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Birth
The exact dates of Mary's birth is unknown today. They say she was born around the time of 1839. She was born in Richmond, Virginia. -
Slavery
Since she was born, Mary Elizabeth was a slave. She was the slave of the Van Lew family. John Van Lew was a wealthy hardware merchant. -
Freedom
Van Lew died. The women of the Van Lew family freed all of the slaves. (exact date is unkown) -
Still Working
She is working as a free servant to earn money. (exsct date not known) -
Schooling
Mary Elizabeth was sent to an African American Quaker school in Philadelphia. -
Returned
Mary returned back to Virginia from Philadelphia. She went back to work for the Van Lew family as a free, paid servant. (exact date is unknown) She came back because war started to appear. -
War Starts
The Civil War begins. -
Married
Mary was married to William (Wilson) Bowser and he was a free black man. They were married four days after the war started. Their wedding cermony was unusual because they were married in a church that only white people went to. -
Battle of Antietam
Was considered the bloodiest day in the U.S history. Fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland. -
Spying Begins
She starts to work in the Cofederate White House as a spy. (Her name was "Ellen Bond" and she was still thought to be a slave.) -
Battle of Gettysburg
"Lee is defeated" Was fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. -
Battle of Vicksburg (Falls)
Vicksburg, Mississippi. Confederates loose and surrendered under the force of Lt. General John Pemberton. -
The Battle of Chickamauga
The rebles win this battle. Was fout at the areas of Catoosa County and Walker County -
Atlanta is Burned
Atlanta was burned to the ground by the Union. But it did not completely surrender until Septempber second, 1864. -
Fleeing
Bowser was suspected as being the leak in the Confederate White House. She fleed the house before she could have gotten captured. -
One Last Attempt
On one last attempt to help the Union, whilst fleeing, she tried to burn down the Confederate Capitol, but it wasn’t successful. -
Appomattox Court House
Robert E. Lee surrenders. -
Died
Mary Bowser's death is unknown, also the place where she died isn't known either. -
Honoring Mary Elizabeth Bowser
In 1995, the U.S. government honored Mary for her efforts in spying, by inducting her in the “U.S. Army Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame” (date is unknown) -
Ceremony Words
WHAT WAS SAID AT THE CEREMONY-
"Ms. Bowser certainly succeeded in a highly dangerous mission to the great benefit of the Union effort. She was one of the highest placed and most productive espionage agents of the Civil War. ... [Her information] greatly enhanced the Union's conduct of the war. ... Jefferson Davis never discovered the leak in his household staff, although he knew the Union somehow kept discovering Confederate plans."
