The "Dutch Rose" of Columbia: A Madam's Life in a Confederate Refugee City, 1860-1863

Sophia Aumann was a madam in Columbia, South Carolina, when she was murdered in 1863. Operating under the name Rosalie LeGrand, Aumann's will and probate record reveal that she built a successful brothel amidst the chaos of the Civil War and thrived while others struggled. Civil War and prostitution historiography neglects the Southern sex trade during the Civil War except in relation to the military and often labels them as socially immobile. Aumann's life demonstrates the significance of excavating the daily operations of the Southern sex trade and how the Civil War altered those operations while also combating the tendency for historians to label sex workers as incapable of social mobility.