Declassified: Female Spies

Mary Elizabeth Bowser: c. 1839-?
Mary Bowser was born into slavery in Richmond, Va., just over twenty years before the Civil War. Bowser was owned by the Van Lews, a prominent Richmond family. Upon household head John Van Lew’s death, his daughter Mary freed the family slaves. Mary Van Lew also used some of her inheritance to send Bowser to school in Philadelphia and used her influence to get her a job in Richmond. The job she took wasn't any job however -- it was an opportunity to spy for the Union forces.

Mary Bowser got a job as a servant in Jefferson Davis’s White House under the name Ellen Bond. Although she was a bright woman, she pretended to be a slow-witted, uneducated worker. This trait, combined with her diligent work and unobtrusive personality, helped establish her as a fixture in the Confederate President’s home. Bowser was at many events at Jefferson Davis’ house, helping serve and clean and tend to guests. These guests were often fellow Confederates who would often have sensitive conversations with Davis.

Bowser’s greatest skill was learning to use the prejudices of the time in her favor. Because of her race, gender and position, she was treated like a robot -- she was expected to do her work, not speak up, not cause trouble and certainly not think for herself. Because she was largely ignored by whites, Bowser was able to get an all-important behind the scenes perspective in the Confederate capital. She often overheard talk of strategic military movements or concerns and committed all she could to memory.

Bowser’s main spy contact was Mary Van Lew. The pair devised a number of ways to communicate Bowser’s intelligence material. Bowser would sometimes pretend to sell Van Lew a basket of eggs, and one egg would be a hollow shell with descriptions of military plans inside. She also used a serving tray with a false bottom to transmit messages covertly. Their most elaborate system involved codes displayed in laundry. Bowser would arrange drying laundry in certain ways to indicate troop movement: A white shirt beside three pairs of pants might mean a certain general is moving his troops west.

One of the most striking elements of Bowser’s experience is that Jefferson Davis was aware there was an information leak closely connected to his house. After noticing that certain information had been given to the North, Davis was vigilant in trying to find the spy. To her credit, Bowser was never caught. For her invaluable duty as a Civil War spy, she was inducted into the Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame in 1995.


More Female Spies

Julia Child

Mata Hari

Virginia Hall

Sources Used

"Mary Elizabeth Bowser." Women in History. 1 Mar. 2006 http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/bows-mar.htm

"The Spy Who Served Me." National Public Radio. 1 Mar 2006 http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/apr/served/