Antonia Ford
Encyclopedia
Antonia Ford was a volunteer civilian spy
for the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
.
. She was a daughter of a prominent local merchant and ardent secession
ist named Edward R. Ford. She attended the Buckingham Female Collegiate Institute in Buckingham, Virginia
.
As Union forces occupied the Fairfax region in mid-1861, Ford circulated among the officers and garnered valuable intelligence about troop strengths and planned movements, which she passed along to Brigadier General
J.E.B. Stuart
, in whose artillery her brother served. She also spied for John S. Mosby
, a noted partisan
ranger. Stuart, grateful for her service and appreciate of the information he had received, designated Ford as an honorary aide-de-camp
on October 7, 1861.
In early 1863, Ford was betrayed by a Union
counterspy named Frankie Abel, whom she had befriended and shown the document bearing Stuart's signature. Ford was subsequently arrested on March 13 and incarcerated in Washington, D.C. at the Old Capitol Prison
. She was accused of playing a prominent role in the capture of Union general Edwin H. Stoughton
, but Colonel Mosby and others later denied her complicity, and no evidence of her guilt could be found. She was released and exchanged seven days later. However, she was arrested in Fairfax by Major Joseph Willard (1820–1897) and sent back to Old Capitol Prison. She took the Oath of Allegiance and subsequently married her captor on March 10, 1864. The couple had three children.
Antonia Ford Willard sadly died in Washington, D.C. in 1871 as an indirect result of health issues stemming from her captivity. Her husband never remarried.
, Now & Forever Yours: Letters to an Old Soldier, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1414239/ artistically recounts the courtship of Antonia Ford and Major Joseph Clapp Willard. It was written and directed by Steven Fischer
. In the film, Ford and Willard recount from an ethereal netherworld the events of their two year affair. This narrative is dramatically illustrated with scenes of the courtship filmed in and around Fairfax
, Virginia
, where the actual romance took place. Now & Forever Yours: Letters to an Old Soldier was a critical success, winning, among others, an Emmy Award
nomination for cinematography. The dialogue between the lovers was taken directly from the couple’s surviving letters. The movie starred Katie Tschida and Winston Shearin.
In 2009, BLM Productions released a feature-length docudrama, "Spies in Crinoline," http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307070/ which recounts the intersecting lives of spies Antonia Ford and Laura Ratcliffe
. The screenplay, adapted from Karla Vernon's The Spy in Crinoline and numerous primary sources, intersperses dramatic sequences shot on-location in Fairfax County, Virginia
, with period images, narration, and interviews with historians. Directed by Bert Morgan, it stars Emily Lapisardi as Antonia Ford, Gregory Labenz as Joseph Willard, Becci Varga as Laura Ratcliffe, and Joe Cain as General J. E. B. Stuart.
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
for the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Biography
Antonia Ford was born at Fairfax Court House, VirginiaFairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
. She was a daughter of a prominent local merchant and ardent secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
ist named Edward R. Ford. She attended the Buckingham Female Collegiate Institute in Buckingham, Virginia
Buckingham, Virginia
Buckingham is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Buckingham County, Virginia, United States...
.
As Union forces occupied the Fairfax region in mid-1861, Ford circulated among the officers and garnered valuable intelligence about troop strengths and planned movements, which she passed along to Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
, in whose artillery her brother served. She also spied for John S. Mosby
John S. Mosby
John Singleton Mosby , nicknamed the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War...
, a noted partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
ranger. Stuart, grateful for her service and appreciate of the information he had received, designated Ford as an honorary aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
on October 7, 1861.
In early 1863, Ford was betrayed by a Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
counterspy named Frankie Abel, whom she had befriended and shown the document bearing Stuart's signature. Ford was subsequently arrested on March 13 and incarcerated in Washington, D.C. at the Old Capitol Prison
Old Capitol Prison
The Old Brick Capitol in Washington, D.C., served as temporary Capitol of the United States from 1815 to 1825, and became the Old Capitol Prison during the American Civil War. Razed in 1929, its site is now occupied by the U.S...
. She was accused of playing a prominent role in the capture of Union general Edwin H. Stoughton
Edwin H. Stoughton
Edwin Henry Stoughton , was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a lawyer.-Early life:Stoughton was born in Chester, Vermont, the son of Henry Evander and Laura Stoughton....
, but Colonel Mosby and others later denied her complicity, and no evidence of her guilt could be found. She was released and exchanged seven days later. However, she was arrested in Fairfax by Major Joseph Willard (1820–1897) and sent back to Old Capitol Prison. She took the Oath of Allegiance and subsequently married her captor on March 10, 1864. The couple had three children.
Antonia Ford Willard sadly died in Washington, D.C. in 1871 as an indirect result of health issues stemming from her captivity. Her husband never remarried.
Film
The 2007 made-for-television docudramaDocudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
, Now & Forever Yours: Letters to an Old Soldier, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1414239/ artistically recounts the courtship of Antonia Ford and Major Joseph Clapp Willard. It was written and directed by Steven Fischer
Steven Fischer
Steven Thomas Fischer is an American film director and producer. Fischer is an Emmy Award nominated filmmaker who works primarily on documentaries. Among his many accolades, Fischer's work has been honored by the Directors Guild of America, The New York Festivals, the CINE Golden Eagle Awards, and...
. In the film, Ford and Willard recount from an ethereal netherworld the events of their two year affair. This narrative is dramatically illustrated with scenes of the courtship filmed in and around Fairfax
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, where the actual romance took place. Now & Forever Yours: Letters to an Old Soldier was a critical success, winning, among others, an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for cinematography. The dialogue between the lovers was taken directly from the couple’s surviving letters. The movie starred Katie Tschida and Winston Shearin.
In 2009, BLM Productions released a feature-length docudrama, "Spies in Crinoline," http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307070/ which recounts the intersecting lives of spies Antonia Ford and Laura Ratcliffe
Laura Ratcliffe
Laura Ratcliffe was a Confederate spy during the American Civil War. Laura’s home in Virginia was sometimes used as a headquarters by the Confederate raider, John Singleton Mosby. Mosby gave Laura thousands of Federal Greenbacks to hide in her home. She warned him when Yankees came looking for him,...
. The screenplay, adapted from Karla Vernon's The Spy in Crinoline and numerous primary sources, intersperses dramatic sequences shot on-location in Fairfax County, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, with period images, narration, and interviews with historians. Directed by Bert Morgan, it stars Emily Lapisardi as Antonia Ford, Gregory Labenz as Joseph Willard, Becci Varga as Laura Ratcliffe, and Joe Cain as General J. E. B. Stuart.