Last updated: January 29, 2026
Person
Thomas Laws
Western Reserve Historical Society
Quick Facts
Significance:
Federal spy during the Civil War
Place of Birth:
Clarke County, Va.
Date of Birth:
June 17, 1817
Place of Death:
Clarke County, Va.
Date of Death:
April 16,1896
Place of Burial:
Berryville, Va.
Cemetery Name:
Milton Valley Cemetery
Enslaved in nearby Clarke County, Thomas Laws delivered secret messages between Gen. Philip Sheridan and a Unionist civilian in Winchester. Intelligence from Laws helped Sheridan plan the army’s 1864 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.
Thomas Laws had a permit from the Confederates to travel to Winchester. Gen. Sheridan asked Laws to contact Unionist Rebecca Wright. Wright gave Laws a note for Sheridan about Confederate troop strength in Winchester. This information helped the US victory at the Third Battle of Winchester. Laws is featured in a video by Civil War Digital Digest and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.
Laws is buried in the historic Josephine City area of Berryville, Virginia.