Timothy Webster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Timothy Webster
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1910 sketch of Webster
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| Born | March 12, 1822 |
| Died | April 29, 1862 (aged 40) |
| Spouse(s) |
Charlotte Sprowles
(m. 1841) |
Timothy Webster (born March 12, 1822 – died April 29, 1862) was an American detective and secret agent. He was born in Britain. He worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. During the American Civil War, he became a spy for the Union (the North). He was the first spy in the Civil War to be put to death.
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Early Life and Family
Timothy Webster moved to America with his parents in August 1830. They settled in Princeton, New Jersey. Before 1850, he became a police officer in New York City. In 1853, he met Allan Pinkerton, who ran a private detective agency. Webster started working for Pinkerton in 1856.
On October 23, 1841, Timothy married Charlotte Sprowles in Princeton, New Jersey. They had four children together. Sadly, two of their children died when they were young. Their son, Timothy Jr., was born in 1843. He joined the Union Army in 1862. He was hurt in a battle in 1864 and later died in a Confederate prison. He was buried in Onarga, Illinois, next to his grandfather, Timothy Webster Sr.
Working as a Spy in the Civil War
In early 1861, the Civil War was about to begin. Allan Pinkerton sent Timothy Webster and another agent named Hattie Lawton to Baltimore. They pretended to be a Southern couple. Their job was to join a group that supported the South. They reported on the group's plans and activities. The information Webster gathered helped Pinkerton believe there was a plan to harm Abraham Lincoln. This was called the Baltimore Plot. It was supposed to happen when Lincoln traveled through Baltimore for his inauguration in 1861.
After the war started, Pinkerton's agents began working for the Union army. Webster continued to gather information about the Confederacy (the South). He worked in southern Maryland and Richmond, Virginia, from 1861 to 1862.
Webster's Capture
In 1862, while in Richmond, Webster became very sick. He had a condition called inflammatory rheumatism. He was too ill to send his reports back to Pinkerton. Because of this, Pinkerton sent two other agents, Pryce Lewis and John Scully, to find him.
However, Lewis and Scully were recognized as Union spies. They were captured by the Confederate forces. Scully eventually shared information that led to Webster's arrest. Hattie Lawton was also arrested.
Confederate officers had trusted Webster with important documents and secrets many times. They were very upset when they found out he was a spy. Lewis and Scully were later released in a prisoner exchange. But Timothy Webster was put on trial. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. Hattie Lawton was also imprisoned but later released in a prisoner exchange.
His Final Moments
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When Allan Pinkerton heard about Webster's sentence, he and President Lincoln sent a message to the Confederacy. They warned that if Webster was put to death, the Union would do the same to a Confederate spy. Usually, the Union kept Confederate spies in jail and exchanged them for Union prisoners.
However, the Confederacy did not listen to the warning. On April 29, 1862, Timothy Webster was put to death. He was buried in Richmond. Years later, in 1871, Pinkerton sent people to Richmond to find Webster's body. They brought it back to Onarga, Illinois, for burial. He was buried next to his father, Timothy Webster Sr., and his son, Timothy Webster Jr.
