Greenhow, Rose O’Neal (1813?-1864), was a socialite (socially important person) and Confederate spy during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Greenhow socialized among high-ranking military officials and politicians in the Washington, D.C. , area before and during the war, giving her access to important information. The information she passed to the Confederacy is credited with ensuring victories in such key battles as the First Battle of Bull Run , in 1861.
Greenhow was temporarily placed under house arrest after being discovered by an agent of the Union secret service. She was later imprisoned for espionage , the crime of spying and leaking political and military information. Somehow, Greenhow was able to continue passing information. She was exiled to the Confederacy in 1862, where she was welcomed as a hero. In 1863, Greenhow was sent as an emissary (messenger) to Confederate sympathizers among the European aristocracy. While in London, she published a popular memoir. In 1864, she tried to return to the Confederacy. Her ship was chased by a Union blockade ship and ran aground. Greenhow drowned trying to escape, on Oct. 1, 1864.
Maria Rosetta O’Neale was born in Montgomery County, Maryland , near Washington, D.C., in or around 1813. She was called “Wild Rose” from the time she was young. The final e was dropped from the family’s last name in her early childhood. She married Robert Greenhow, Jr., a physician from a prominent family, in 1835.
