International Women's History Month: Hattie Lawton

It’s National Women’s History Month. In recognition of women's vital role in American history, we would like to take this month to recognize a few notable Pinkerton women. Next on our list is Hattie Lawton, who was Pinkerton’s second — and often called the best — female detective. Described as both “delicate and driven,” she was renowned at the agency for her skill in gathering vital information in undercover operations.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Hattie joined the Union Secret Service led by Allan Pinkerton, who sent her on several short-term operations behind enemy lines. Pinkerton himself said that there were none more clear-headed or resolute among his operatives than Lawton, who had been remarkably successful, often escaping with rare good fortune.

When the opportunity arose, Lawton was deployed on a long-term assignment with Pinkerton agent Timothy W. Webster to Richmond, Virginia. They posed as a wealthy married couple to gather intelligence about Confederate sympathizers and troop movements. Along with Pinkerton agent John Scobell, an African American who posed as their servant, Webster and Lawton sent long and detailed reports describing Richmond’s fortifications and soldier morale and food prices.

Their assignment was cut short in 1862 when Lawton, Webster, and Scobell were betrayed, arrested, and tried as spies. Scobell was released because the Confederates could not believe a servant could be a spy for the North. Webster was sentenced to death. Lawton was sentenced to one year in prison. In 1863, she was released as part of a prisoner exchange for Belle Boyd, a well-known and often arrested Confederate spy. Not much is known about Lawton after the war, as most Pinkerton records were destroyed in the 1871 Chicago fire. Still, we know her efforts in preserving the Union have profoundly impacted our history.