Mary Bowser, a freed woman, risks her own freedom by posing as an illiterate slave in the Confederate White House in order to spy on President Jefferson Davis.  Her clandestine efforts were directly responsible for helping the North win the Civil War.

  

Mary Bowser is based on a true story.  Mary Elizabeth Bowser, 24 (1863), is a freed slave who spied for Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army.  She was the personal servant to President Jefferson Davis in the Confederate White House.  Her clandestine efforts directly influenced the outcome of the Civil War.

In late 1861, Elizabeth Van Lew, a plantation owner, abolitionist and Union sympathizer, lived in the then Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. A prominent socialite, Elizabeth, had close ties to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. She hosted a ball to show her support and loyalty for the newly established “Confederate States of America.”  During the reception, Elizabeth is approached by Allen Pinkerton and recruited as a spy for the Union. With the moniker of “Crazy Bette,” she decides to enlist the help of her former servant, Mary Bowser, now a free woman living in Philadelphia.

On the recommendation of Elizabeth, Mary is placed into the Confederate White House as the personal servant to President Davis.  Mary hides the fact that she can read and write. Thinking Mary is illiterate, Davis gives Mary unfettered access to the inner sanctums of the Confederate War Room and the Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings.  Blessed with a photographic memory, Mary collected invaluable information on the Confederate Army.

Under the cover of darkness, Mary ran to various relay locations and recited from memory pertinent information to the Union agents. The agents reported the strategies of the Confederate Army to General Grant and GENERAL BUTLER of the Union Army.

An integral part of this historic scenario is the fact that Elizabeth Van Lew’s plantation was one of the original stops for the Underground Railroad, aiding and abetting the likes of William Still and close friend, Harriet Tubman.

The heroism of Mary Elizabeth Bowser, Elizabeth Van Lew and Harriet Tubman were kept secret for over a hundred years.

These freedom fighters, were directly responsible for helping the North win the Civil War.