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.

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.