American Civil War spy (1844?1925)
Virginia Bethel Moon
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Born
| (
1844-07-22
)
July 22, 1844
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Died
| (
1925-09-11
)
September 11, 1925
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Resting place
| Memphis, Tennessee
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Occupation(s)
| Confederate Army spy, philanthropist, actor
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Relatives
| Charlotte "Lottie" Moon
(sister)
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Virginia Bethel Moon
(1844?1925) was born in
Oxford, Ohio
in 1844. When she was young, her family lived in what is now known as the "
Lottie Moon House
." She moved to
Memphis, Tennessee
with her mother in 1862 where she began a short but notable career as an
espionage agent
working with Memphis entrepreneur-turned-soldier
Nathan Bedford Forrest
and other
Confederates
, including her sister,
Charlotte "Lottie" Moon
. When the
Union
forces occupied the city, she was arrested for spying but escaped with the help of her sister. She continued her work further south and was eventually imprisoned in
New Orleans
. Moon returned to Memphis after the war and became a
philanthropist
, particularly helping with the
yellow fever epidemics of the 1870s
. In the early days of
silent film
, at the age of 75, Moon acted in several movies, including
Robin Hood
and
The Spanish Dancer
.
[1]
She died in New York City in 1925.
Early life
[
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]
From a young age, Moon was extremely adventurous. She attended the
Oxford Female Institute
. While there, Moon was kicked out after she shot the stars out of the
American Flag
and scratched a pro-
Jefferson Davis
message on a local store window with a ring.
Espionage career
[
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]
During the
American Civil War
, Moon was sent to live with her much older sister, "Lottie" Moon Clark in Ohio after she was expelled from school. The Clark's home was a stopping point for Confederate couriers. Moon eventually moved to Memphis,
Tennessee
.
[2]
Eventually, both sisters began to help move information back and forth from the North and South and smuggled much-needed
quinine
and
morphine
into the Confederacy. They often disguised themselves. Once they were caught smuggling medicine quilted into their voluminous
hoop skirts
. On a mission together, the sisters were captured. Moon had written message hidden on her person. When the men who captured her insisted that the women be searched, Moon pulled a gun on them and threatening to shoot any of the men who attempted to search her. When the men went to find a woman to search them, the women were left alone. In those few minutes, Moon dipped the message in water and ate it. On another occasion, Moon, her sister, and her mother were caught by her sister Lottie's jilted fiance,
General Ambrose Burnside
, who kept them under house arrest for several months, but never pressed charges.
[3]
Post-War
[
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]
After the war, she ran a
boarding house
and was considered a heroine in the 1870s yellow fever epidemics.
[3]
In her 70s, she decided that she wanted to act again, now for the new silent film industry. She found producer
Jesse Lasky
and asked for a job. In response to his inquiries about her ability to act, she informed him that, at age 75, she had already "acted all the parts".
[1]
She was found dead at age 81 in New York with her cat sitting next to her.
References
[
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]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Bucy, Carole Stanford (25 December 2009).
"Virginia Bethel Moon"
.
Tennessee Encyclopedia
. Knoxville, Tennessee: The University of Tennessee Press
. Retrieved
2012-05-17
.
- Jim Weiss. "Not Quite Like Anyone Else: The Story of Lottie and Ginnie Moon."
Women in Blue and Grey
. (Audio Recording)
External links
[
edit
]