The Benson signal., 1917-08-11

y
advance. There was great need of
spies.
However, some historians attribute
McClellan's failure to win the decisive
results that were open to him at Antie-
tam to the mistaken reports of the
great prepOnderance of numbers in
Lees army that were received from
the secret service organization. Nc
Clellan seemed inclined to use the
agency too much to learn the strength
of the enemy and too little to learn it's
weaknesses.
Operation Of Women Spies.
Miss Van Liew, resident of Rich
mOnd, Va, rendered invaluable service
to the Union cause, and Mrs. Green
how was equally valuable to the Con-
federacy as spy in Washington. Mrs.
Greenhow had been a leader in Wash
ington society before the war. "She
was Southerner by birth, but resi-
dent of the capital from girlhood;
widow, beautiful, accomplished,
wealthy, and noted for her wit and
her forceful personality" Her wide
acquaintance among important men
was used to good advantage to further
the Southern cause. Though suspect
ed by the Federal authorities, she con-
trived many ingenious ways to escape
their vigilance. Jefferson Davis said
RTIf
have been no battle Of Bull Run"
That defeat of the North was supposed
to have been largely due to her getting
a copy of the order to General Nc
DOwell and sending it to Beauregard.
She was drowned at the mouth of Cape
Fear river, North Carolina, in her at
tempt to land from the blockade run
ner Condor, after some secret mission
to England in behalf Of the Confed-
eracy. Weighted by her heavy black
silk dress and bag of gold sovereigns,
she was an easy victim Of the waves.
We have the word Of the adjutant
generals office Of the war department
that women spies were never shot dur
ing the Civil war.
Secret Stations and Ciphers.
The Army and Navy Journal says
that the greater part of the information
that was received at Washington from
Richmond was collected and trans
mitted by Miss Van Liew, through a
chain of five secret stations established
by her for forwarding her cipher dis
patches. "She was a woman of forty,
of delicate figure, brilliant, accomplish
ed, resolute-a woman of great person
ality and infinite charm" She held in
Richmond special position corre-
spending to that Of Mrs. Greenhow in
Washington. Jenny Lind sang in her
parlOr and Poe there read aloud his
Raven" This house was the rendez-
vous Of the Federal secret agents, and,
there, in her 'secret room," were con-
cealed escaped union prisoners. Miss
Van Liew even had the audacity to
get a negro girl devoted to her inter-
ests introduced as a waitress into the
home of Jefferson Davis. Though her
and she was constantly suspected, no
evidence against her sufficient to
cause her arrest was ever obtained.
Mrs. Surratt was condemned and
hanged for participation in the Lincoln
assassination plot. Her home had been
a regular meeting place for conspira-
tors, and her son among them and
Payne, who attempted to kill Seward,
was on his way to the Surratt rendez-
vous when arrested.
Belle Boyd was the siren spy of the
South The daughter of a Virginia
merchant, "blue eyed, sharp featured
quick tempered and very free" she
easily attracted the young officers and
learned how to get information and
get it across the border without de-
lection. She rode a spirited horse and
carried a revolver in her belt. Not sat
isfied with her individual efforts, she
organized a corps of spies of her own
style.
Virginia women lighted many sig
nal lamp by the garret windows, and