Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-05-25

Banks and driven him in confusion up the line Of
the Shenandoah he wrote this letter:
Miss Belle Boyd: 1 thank you for myself and
for the army for the immense service that you have
rendered your country today"
The Union General Shields quartered at
Miss Boyd's house. He held council of war
there. Miss Boyd bored a hole In the floor of her
chamber, which was over Shields room, and lay
there with her to It throughout the night The
next morning stonewall Jackson in full pos
sion of the plans for great battle, and was able
to defeat the Union army
She kept up her valiant work for the Confed-
eracy until The Union officers began to suspect
her, and Jackson ordered her to move from Der
Shenandoah home to Winchester. She had been
arrested by the Federals and had 1irted her way
to lIberty-for she was a pretty girl, despite the
libelous photographs of her. In Winchester, Jack
son conferred upon her commission as captain
in the Confederate army. By this time the whole
North had become aware of the services she was
rendering the Confederacy, and every officer and
private the alert to get her. Yet she es-
capped until 1864, when she was caught on block
ade runner. Her captor lost his heart to her,
deserted the navy. and married her, and the
prince of Wales, afterward Edward VII, attended
the wedding.
there are many others who deserve at least
much fame as she won. One of them was Eliba-
beth B. Van Lew who had the incredible courage
TO act Union spy In Richmond throughout
the There not moment during those
four years when Lizzie Van Lew could hear step
behind her on the street without expecting to have
somebody tap her the shoulder and say, you
my prisoner" She did not confne her activi-
ties to spying and reporting what she had dis
covered to the Union generals; she hid escaped
prisoners in her house. she dealt out messages to
soldiers In Libby from their homes; her resources
were endless One of her favorite devices
q metal platter with double bottom. in which she
used to pretend to convey food to the prisoners.
Once Confederate soldier. whose suspicion had
been aroused, insisted examining it; but that
day Lizzie, who had been expecting some move
of this kind, had filed the false bottom not with
secret messages but with scaldng water, and the
soldier dropped 1t with a Shrek
Lizzie Van Lew had a secret recess in her
house. hiding place for dispatches. Sometimes
she would hand idly toward this recess,
and an hour or two later some old negress. APP
busting the room. would slip her hand
back of the mantel and find a dispatch which
would go to Grant that day. 1t was Lizzie Van
Lew who stole the body of Col. Uric Dahlgren
and Struggled it out of Richmond. one of the most
daring exploits of the war.
Rosa b. Greenhow was Confederate spy in
Washington who dazzled the Union in the early
DAYS of the war 1t was one OF her assistants a
Miss Duval of Washington. who brought Beaure-
gard the first news of McDowels advance and en-
abled him and Johnson to foil the Federal plans
for the campaign of Bull Run Mrs. Greenhow
sent Miss DuYal 10 BeaureSdru on July ~, CIV
Ing him the first news of the contemplated adj
vance and on July l6 she sent him word of the
forces and the contemplated movement of the
Union army He promptly wired the information
10 Davis and the word was sent to Johnson, which
resulted in his advance and the terrible downfall
Of the Northern cause.
The Northern secret service was technically
lnder the direction of Gen. Lafayette c. Baker,
nan without scruple After the war Baker in
listed on taking TO himself most of the credit for
what had been done In detective work. but as
natter OF fact the best work done in the war was
lone by volunteers, men and women. who were
Wiling to risk shameful death to serve their
ountry Many of them were private soldiers;
ONE were enlisted among Allan Pinkerton's de-
ectiyes OF these the most famous was Timothy
Webster, one of the greatest detectives who ever
we'd Webster succeeded in getting fhe South TO
elieve In him to such extent that he came near
eing made the colonel of Alabama regiment,
nd in Baltimore he member of the knights
{ liberty He even became trusted emissary
the Confederate war department at Richmond,
nd at Pittsburgh Union mob tried to lynch him
S a Confederate spy. Nothing saved him but the
rival of Allan Pinkerton. with drawn revolver,
nd Webster and Pinkerton backed against the
all and stood Off the mob until help arrived
picl,p,o