Home > American Civil War > Rose O'Neal Greenhow Biography

Born 1815 or 1817
Port Tobacco, Maryland
Died October 1, 1864
Wilmington, North Carolina

Washington socialite and Confederate spy

Provided information that allowed Confederate forces to win the First Battle of Bull Run

Spying "was far more successful than my hopes could have flattered me to expect."

Rose O'Neal Greenhow was one of the most successful female Confederate spies of the Civil War. A prominent hostess in Washington society, she learned about Union military plans from her wide circle of important friends and passed that information along to Confederate leaders. In July 1861, she provided key information that helped Confederate forces win the First Battle of Bull Run in Virginia. "I employed every capacity with which God has endowed [provided] me," she once said, "and the result was far more successful than my hopes could have flattered me to...