R. C. Greenhow

Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1813 or 1815–1864) was a prominent Washington, D.C. socialite and Confederate spy during the American Civil War, leveraging her connections with figures like John C. Calhoun and James Buchanan to gather intelligence. She led a pro-Southern spy ring, providing critical information that contributed to the Confederate victory at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, and was later imprisoned by Union forces before being exiled. In 1863, she traveled to Europe as a Confederate propagandist, published her memoir, and drowned in 1864 while attempting to run the Union blockade near Wilmington, North Carolina.[1][2][3]