[*][*]
Allen, Thomas. Intelligence in the Civil War. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2006.
This is an excellent, brief (50 pages) overview of the intelligence activities on both sides of this conflict.
Antonucci, Michael. "Code-Cracker."
Civil War Times Illustrated, Aug. 1995, 46-53.
This article describes Confederate and Union ciphers and each side's effort to read the other's messages.
Axelrod, Alan. The War Between the Spies: A History of Espionage during the American Civil War. New York:
Atlantic Monthly Press, 1992.
Surveillant 2.5 describes this work as a "summary and general review of the existing literature on espionage in the Civil War."
The AIJ 14.1 reviewer is enthusiastic, calling it a "fascinating book for Civil War buffs interested in intelligence.... Interesting and recommended." Not so Tidwell, FILS 11.5, who comments that "no serious student of the war or the craft of intelligence should clutter his mind or his library with it."
MI 19.3 opines that the author's "stories become repetitive" and he "does not fully explore any one person's exploits.... While he has a large bibliography, there are no footnotes to reference specific information to."
Knott, I&NS 9.2, says that Axelrod "seems to have relied considerably on [inflated] memoirs." The lack of footnotes is troubling, and the book is an "awkward read" with an "occasional tidbit of information that piques the reader's interest." Nevertheless, the author's "study of the importance of intelligence..., while not original, is accurate and well presented." This book "would be best for the young reader who might be attracted to its light-hearted accounts of espionage. It is not for the serious student of intelligence history or of the American Civil War."
Beymer, William Gilmore. On Hazardous
Service: Scouts and Spies of the North and South. New York: Harper,
1912.
D'Aoust, Maurice.
1. "Hoodwinked During America's Civil War: Union Military Deception." Civil War Times, May 2006. [http://www.historynet.com/magazines/civil_war_times/3038701.html]
There are "abundant incidents of deception found throughout the Official Records, as well as memoirs, letters and even war literature. A sampling of the ruses adopted by Union forces is presented here."
2. "Hoodwinked During America's Civl War: Confederate Military Deception." Civil War Times, Jun. 2006. [http://www.historynet.com/magazines/civil_war_times/3446521.html]
Although the Union side managed "to pull off" its "fair share," the Confederates "were responsible for the majority of the hoaxes that were perpetrated during the Civil War.... Desperately lacking in both men and materiel, Rebel commanders were often forced to resort to correspondingly desperate measures, such as deception, in order to mask or offset those deficiencies." Magruder, Beauregard, Forrest, and Lee are singled out.
Davis, Curtis Carroll. "Companions
of Crisis: The Spy Memoir as a Social Document." Civil War History
10, no. 4 (Dec. 1964): 385-400.
In this article, Davis looks at Civil War spy memoirs. He identifies "nineteen published autobiographical narratives of intelligence service, as well as five biographical accounts which properly belong to the group." Six of the individuals involved are listed in the Dictionary of American Biography -- Baker, Cushman, Pinkerton, Richardson, Boyd, and Stringfellow. The "Civil War spy memoirs exhibit the following attributes...: they are dull, they are festooned with the spangles of romanticity, they give off a bookish aura."
Dykstra, Robert R., ed. "Intelligence
and Security." Civil War History 10, no. 4 (Dec. 1964): Entire
issue.
Eicher, David J. "Deploy the Skirmishers." Civil War Times 42, no. 5 (Dec. 2003): 16-17.
"In a war in which intelligence about enemy units ranged from very good to nonexistent, skirmish lines often had to serve as the eyes and ears of regiments or brigades on the march or when choosing fighting positions. Skirmishers were sent forward or along the flanks of moving bodies of troops to gauge the enemy and often to draw the fire that would lead to a general engagement.... Skirmishers ... often ended up fighting with no notice, running for their lives, or frantically communicating rapidly changing situations back to officers who accompanied the main body of troops."
Either, Eric. "Intelligence: The Secret War Within America's Civil War." Civil War Times, Apr-Mar. 2007. [http://www.historynet.com/magazines/civil_war_times/8188057.html]
A quick walk-through of balloon reconnaissance; Allan Pinkerton’s spies; prisoners, deserters, and newspapers; slaves and free blacks; scouts, cavalry, and guerrilla units; signal towers used as intelligence posts; and the Army of the Potomac’s Bureau of Military Information.
Foster, G. Allen. The Eyes and Ears
of the Civil War. New York: Criterion, 1963. [Petersen]
Freese, Jacob R. Secrets of the Late
Rebellion. Philadelphia: Crombargar, 1882.
"At the outbreak of war, Freese ... was named Assistant Adjutant General to Gen. William R. Montgomery, First New Jersey Regiment of Volunteers. When Montgomery was named Military Governor of Alexandria, Virginia, Freese was appointed Provost Judge. His harsh manner of imposing military law ... earned the tribunal the name 'Judge Freese's Bayonet Court.'" Sayle, "Nuggets from Intelligence History," IJI&C 1.2 (1986), fn. 3.
Constantinides comments that Freese's book focuses on "covert efforts of the Confederates to establish land supply lines to the South.... Laid out are routes of these lines and names of lookouts, river crossers, safe-house keepers, and providers of transports. So are a number of operations."
Greene, Charles S. Thrilling Stories
of the Great Rebellion: Comprising Heroic Adventures and Hairbreadth Escapes
of Soldiers, Scouts, Spies and Refugees; Daring Exploits of Smugglers. Guerrillas,
Desperados and Others; Tales of Loyal and Disloyal Women; Stories of the
Negro, etc., etc. Philadelphia: John E. Potter, 1864.
Hageman, Mark C. "Espionage in the Civil War." Signal Corps Association (1860 to 1865) at: http://scard.buffnet.net/pages/spy/spy.html.
Confederacy: Thomas Jordan, Rose O'Neal Greenhow, Thomas N. Conrad, J. Franklin Stringfellow, William Norris, Belle Boyd, James Harrison, John S. Mosby, Turner Ashby, Harry Gilmor, Jerome Clarke, Sam Davis.
Union: Allan Pinkerton, Timothy Webster, Elizabeth Van Lew, Lafayette C. Baker, Sarah Emma Edmonds, Pauline Cushman, William A. Lloyd, Thomas Boyd, Henry Young, George H. Sharpe, James J. Andrews.
Harlow, Alvin F. Brass-Pounders,
Young Telegraphers of the Civil War. Denver: Sage, 1962. [http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/RefBibs/intell/crypto.htm]
Hazelton, Joseph Powers [Captain]. Scouts,
Spies, and Heroes of the Great Civil War. Including Thrilling Adventures,
Daring Deeds, Heroic Exploits, Wonderful Escapes of Spies, Scouts, and Detectives,
with Songs, Ballads, Anecdotes, Witty Sayings, Watchwords, Battle-Cries,
and Humorous and Pathetic Incidents of the War. Jersey City, NJ: Star
Publishing, 1892.
Hoogenboom, Ari. "Spy & Topog
Duty Has Been . . . Neglected." Civil War History 10, no. 4
(Dec. 1964): 368-370.
The author notes the deficiencies of maps available to both Union and Confederate generals. "The condition of Civil War maps reflects the [negative] attitude of prewar army officers toward the topographical service." The "most vocal and persistent critic" was Braxton Bragg. Hoogenboom cites from a 1844 series of articles by Bragg and a 1851 letter to his brother, an Alabama congressman.
Humphreys, David. Heroes and Spies
of the Civil War. New York: Neale, 1903. [http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/refBibs/intell/civwar.htm]
Johnston, Angus
J., II. "Disloyalty on Confederate Railroads in Virginia." Virginia
Magazine of History and Biography 63, no. 4 (Oct. 1955): 410-426.
Kane, Harnett T. Spies for the Blue
and Gray. Garden City, NY: Hanover House, 1954.
King, Charles, et al. The Photographic
History of the Civil War. Vol IV. Soldier Life and Secret Service,
Prisons and Hospitals. Secaucus, NJ: Blue & Gray Press, 1987.
See Miller, below.
Klement, Frank L. Dark Lanterns:
Secret Political Societies, Conspiracies, and Treason Trials in the Civil
War. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1984.
Markle, Donald E. Spies and Spy Masters
of the Civil War. New York: Hippocrene, 1994. 1995 [pb]. Rev. & exp. ed. New York: Hippocrene, 2004.
According to Surveillant 3.4/5, this is "one of the most comprehensive treatments of Civil War spies..., covering the entire history of the war and the espionage activities by both Union and Confederate spies." Surveillant 4.4/5 adds that Markle gives "special focus" to women spies, and includes an appendix listing 432 Civil War spies.
Acknowledging the 2004 edition, Kruh, Cryptologia 30.3 (Jul.-Sep. 2006), notes that the author has added several new chapters to this "comprehensive guide" to Civil War espionage on both sides.
Miller, Francis Tevelyan, ed. Soldier
Life and the Secret Service. Vol. 8, The Photographic History of
the Civil War. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1911. [Reprinted] New York: Castle
Books, 1957.
See King, above.
Stern, Philip Van Doren. Secret Missions
of the Civil War: First-Hand Accounts by Men and Women Who Risked Their
Lives in Underground Activities for the North and South. Chicago: Rand
MacNally. 1959. Avenel, NJ: Wings Books, 1990.
Surveillant 1.2 says this book is comprised of "[f]irst-hand accounts by men and women who participated in covert activities for the Union and Confederacy."
For Constantinides, "Stern's great contribution is not in collecting ... these accounts but rather in his commentaries on each one and each year of the war."
Time-Life Books. Editors. The Civil
War: Spies, Scouts, and Raiders. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1985.
[Petersen]
Return to Civil War Table of Contents
Return to Main Table of Contents