Samuel Ruth:
The Spy Who Starved an Army

While serving as the superintendent of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad, Samuel Ruth became another successful Union spy operating in the Confederate capital. Ruth was part of a Richmond spy ring that eventually joined forces with Elizabeth Van Lew’s network.

While serving as the superintendent of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad, Samuel Ruth became another successful Union spy operating in the Confederate capital. Ruth was part of a Richmond spy ring that eventually joined forces with Elizabeth Van Lew’s network.

In addition to his efforts in collecting intelligence, which he delivered to Union Army leadership using the rail lines, Ruth hindered shipments of supplies to Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area by sabotaging the rail tracks and delaying repairs. When Lee suspected Ruth as the cause of the supply shortages plaguing his army, he sent dispatches to Confederate President Jefferson Davis complaining about the rail operator. Davis refused to remove Ruth, given his spotless, 25-year career with the railroad and network of influential Confederate friends.

camera icon - click to for more details about the image

General Robert E. Lee

camera icon - click to for more details about the image

From left: Destroyed railroad bridge, 1864; Confederate encampment, Petersburg, Virginia; Railroad bridge over the Potomac Creek

Ruth was eventually arrested by Confederate authorities for aiding Southern railroad workers in defecting to the North, but again used his extensive social contacts and generous bribes to secure his release. Impressed by Ruth’s contributions and devotion to the Union, both Ulysses Grant and George Sharpe later petitioned Congress to grant the former spy a pension for his wartime espionage.