Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1917-05-25


Banks and driven him in confusion up the line OF
the Shenandoah, he wrote this letter:
Miss Belle Boyd thank you for myself and
for the army for the immense service that you have
rendered your country today
The Union General Shields was quartered at
Miss Boyd's house. He held council of war
there. Miss Boyd bored hole in the floor of her
chamber, which Shields room, and lay
there with her to it throughout the night The
next morning Stonewall Jackson was 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 her
Shenandoah home to Winchester. She had been
arrested by the Federals and had frted her way
TO liberty-for she was pretty girl, despite the
hbeous photographs of her. In Winchester, Jack
conferred upon her a commission 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 1854 when she caught 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
Belle Boyd is the most famous Of the spies, but
there are many others who deserve at least as
much fame she One of them was Eliba-
beth B. Van Lew, who had the incredible courage
to act a Union spy in Richmond throughout
the war. There not moment during those
four years when Lizzie Van Lew could hear step
behind her the street without expecting to have
somebody tap her the shoulder and say, you
are 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 was
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 on 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 scalding water, and the
soldier dropped it with shrek.
Lizzie Van Lew had secret recess in her
house a hiding place for dispatches. Sometimes
she would move a hand idly toward this recess,
and an hour or two later some old negress, ap-
parently busting the room, would slip her hand
back Of the mantel and find 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 a Confederate spy in
washington who dazzled the Union in the early
DAYS of the war. 1t was one of her assistants,
Miss DuvaI OF Washington who brought Beaure-
gard the first news of McDowells advance and en-
abled him and Johnson to foil the Federal plans
for the campaign of Bull Run Mrs. GreenhoW
sent Miss DuvaI to Beauregard on July ~, CIV
ing him the first news of the contemplated adj
vance, and on July 16 she sent him word OF the
forces and the contemplated movement or the
Union army. He promptly wired the information
10 Davis and the word sent to Johnson which
resulted In his advance and the terrible downfall
of the Northern cause.
The Northern secret service was technically
under the direction of Gen. Lafayette G. Baker,
man without scruple After the war Baker IN
sisted on taking to himself most Of the credit Tor
what had been done in detective work, Dut as
matter of fact the best work done In the war was
done by volunteers, men and women, who were
willing to risk a shameful death to serve their
country Many of them were private soldiers;
some were enlisted among Allan Pinkertons de-
tectives OF these the most famous was Ilmotny
Webster one of the greatest detectives VINO ever
lived. Webster succeeded In getting the South TO
believe in him TO such extent that he came near
beng made the colonel of an Alabama regiment
and in Baltimore he q member or the hnlgntS
Of Liberty He even became trusted emssary
of the Confederate department at Rlcnmono
and at pittsburgh Union mob tried to lynch MN
as Confederate spy. Nothing saved him but the
arrival of Allan Pinkerton with drawn revolver
ond Webster and Pinkerton backed against the
wall and stood off the mob until help arrived
Webster was finally captured in Richmond, and