Antonia Ford
Antonia Ford.
Antonia Ford was born in Fairfax Court House, Virginia in 1838 to a prosperous family. Her father was a wealthy merchant. By 1861 she had won the respect of General J. E. B. Stuart and was named an honorary member of his staff.
She worked with Lieutenant John Singleton Mosby, a Confederate guerrilla fighter, to help him coordinate raids and attacks on federal troops being sent to Fairfax Courthouse under General Edwin H. Stoughton in 1863. She associated with admiring federal soldiers to obtain information useful to Mosby. Ford was especially friendly to Stoughton, and the two would often ride out together on horseback, prompting gossip. The information she collected led to the capture of Stoughton along with soldiers, horses, and weapons while he was asleep and possibly drunk.
This incident led Unionists to suspect a spy, and Ford came under close inspection. A women was sent to her house, posing as a Confederate spy, to try to find evidence against Ford. Ford showed the spy her commission from Stuart and admitted to having given Mosby information about the Union camp and army to capture Stoughton. She was arrested and sent to the Old Capitol Prison, where both Belle Boyd and Rose Greenhow had spent time. News of her exploits traveled fast.
A Major Joseph C. Willard of the Union army fell in love with Ford and lobbied for her release. It still took quite awhile to obtain it though. When she was finally released, she married Willard and bore three children before dying in 1871.
She worked with Lieutenant John Singleton Mosby, a Confederate guerrilla fighter, to help him coordinate raids and attacks on federal troops being sent to Fairfax Courthouse under General Edwin H. Stoughton in 1863. She associated with admiring federal soldiers to obtain information useful to Mosby. Ford was especially friendly to Stoughton, and the two would often ride out together on horseback, prompting gossip. The information she collected led to the capture of Stoughton along with soldiers, horses, and weapons while he was asleep and possibly drunk.
This incident led Unionists to suspect a spy, and Ford came under close inspection. A women was sent to her house, posing as a Confederate spy, to try to find evidence against Ford. Ford showed the spy her commission from Stuart and admitted to having given Mosby information about the Union camp and army to capture Stoughton. She was arrested and sent to the Old Capitol Prison, where both Belle Boyd and Rose Greenhow had spent time. News of her exploits traveled fast.
A Major Joseph C. Willard of the Union army fell in love with Ford and lobbied for her release. It still took quite awhile to obtain it though. When she was finally released, she married Willard and bore three children before dying in 1871.