Mrs. Greenhow, the "Confederate Spy", With her
Daughter, In the Old Capitol Prison
Mrs. Rose 0'Neal Greenhow, a zealous and trusted friend of
the Confederacy, lived in Washington at the opening of the war. It was she who,
on July 10, 1861, sent the famous cipher message to Beauregard, "Order issued
for McDowell to move on Manassas to-night." Acting on this, Beauregard promptly
arranged his army for the expected attack, while Johnson and "Stonewall" Jackson
hastened from the Valley to aid in repelling the Federal advance. Mrs.
Greenhow’s secret-service work was cut short on August 28th, when Allan
Pinkerton, the Federal detective, arrested her and put her under military guard
at her home, 898 Sixteenth Street. Afterward she was transferred to tile Old
Capitol Prison. She remained there until April, 1862. On June 2d, after pledging
her word not to come north of the Potomac until the war was over, Mrs. Greenhow
was escorted beyond the lines of the Union army and set at liberty. It was later
discovered that she had, even while in prison, corresponded extensively with
Colonel Thomas Jordan, of General Beauregard's staff.
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