Mary Elizabeth Bowser
by Krysta Cardinale
Mary Elizabeth Bowser was part of a Union spy ring known as the Richmond Underground. Bowser was born a slave to John Van Lew, but was freed and sent north by his wife and daughter once John died. The details on Mary Bowser's exact contributions to Civil War intelligence are few thanks to Elizabeth Van Lew. Van Lew was the Underground's operator who traveled to the War Department in Washington after the war and destroyed all records mentioning Mary Bowser, herself, and the Richmond Underground.
While never keeping her Union loyalties a secret, Van Lew, a member of a well respected white family in Richmond, managed to skirt suspicion by simply appearing to be an eccentric in front of Confederate authorities. She was given the nickname “Crazy Bet.” Mary Elizabeth Bowser was a slave of the Van Lew family who was freed and sent north to receive an education. When Van Lew decided to form the Richmond Underground, she convinced Bowser to return to Virginia and work with her for the Union. Through the recommendation of a friend, Van Lew managed to get Mary Bowser a job at President Jefferson Davis' residence. Her hard work and the illiteracy that she feigned got her hired on full time at the Confederate White House. This job granted her full access to the home and enabled her to overhear important conversations. As a black servant, Mary Elizabeth Bowser went about virtually ignored by white guests and residents of the home and reported on conversations between Davis and members of his inner circle. She was also able to read secret documents while working around the house. Mary Elizabeth Bowser would then meet Van Lew on the outskirts of town and share the information she had gathered during the day. Van Lew would take this information, write it in code, and then send it to Union officials. Thomas McNiven, another Union spy later commented that Bowser had a photographic memory and was able to report virtually word-for-word the documents she came across. For her efforts, the Civil War black spy Mary Bowser was inducted into the U.S. Army Intelligence Hall of Fame in 1995, more than 100 years after her contribution to her country.
