Month: September 2019

Civil War Women: Rose O’Neal Greenhow, Confederate Spy

/ sandramervillehart

Rose O’Neal Greenhow lived in Washington D.C. when the Civil War began. When many other Southerners left, the widow remained with her eight-year-old daughter, Rose. Union Colonel Thomas Jordan had decided to resign the U.S. Army and fight for the South. Before he left the city, he asked Rose to be an agent. Spying to uncover troop movements and government communications gave her a significant way to serve the South. She agreed to send messages based on a cipher he provided.

Coded messages were sent on a “Secret Line,” which involved several couriers in a chain that passed on messages in common places such as docks, taverns, and farmhouses.

Rose’s spy network from Boston to New Orleans was the largest in the war—48 women and 2 men. She learned battle plans for Bull Run and passed this vital information to Confederate General Beauregard, leading to a Confederate victory at the First Battle of Bull Run.

Several other messages about Washington’s defenses and troop information were sent from Rose to Beauregard. Thomas A. Scott, Assistant Secretary of War, asked Allan Pinkerton, head of Lincoln’s Intelligence Service, to find Confederate spies and put Greenhow under surveillance.

About a month after the Battle of Bull Run, Pinkerton discovered incriminating evidence. The home was searched. Rose and her daughter were placed under arrest at her home. Because she still managed to get other secret messages out, they were moved to Washington’s Old Capitol prison. The Federals then decided to send her South.

On June 4, 1862, she arrived in Richmond, where she was taken to the best hotel. Confederate President Jefferson Davis called her the next day, saying, “But for you there would have been no battle of Bull Run.” Rose wrote that his words made up for all she’d endured.

The following year President Davis sent her to Europe. She took letters from him to France and England. She received money from them to aid the South.

In October 1, 1864, Rose returned on the Condor, a blockade runner. Unfortunately, the USS Niphon, a Union gunboat, came close to the Condor’s position on Cape Fear River. While Confederate soldiers from nearby Fort Fisher fired on the Union gunboat, Rose asked the captain for a lifeboat for herself and two other Confederate agents. Two hundred yards of rough waters were between the boat and the shore. Despite his initial refusal, she finally convinced the captain to provide a boat.

A powerful wave overturned the lifeboat. They swam for shore. Unfortunately, Rose had a bag of gold sovereigns tied around her waist underneath a heavy silk dress. Though she was a good swimmer, she drowned due to the extra weight while her companions made it to safety.

Her body washed ashore the next day. A Confederate soldier found the bag of gold and took it. A search party later found the body. When the soldier discovered Rose’s identity, he returned the sovereigns.

She was buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington with full military honors.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Monson, Marianne. Women of the Blue & Gray, Thorndike Press, 2018.

Winkler, H. Donald. Stealing Secrets, Cumberland House, 2010.

Zeinert, Karen. Those Courageous Women of the Civil War, The Millbrook Press, 1998.

 

Healing Hearts by Cindy Ervin Huff

/ sandramervillehart

From the Smitten Historical Romance Collection: The Cowboys

 Taming the West … one heart at a time.

 After all he’s lost, Lonnie Holt is determined to save his brother’s life and get Jed back to their newly-inherited home. The snowstorm wasn’t helping matters. The welcome sight of his uncle’s ranch quickly turned to dread. No one should be there. So why did smoke billow from the chimney?

 Having been hired through correspondence, Genny Collins took a job as Clyde Holt’s housekeeper months ago and had been waiting for her new boss to arrive. Meeting the Holt brothers brought more surprises than the death of her employer. She has no place to go and every reason to hide.

Lonnie, with his scarred face and scarred soul, knows that Genny will prefer his brother over him. But that doesn’t prevent him from loving the feisty, resourceful woman.

Both characters carry scars from the past. These wounded, believable characters drew me right into the story. Well-written.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read and enjoyed by this author. I will look for more stories by her.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  Save money and use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

Graham Muffins Recipe

/ sandramervillehart

I bought some Whole Wheat Graham Flour for another recipe and had plenty left to try this 1870s recipe for Graham Muffins from Mrs. R. L. Partridge.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray cooking spray on a muffin pan or use cupcake liners.

The first ingredient is 1 cup of sour milk. To make this, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk. (If you don’t have either of these, use 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar.) Set it aside to rest for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 ½ cups Graham flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt.

Stir 1 tablespoon of brown sugar into the sour milk.

Add the Graham flour mixture and stir well. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

These hearty gems reminded me of bran muffins. They are dense and rather plain. I put apple butter on it, which tasted delicious.

I recently made Good Graham Gems. The recipe has a few more ingredients but these muffins taste very similar to them.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Compiled from Original Recipes. Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, Applewood Books, 1877.