How does the author illustrate the careful and creative ways Elizabeth Van Lew used to send messages to General Grant in the story spies in petticoats <span>She often </span>used<span> her former slaves to carry her </span>messages<span>.</span>
<span>On her first attempt, Elizabeth Van Lew wittingly worked to as a simple aid to the Union prisoners being held in Richmond. Initially her permission was to bring food and other comforts to the prisoners at Libby Prison. There, she used buttermilk and gingerbread to gain the "kind feelings" of the prison commander, Lieutenant David H. Todd (half brother of Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's wife).</span>
