Mysteries of the Confederacy: The Fates of Spies and of Statues

In spring 2020, respected documentarian Pamela Mason Wagner was in the field in Richmond, Virginia, working on a new piece for the Smithsonian Channel’s series, America’s Hidden Stories. Wagner already had produced a program for the series that aired in January 2021, called Madam President, about First Lady Edith Wilson, who took over the White House behind the scenes after President Woodrow Wilson was incapacitated by a stroke.

Perspective, Story Behind The StoryKatherine MitchellFebruary 2, 2021racism, Pamela Mason Wagner, First Lady Edith Wilson, Madam President, America's hidden stories, Southern Women, Union Spies, Richmond, Elizabeth Van Lew, Mary Bowser, Jefferson Davis, Monument Avenue, Black Lives Matter, confederate monuments, Edward Valentine