Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-05-29


1862 after Jackson had routed
Banks and driven him in confusion up the line OF
the Shenandoah he wrote this letter.
''NIss 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 BOyds house. He held a council of war
there. Miss Boyd bored hole in the floor of her
chamber which over Shields room, and lay
there with her ear to it throughout the night The
next morning StOnewall Jackson was in full pos
sion of the plans for q 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 1irted her way
to Hberty-for she was a pretty girl, despite the
libelOus photographs of her. In Winchester, Jack
conferred upon her 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 1864. when she was caught block
ade 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 as she won. One of them Eliba-
beth B. Van Lew. who had the incredible courage
TO act a Union spy in Richmond throughout
the war. There was 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
are my prisoner" She did not confine her activ-
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
endless. One of her favorite devices was
a metal platter with double bottom in which she
used 10 pretend to convey food to the prisoners.
Once a 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 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 one of her assistants
Miss Duva of Washington who brought Beaure-
gard the first news of McDOwell's advance and en-
abled him and Johnson to foil the Federal plans
fer the campaign of Bull Run. Mrs. Greenhow
sent Miss Duval to Beauregard on July TO-, 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 of the
Union army He promptly wired the information
70 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
under the direction of Gen. Lafayette c. Baker,
man without scrupe. After the war Baker in
sisted on taking to himself most Of the credit for
what had been done in detective work, but as a
matter of fact the best work done In the war was
done by volunteers men and women, who were
willing to risk 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 Timothy
Webster, one of the greatest detectives who ever
lived Webster succeeded in getting the South to
believe In him to such extent that he came near
being made the colonel of an Alabama regiment
and In Baltimore he was member of the Knights
of Liberty He even became trusted emssary
Of the Confederate war department at Richmond
and at Pittsburgh Union mob tried TO lynch him
as a Confederate spy. Nothing saved him but the
arrival of Allan Pinkerton, with drawn revolver
ard Webster and PinkertOn backed against the
wall and stood OFF the mob until help arrived.
webster was finally captured in Richmond, ana