‘Lincoln's Lady Spymaster' Review: An Agent of Society
In 'Lincoln's Lady Spymaster,' Gerri Willis relates with verve and rich detail the extraordinary story of Van Lew's espionage career. With the help of liberal quotations from Van Lew's diary, the author brings to life her subject's generous yet pugnacious personality and her moral certainty about the dangerous life she chose. Ms. Willis, an anchor for Fox Business, is the author of two previous books on personal finance.
Van Lew's pro-Union attitudes grew out of her Northern roots. He father was an 'ambitious New Yorker from Long Island' who established a successful hardware business in Richmond, Va. Her maternal grandfather served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was one of the first members of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, which, in 1790, petitioned Congress to abolish slavery. Elizabeth's parents sent her to school in Philadelphia, where she was exposed to antislavery views.
Her career as a spy began early in the war when she persuaded prison officials to let her deliver food, books and clothing to captured Union soldiers. It wasn't long before she realized that some prisoners had information that could be valuable to the Union's war effort. She also overheard sensitive information from prison officials, who weren't always careful when speaking around a Southern lady.
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