Crowd Mary

Far from the Mississippi delta,
working for the North down in Dixie way,
Mary never dreamed that those powers that be
had found her out, and now were out to make her pay!
They had burst your bubble; Crowd Mary, this was trouble.

Confederate soldiers were looking;
to every door in Richmond were they drawn.
But they did not have an iota of luck
considering they looked every night until dawn.
It may be contrary; on the lam was Crowd Mary.

On the James, passing a riverboat--
all those rebel ships plus the Merrimack.
Plus there was a throng of the populace
along the banks to see all this fine naval fact.
Church bell and steeple; there amassed a crowd of people.

She left a small farm north of Smithfield,
traveled on trails through the Isle of Wight.
Then along River James as morning wore on
‘til that throng of Richmond folk appeared in her sight.
The winds of war appear, with the country's cost, severe.

Meanwhile, soldiers from Fort Eustis
crossed over the James and picked up her trail.
They received little help from that Smithfield farm,
but learned just enough to know which way would prevail.
Rebel squad had vowed; but Mary got lost in the crowd.

A ship was set to sail to Norfolk,
and Mary used fresh peaches as a bribe.
As the ship sailed, soldiers were in turmoil,
and anger among them was easy to describe.
She slipped right through their hands; hell did reign in high commands.

Sailing away slowly down the James...
then suddenly the Monitor attacked!
It was over quickly--burning, ship foundered;
Crowd Mary was one of a handful left intact.
When rescued by the North, history was changed henceforth.

When she returned to the Capitol,
she met Lincoln, and that they don‘t deny.
To this very day, the CIA honors
the memory of this daring Civil War spy.
Because of what she heard, the tide turned at Gettysburg.

40 Lines (Rhythm 9-10-11-12-13)
Writer’s Cramp
10-8-15

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Requirements:
--Mississippi delta
--passing a riverboat
--Sailing away