Ginny Moon was born to a wealthy class family from Virginia. She was only sixteen years old when the Civil War began. At the time of the Civil War Moon was attending a boarding school in Ohio. She dropped out because she did not want to go to a school that was in a "yankee" state. Her parents wanted her to settle down and get married. Ginny had other plans, however. She decided to become a nurse in the army, caring for, and sometimes flirting with wounded soldiers. She caught the attention of General Ambrose Burnside. Burnside asked her if she wanted to become a spy. Moon was quick to accept Burnside's offer. Her job was to smuggle medicine from the Union army, and bring it back to the Confederates. Moon not only smuggled medicine to the Confederates, but classified Union information as well. She gave the classified information to General Nathan Bedford Forrest. She worked primarily out of Memphis, Tennessee. She served as a spy until the war ended. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Moon stayed in Memphis with her mother. Throughout the remainder of her life, Ginny Moon was always looking for good causes to become involved in. She truly is the definition of a heroine.
Above is a picture of Gen. Ambrose Burnside
Above is a picture of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forest
For more information about Ginny Moon I recommend that you check out the book Soldier, Spies, and Spartans.
Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond.
Burnside was a Union general. The Moon sisters were Confederate spies.
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