Interview with Antonia Ford:
Good morning, Ms Ford, I had a few questions about your activity as a spy:
1. What was your first reaction when you first heard you were becoming a spy?
“I was just stunned, I didn’t know what to do. I had to accept, he had threatened my family’s life. I didn’t want them to be in any sort of danger. Therefore, I knew I was risking my life for this duty.”
2. When you heard that John Singleton Mosby was suing you through justice, what were you feeling knowing you risked jail?
“I was furious, I could cry forever. I knew the consequences of my terrible act of spying for this man. I trusted him but I knew that he was not trustworthy.”
3.When you heard that you were going to jail, what were you thinking about?
“Mostly about my family that I loved, that had supported me through all my life. I didn’t want to upset them but I knew that I would have eventually. I couldn’t refuse the offer for spying, I didn’t want my family to suffer.”
4. Were you stunned that you fell in love with Major Joseph Willard, the person that had arrested you and that hade made you go to jail? Weren’t you more than mad?
“At first I was, He apologized and I quickly fell for him. He was charming but I knew what he was capable of. Love is natural, and I didn’t care anymore about what he did, nothing mattered to me more than my love for him.”
5. What did you feel right when you got out of jail?
“ I was amazed, I never thought that I would see the light of the day again! I knew that finally I could go fix my affair! I started to pray and thank god for this.”
6. When the anonymous letter appeared in the New York Times accusing General Joseph Willard of having been “Very intimate”, what were you thinking at that moment when you found out what had happened?
“ When the article appeared, I was frightened. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I was thinking about following this article through justice for violation of Amendment 1: and of Amendment 8 freedom of press and for unusual punishment. But before I could intervene, I was already going to jail because of it. I was infuriated.”
Good morning, Ms Ford, I had a few questions about your activity as a spy:
1. What was your first reaction when you first heard you were becoming a spy?
“I was just stunned, I didn’t know what to do. I had to accept, he had threatened my family’s life. I didn’t want them to be in any sort of danger. Therefore, I knew I was risking my life for this duty.”
2. When you heard that John Singleton Mosby was suing you through justice, what were you feeling knowing you risked jail?
“I was furious, I could cry forever. I knew the consequences of my terrible act of spying for this man. I trusted him but I knew that he was not trustworthy.”
3.When you heard that you were going to jail, what were you thinking about?
“Mostly about my family that I loved, that had supported me through all my life. I didn’t want to upset them but I knew that I would have eventually. I couldn’t refuse the offer for spying, I didn’t want my family to suffer.”
4. Were you stunned that you fell in love with Major Joseph Willard, the person that had arrested you and that hade made you go to jail? Weren’t you more than mad?
“At first I was, He apologized and I quickly fell for him. He was charming but I knew what he was capable of. Love is natural, and I didn’t care anymore about what he did, nothing mattered to me more than my love for him.”
5. What did you feel right when you got out of jail?
“ I was amazed, I never thought that I would see the light of the day again! I knew that finally I could go fix my affair! I started to pray and thank god for this.”
6. When the anonymous letter appeared in the New York Times accusing General Joseph Willard of having been “Very intimate”, what were you thinking at that moment when you found out what had happened?
“ When the article appeared, I was frightened. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I was thinking about following this article through justice for violation of Amendment 1: and of Amendment 8 freedom of press and for unusual punishment. But before I could intervene, I was already going to jail because of it. I was infuriated.”