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Title
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Greenhow, Rose O’Neal (1813-1864)
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Maria Rosetta O'Neale (1813-1864)
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birthday
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1813
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1814
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Birthplace
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Montgomery County, MD
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Death Date
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1864-10-01
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Occupation
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Spy
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Biographical Text
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Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a Confederate spy credited with providing information crucial to the Confederate victory at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. Born Maria Rosetta O'Neale either in 1813 or 1814 to plantation owner and slaveholder John O'Neale, Greenhow later became a Washington D.C. socialite while living with her aunt Maria Ann Hill following the murder of her father. After the death of her husband in 1854, Greenhow was recruited to the Confederate Secret Service by Captain Thomas Jordan. In 1861 she was placed on house arrest after an information leak confirmed her status as a spy. She was later transferred to Old Capitol Prison in 1862, where she continued to pass along messages to the Confederacy. She was released in 1862, later becoming a Confederate diplomat to France and Britain until 1864, when she returned to her work as a spy until her death.
Greenhow was married to Robert Greenhow Jr. in 1835, though she was later widowed in 1854. The two parented daughters Florence, Gertrude, Leila, and Rose. Greenhow drowned in 1964 while attempting to escape a Union gunship by rowboat.
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Contributor
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Raisch, Elly
