Legendary Black Heroes: Mary Elizabeth Bowser

Submitted by Diedri Webb, Tacoma.

Mary Richards born a slave in Virginia 1840 but was freed when her owner, John Van Lew, died. Her former owner’s wife saw that she was educated at the Quaker School for Negroes in Philadelphia and married a freed black man, Wilson Bowser, but it wasn’t until she found a position in the home of Confederate President, Jefferson Davis that the story really takes off.

Shortly after the war had broken out, Elizabeth Van Lew, wife of Mary’s former owner, heard of an opening for a servant in the home of Confederate president, Jefferson Davis.

Mrs. Van Lew was connected in southern social circles. She was a union sympathizer. She made arrangement for Mary Bowser to fill the position as a servant. As a housekeeper she created many strategies that enabled her to be near the president – her major advantage: invisibility. Unseen and unnoticed by the whites she served, Mary was extremely clever.

Davis was not suspicious of her. He openly discussed important information about the war and military tactics for the Confederacy. Her position and appearance allowed her to listen in on conversations of Jefferson Davis’ dinner guests and other visitors of the White House of The Confederacy in Richmond, VA.

Mary had a photographic memory. She could repeat documents word for word. She overheard conversations, troop strategy and movements between the president and the officers. She also had the freedom to roam the house freely and that gave her access to his private study. Inside she would find important military papers, war dispatches that the Confederate officers left out.

Sometimes she would meet up with Ms. Van Lew back at the plantation, exchange recipes, and passing the info to Van Lew that she would send to General Ulysses S. Grant. Mary had all the top secret information. In order to get this info, she changed her name to Ellen Bond.

Mary worked at social events of Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis. It was assumed that slaves could not read or write or know any complex political conversations. There was another spy she worked with. His name was Thomas McNiven. A baker, he also had people to report information, but Mary had the crucial information. Even more important, she knew how to behave and seem invisible. She knew other methods of transferring information, using serving trays with false bottoms or hanging up laundry in code in different patterns of dark and white clothes. When Thomas McNiven arrived to make his deliveries Mary would always meet with him to exchange info.

Jefferson felt suspicious of a leak in his home, but he did not become suspicious of Mary for a long time. The target of suspicion was Thomas McNiven but then suddenly all eyes were on Bowser. She had to flee.

The last act was she tried to burn the Confederate White House. She was not successful. The full story of this brave spy is still being discovered. At the end of the war the Federal government destroyed all evidence of espionage.

Over a cup of tea, Ulysses S Grant over tea told Mary, “You are the one person who sent me the useful information from Richmond.”

Awards and Honors: Mary Elizabeth Bowser is now honored with this monument: 

Union Military Intelligence Agent she risked her life and liberty, so all could know freedom

In 1995, the US government posthumously inducted Mary Bowser into the Military intelligence Corps Hall of Fame in Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Author’s note: Diedri West is very interested in discovering and protecting the stories of Legendary Black Heroes. You can hear her tell them in person on Dorothy Wilhelm’s Coffee, Chat and Change the World and on Swimming Upstream Radio Show. Information at SwimmingUpstreamRadioShow.com