Wild Rose: Rose O'Neale Greenhow, Civil War Spy

This is a delightful book, and in many ways: 1. It describes the life of a wonderfully interesting lady who didn't stay just home and make babies. 2. It gives a picture of Washington D.C. as it existed at the time of the Civil War. This picture is in two parts: a. the physical aspects, the filth, smell, and how life was lived, and b. the way Washington worked then (and now) power, money and sex. 3. It is based on new information -- her diary, originally thought to have been written in code, but in fact just very poor penmanship. The story starts with a message sent to Gen. P.G.T Beauregard to give him an week's notice of when the Union Army would attack Manassas (Bull Run). He used this information to order reinforcements that enabled him to defeat the yankees. Through the course of the war Rose would be caught, imprisoned (without habeas corpus to even know the charges against her). She was exiled to the South, where she was sent by President Davis to France and England to try to get them to assist the South. This is a fascinating book. All the more so because it is true. Rose was a character born long before her time.

Wild Rose with its great research by the author adds a rarely publized subject to the many civil war books and should go down as one of the most interesting. The research is fabulous and is used to paint a picture of the times thru the eyes of a politically active "idealist" leading to spying,prison, and eventually - her DEATH. For civil war history buffs(such as me) it has great qualilty and for those not into history, it is a story that could be repeated many times in the future.

Maybe I'd heard of Rose Greenhow somewhere, but I certainly never knew anything about her amazing life in Washington before the Civil War, hob-nobbing with presidents, crossing the Isthmus of Panama, listening to John Calhoun's rants about Northern abolitionists and nursing him on his deathbed. Author Blackman paints a shocking portrait of the capital as a center of slavery, elitism and provincial thinking; muddy streets strewn with garbage and the story of a runaway presidential carriage. You can smell the city through her writing. Blackman's discovery of Rose's diary brings the woman to life. Who could imagine her arguing with Napoleon III or taking tea with Thomas Carlyle? The lively writing and careful attention to every detail make this book an illuminating exposition of American history.

Loved this book! Civil War Washington came to life with stories of walking along the Avenue & excursions to the market, plus the grit we didn't learn in school about slave cages not far from the Capitol. Blackman reveals Rose Greenhow's life in amazing detail-from the books Rose read to anecdotes from her personal diary. At the same time, Blackman explains the context of the period, the rising tension in the nation's capital & the complexity of Washington's intertwining political & social scenes. Beautifully written & packed with historical detail, this is definitely the best read of the summer.

This is one of the greatest true-life stories I've ever read. In fact, it's one of the best stories, period. I got my copy the day it came out, started reading after dinner and could not put the book down. I finished it before dawn. From the suspense of the opening chapter with a young woman crossing enemy lines until Rose's tragic death on her race for home, the detail and drama just kept me riveted. It's amazing that a 19th century woman could have so many adventures and accomplish so much at a time when women weren't even taken seriously, except to have babies and look after their husbands. I nominate Wild Rose for best history/biography of the year!