Thread by @DenbrotS

#IDedicateThisWeekTo Elizabeth Van Lew &Mary Bowser,a freed slave who posed as Jefferson Davis’s servant,worked together to bring down political fixtures of the South from the inside out.
Bowser,w/her photographic memory &incredible acting skills,was able to relay critical intel.

Elizabeth Van Lew freed one of her family's slaves& sent her North to be educated.The young woman returned to Richmond and was placed in the Confederate White House as part of Van Lew's spy ring. Van Lew's diary describes her reliance on an AfAm referred to only as Mary.j

Confederate leaders could tell there was a mole in the highest reaches of the Confederacy, but nobody ever figured out it was Mary. In his letters, Jefferson Davis complains that his mental state is collapsing under the strain of not being able to find the spy.

..since it was assumed that she was illiterate,no effort was made to keep Mary from seeing secret documents..she was able to gather sensitive info at all times. Whether dusting Jefferson Davis's office or clearing away dishes,..Mary was always on the lookout for information.

“When I open my eyes in the morning, I say to the servant,’What news, Mary?’ &my caterer never fails!”Van Lew wrote.”Most generally our reliable news is gathered from negroes, & they certainly show wisdom, discretion and prudence, which is wonderful.”

Eliz van Lew & Mary Bowser

A local man..supplied Jefferson Davis w/baked goods &served as a part of Ms.Van Lew's network..He described Mary's incredible skill”..Mary was the best as she worked right in Davis’ home &had a photographic mind.Everything she saw on [Davis’s]desk she could repeat word for word."

Disappearance of a Spy
After the war ended, Mary Bowser spent time serving as a teacher for freed slaves, and gave at least one speech in which she told the story of her time as a spy in the Confederate White House. For the speech, she used the name, "Richmonia Richards."