You might have see the photograph of her which was taken while she was in prison. Rose oneal greenhow was adept at political intrigue and often involved i. Rose oneal greenhow, nicknamed wild rose, used her political and social contacts in washington, d. As author ishbel ross noted in the book rebel rose, greenhow. Greenhow circulated among the capitals elite social circles, and her home stood within sight of the whi. Rose oneal greenhow or wild rose confederate spy civil. Apr 08, 2018 little rose as she was known was rose oneal greenhow and was born in 1853. Rose oneal greenhow was adept at political intrigue and often involved in scandal. She was born maria rosetta oneal and orphaned in childhood when a slave murdered her father. Perhaps a more innocent and less intriguing spy than her mother, but a little rebel spy nonetheless. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.
My imprisonment and the first year of abolition rule at. While rowing ashore in a small boat with two confederate agents, a large waved capsized the boat and rose was drowned. Rose oneal greenhow project gutenberg selfpublishing. Rose was truly one of the most incredible civil war women. War, yielding this excellent biography of confederate spy rose oneal greenhow. 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. Roses war,18611864, the memoirs of a southern confederate sympathizer, volume ii kindle history book 2 by rose oneal greenhow, mark parsons, et al. Rose oneal greenhow and the blockade runners by george. Rose oneal greenhow was the confederacys most celebrated female spy at the. Rose oneal greenhow 18171864 was a popular socialite in washington, dc, and a spy for the south during the civil war. Rose s war,18601864, the memoirs of a southern confederate sympathizer, volume i kindle history book 1 mar 25, 2012. Rose oneal greenhow, 18141864 my imprisonment and the. Rose oneal greenhow was a celebrated civil warspy who used her high social position in washington to spy for the confederate cause.
Rose oneal greenhow is within the scope of wikiproject espionage, which aims to improve wikipedia s coverage of espionage, intelligence, and related topics. 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. When she was a young girl, one of the familys slaves murdered her father. Start this article has been rated as startclass on the projects quality scale. Rose oneal greenhow, 18141864 my imprisonment and the first. 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. My imprisonment and the first year of abolition rule at washington, p. Rose oneal greenhow with her youngest son and namesake, little rose, at the old capitol prison, washington, d. This book covers areas of the civil war less well known.
During her long washington career she knew nine presidents and was the intimate. Robert remained in san francisco and was walking down the street on a plank sidewalk. Little rose greenhow and her mother, rose oneal greenhow the girl is little rose. Jan 20, 2019 rose o neal greenhow, nicknamed wild rose, used her political and social contacts in washington, d. Intelligence service seized from greenhows home in august 1861. Rose oneal greenhow was born in montgomery county, maryland in 1817. 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. Rose greenhow came to know virtually everyone of importance in washington. Each of these items has been transcribed and scanned. Rose o neal greenhow was born to a wealthy slaveholding family in southern maryland in 1817. Rose oneal married the prominent physician and historian robert greenhow in 1835 and became a leading hostess of 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. Rose oneal greenhow, confederate spy whose social position and shrewd judgment cloaked her espionage for the south during the american civil war.
The book covers the life of rose oneal greenhow a southern socialite and civil war spy. 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. God gave me both a brain and a body, and i shall use them both. 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. Her daughter, little rose, continued attending school in paris after her. Rose oneal greenhow 18 or 1814 october 1, 1864 was a renowned confederate spy during the american civil war. My imprisonment and the first year of abolition rule at washington. Rose oneal greenhow was the confederacys most celebrated female spy at the start of the civil war. C born into a large slaveholding family in maryland around 18, rose was sent to live with her aunt in washington d. 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. Rose oneale greenhow, civil war spy, published by random house. Her book cemented her exploits in the annals of civil war lore and legend.
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 18 or 1814 october 1, 1864 was a renowned confederate spy. Rose then traveled to france and england, where she penned a book entitled, my imprisonment. Upon her return to the united states, in september of 1864, her ship ran aground off the coast of north carolina. Oct 02, 2019 confederate spy rose oneal greenhow drowns off the north carolina coast when a yankee craft runs her ship aground. Rose o neal greenhow was born in port tobacco, maryland about1817, the orphan of a prosperous planter family. 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. Sep 18, 2000 rebel rose, a spy of grande dame proportions. Rose oneal greenhow 18171864 and her daughter rose by the. For sheer bravado and style, no woman in the north or south rivaled the c. As author ishbel ross noted in the book rebel rose, greenhow had ciphered the message. Rose oneal greenhow 18171864 and her daughter rose. Robert greenhow, with whom she bore four daughters.
Aug 01, 2015 on august 23, 1861, rose oneal greenhow, a popular society matron and confederate spy, was arrested at her washington dc home. Rose oneal greenhow american confederate spy britannica. The national archives has digitized and made available in the national archives catalog 175 documents that the u. Known from a young age as wild rose, rose oneal greenhow ascended the ranks of washington, d. By birth, she is a marylander, but her dramatic journey will take her at last to the old north state. About rose o neal greenhow rose o neal greenhow was born in montgomery county, maryland in 1817. May 23, 2018 rose oneal greenhow 1817october 1, 1864 was a renowned confederate spy.
Rose oneal greenhow and the blockade runners, was an absolutely amazing book about an absolutely amazing person, rose oneal greenhow. 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. Jun 20, 20 she was born maria rosetta oneal and orphaned in childhood when a slave murdered her father. Robert greenhow worked for the state department, forcing the family to move to mexico city in 1850 and then san francisco, california. Rose o neal greenhow 18171864 was a popular socialite in washington, dc, and a spy for the south during the civil war. The small rowboat capsized before she reached the shore and greenhow was dragged under by her purse filled with heavy gold coins she had received as royalties for her book. Rose o neal greenhow 18 or 1814october 1, 1864 was a renowned confederate spy.
Rose oneal greenhow was a southern belle of considerable influence in the prewar washington, d. Rose oneal married the prominent physician and historian robert greenhow in 1835 and became a leading. The book is well researched and well written except it dragged in area providing more background information than was necessary. The biographer of madeleine albright and fbi turncoat robert hansen now turns her attention to the civil war, yielding this excellent biography of confederate spy rose oneal greenhow 18171864. 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. For sheer bravado and style, no woman in the north or south rivaled the civil war heroine rose oneale greenhow. Profile for rose oneal greenhow from lincoln page 1. Inside the book was a note meant for her daughter, little rose. She was eventually discovered and arrested by allan pinkerton, head of the recently formed secret service. Rose oneale greenhow european diary index to scanned images.
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. The famous spys daughter youve likely heard of rose oneal greenhow, the famous or infamous southern spy in washington d. Greenhow was buried with full military honors at the oakdale cemetery in wilmington, north carolina. Rebel rose, life of rose o neal greenhow, confederate spy by ishbel ross, page 44, in feb. Confederate spy rose oneal greenhow drowns off the north carolina coast when a yankee craft runs her ship aground.
It starts with her childhood and covers the years as a spy indepth. 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. Seized correspondence of rose oneal greenhow national archives. 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. Rose greenhow is arrested allan pinkerton, head of the new secret service agency of the federal government, places confederate spy rose oneal greenhow under. According to what we read there, this is a brief history of the diary. 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.