Born: October 17, 1818
Died: September 25, 1900

During the Civil War, Elizabeth Van Lew lived in the heart of the Confederacy (southern states that supported slavery). A Northerner by birth, however, she was sympathetic with the Union (northern states that opposed slavery) cause. Spying for the Northern army, she became one of the Union’s most valuable sources of military intelligence.

Opposed to slavery

The Van Lews were a prominent Virginia family. Elizabeth’s father, a native of Jamaica, New York, had moved to Richmond to start a hardware business. During a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he met a woman named Elizabeth Baker—the daughter of Hillary Baker, the city’s former mayor. The couple returned to Richmond, where they were married in St. John’s Church. Some time after Elizabeth was born, the Van Lews had a son, John.

As a...