington society, a passionate secessionist, and one of the most renowned spies in the civil war. Rose o neal greenhow 18171864 born in port tobbaco, maryland, as a teenager o neal moved from her familys maryland farm to her aunts fashionable boardinghouse in washington, d. Oct 03, 2012 rose oneal greenhow was a confederate spy and wealthy socialite from washington d. Inside the book was a note meant for her daughter, little rose. Rose oneal greenhow was adept at political intrigue and often involved in scandal. My imprisonment and the first year of abolition rule at washington.
Robert greenhow, with whom she bore four daughters. Each of these items has been transcribed and scanned. The famous spys daughter youve likely heard of rose oneal greenhow, the famous or infamous southern spy in washington d. Profile for rose oneal greenhow from lincoln page 1. Robert greenhow worked for the state department, forcing the family to move to mexico city in 1850 and then san francisco, california. Rose oneal greenhow was a celebrated civil warspy who used her high social position in washington to spy for the confederate cause. Greenhow was buried with full military honors at the oakdale cemetery in wilmington, north carolina. My imprisonment and the first year of abolition rule at washington, p. Rose oneal married the prominent physician and historian robert greenhow in 1835 and became a leading hostess of washington, d.
Rose oneal greenhow, confederate spy whose social position and shrewd judgment cloaked her espionage for the south during the american civil war. Rose oneal greenhow 18171864 and her daughter rose by the. Rose greenhow is arrested allan pinkerton, head of the new secret service agency of the federal government, places confederate spy rose oneal greenhow under. Rose o neal greenhow, or wild rose as she was sometimes called, was a successful and celebrated confederate spy during the american civil war. It starts with her childhood and covers the years as a spy indepth. Rose oneal greenhow papers duke university libraries. The book is well researched and well written except it dragged in area providing more background information than was necessary. Roses war,18611864, the memoirs of a southern confederate sympathizer, volume ii kindle history book 2 by rose oneal greenhow, mark parsons, et al. War, yielding this excellent biography of confederate spy rose oneal greenhow. Rose o neal greenhow was born in port tobacco, maryland about1817, the orphan of a prosperous planter family. Rose greenhow came to know virtually everyone of importance in washington. Rose oneale greenhow european diary index to scanned images.
Confederate spy rose oneal greenhow drowns off the north carolina coast when a yankee craft runs her ship aground. My imprisonment and the first year of abolition rule at. Rose oneal married the prominent physician and historian robert greenhow in 1835 and became a leading. Rose o neal greenhow 18 or 1814october 1, 1864 was a renowned confederate spy. Start this article has been rated as startclass on the projects quality scale. Rose s war,18601864, the memoirs of a southern confederate sympathizer, volume i kindle history book 1 mar 25, 2012. The national archives has digitized and made available in the national archives catalog 175 documents that the u. Apr 08, 2018 little rose as she was known was rose oneal greenhow and was born in 1853. As author ishbel ross noted in the book rebel rose, greenhow had ciphered the message. Personable, intelligent, and outgoing, she adapted easily to the social scene of the capital, and people in washingtons highest circles opened their doors to her. Rose oneal greenhow with her youngest son and namesake, little rose, at the old capitol prison, washington, d. Greenhow, a widow in her 40s at the time of her arrest, had been born in maryland but spent her teenage years in the capital living with her aunt.
Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Rose oneal greenhow is within the scope of wikiproject espionage, which aims to improve wikipedia s coverage of espionage, intelligence, and related topics. Rose oneal greenhow was the confederacys most celebrated female spy at the. Rose oneal greenhow 18171864 and her daughter rose. As author ishbel ross noted in the book rebel rose, greenhow. Rose oneale greenhow, civil war spy, published by random house. Rose then traveled to france and england, where she penned a book entitled, my imprisonment. For sheer bravado and style, no woman in the north or south rivaled the c. Rose oneal greenhow, 18141864 my imprisonment and the first. Robert remained in san francisco and was walking down the street on a plank sidewalk.
Greenhow circulated among the capitals elite social circles, and her home stood within sight of the whi. During her long washington career she knew nine presidents and was the intimate. This book covers areas of the civil war less well known. Her book cemented her exploits in the annals of civil war lore and legend. Rose was truly one of the most incredible civil war women.
Sep 18, 2000 rebel rose, a spy of grande dame proportions. If you would like to participate, visit the project page, or contribute to the discussion. Rose oneal greenhow american confederate spy britannica. May 23, 2018 rose oneal greenhow 1817october 1, 1864 was a renowned confederate spy. This book was so informative, not only did it show the reader the reality of spying during the civil war, but it changed the way i thought about the civil war in general. Rose oneal greenhow was the confederacys most celebrated female spy at the start of the civil war. When she was a young girl, one of the familys slaves murdered her father.
What follows is a chronological list of the all of the original documents related to rose oneal greenhow which are held in the special collections library at duke university. She was eventually discovered and arrested by allan pinkerton, head of the recently formed secret service. We learned about the existence of rose s european diary through washington author ann blackman in her book, wild rose, civil war spy, a true story, published by random house in june 2005. What follows is a chronological list of the all of the original documents related to rose o neal greenhow which are held in the special collections library at duke university. She started by organizing her own spy ring in her enemys capital, and used the information she gathered to help the confederacy win at least. Rose oneal greenhow or wild rose confederate spy civil.
Intelligence service seized from greenhows home in august 1861. The book covers the life of rose oneal greenhow a southern socialite and civil war spy. Aug 20, 2019 rose greenhow is arrested allan pinkerton, head of the new secret service agency of the federal government, places confederate spy rose oneal greenhow under house arrest in washington, d. She was rich and attractive, and to the disappointment of her many admirers, she married, yet was widowed in 1854 from her husband dr. Jan 20, 2019 rose o neal greenhow, nicknamed wild rose, used her political and social contacts in washington, d. Rose oneal greenhow and the blockade runners by george.
Rose s war,18611864, the memoirs of a southern confederate sympathizer, volume ii kindle history book 2 by rose oneal greenhow, mark parsons, et al. According to what we read there, this is a brief history of the diary. Rose oneal greenhow 18 or 1814 october 1, 1864 was a renowned confederate spy. Rose o neal greenhow was born to a wealthy slaveholding family in southern maryland in 1817. Upon her return to the united states, in september of 1864, her ship ran aground off the coast of north carolina.
Little rose greenhow and her mother, rose oneal greenhow the girl is little rose. For sheer bravado and style, no woman in the north or south rivaled the civil war heroine rose oneale greenhow. Rose picked up the language and customs easily and was just as popular in mexico city as she had been in the washington social circles. Rose oneal greenhow 18171864 was a popular socialite in washington, dc, and a spy for the south during the civil war. Rose oneal greenhow was a southern belle of considerable influence in the prewar washington, d. Rose oneal greenhow, nicknamed wild rose, used her political and social contacts in washington, d. Rose oneal greenhow project gutenberg selfpublishing. Fearless spy for the confederacy, glittering washington hostess, legendary beauty and lover, rose greenhow risked everything for the cause she valued more than life itself. Oct 02, 2019 confederate spy rose oneal greenhow drowns off the north carolina coast when a yankee craft runs her ship aground. While rowing ashore in a small boat with two confederate agents, a large waved capsized the boat and rose was drowned. Rose oneal greenhow was born in montgomery county, maryland in 1817. Perhaps a more innocent and less intriguing spy than her mother, but a little rebel spy nonetheless. Rose oneal greenhow was adept at political intrigue and often involved i.
Her daughter, little rose, continued attending school in paris after her. Aug 01, 2015 on august 23, 1861, rose oneal greenhow, a popular society matron and confederate spy, was arrested at her washington dc home. From that point on, greenhow strongly opposed the movement to abolish put an end to slavery and grant equal rights to black americans. Rose oneal greenhow, 18141864 my imprisonment and the. Known from a young age as wild rose, rose oneal greenhow ascended the ranks of washington, d. God gave me both a brain and a body, and i shall use them both. Jun 20, 20 she was born maria rosetta oneal and orphaned in childhood when a slave murdered her father. If you enjoy espionage, civil war history, or just a good story, this book is for you.