Virginia native MaryElizabeth Bowser was a freed slave blessed with a photographic memory. Bowser left home to pursue an education, when she returned, her former master, Elizabeth Van Lew, was running a spy ring.
Lew arranged for Bowser to work as a housekeeper in the Confederate White House, while there, Bowser stole valuable information and funneled it back home. Boldly, Bowser worked right under Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ nose.
