I had a great, great aunt, Rose O'Neal Greenhow. She was a Confederate spy and drowned when her ship ran aground. She was returning from Europe, where she had raised funds to support the Southren cause. She had sewn gold coins into the hem of her dress for safe keeping, and when she abandoned ship, the weight of the coins pulled her under. She had been imprisoned in a Union prison for espionage.
This link gives more details:
http://www.americancivilwar.com/women/rg.html
