Civil War Spies

With a longtime fascination with history, I decided to write my essay on a topic not usually discussed in history classes, the role of spies during America’s war of independence. I was interested in the ways spies played various roles in major events during the revolution and their uniquely complex ways of gathering intelligence, given the many limitations in the 18th century. Fighting against the British army, a superpower in its time, I’m hoping to discuss the significance

Each woman faced their own set of problems depending on their race, social class and gender. These same issues also allowed for them to excel as spies during the Civil War. Lincoln’s legacy is preserving the nation that his predecessors had created and maintained. The Confederacy was fighting to preserve the Southern way of life which depended upon slavery. The system of slavery was all that most of them knew and change can be frightening. In the end, the lack of industry was a major factor that killed the South’s possibility of victory. The South also was more conservative with new strategies and weaponry. This caused the South to fall behind in a period of immense technological development. Lincoln was praised for his new integration of the

Throughout this research I have noticed that the most frequently talked about the subject concerning the civil war is mostly about the slaves, fighters in the war, and leaders of each opposition party and the military issues of the war. The group of people who have actually been excluded is the male citizens who refused to fight in the war in the southern states. The male citizens who refused in the war were mostly disabled ones. This was because the southern states had no military and they had to recruit soldiers immediately which included almost all the working and not disabled male citizens (slaves did not count). The women were not really included in the actual civil war but they fought the war in their own way which was fortunately recognized after the war. It was the first time in American history that women played a significant role in a war effort. Whether they were appreciated or not appreciated their opinions on the war still counted

The Bureau of Military Information (BMI), founded by General Hooker in 1863, was directed by George Sharpe. A vast collection of reports from the BMI were discovered at the National Archives in 1959 by Edwin Fishel. These reports disclosed that, in contrast to Pinkerton’s system, Sharpe’s unit used a host of sources in gathering intelligence, including cavalry, spies, balloonists, Signal Corps observers, scouts, and interrogations of prisoners and deserters. By merging the information gathered from all of his sources, Sharpe was able to provide Hooker with a comprehensive description of enemy standing. General Grant, who initially placed minimal importance upon intelligence gathering, came to view intelligence as a vital tool and depended upon Sharpe’s reports and the activity of the BMI to provide him with secret information. In fact, “the BMI became an integral part of Grant’s successful campaign to neutralize the Shenandoah Valley and to stretch Lee’s manpower to the brink of collapse.”

The Civil War: Then and Now The Civil War that occurred was one of the darkest times in our history as a country. It was a time where there was a complete breakdown of social and political systems. Hundreds of thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands more were aversely affected. However, it was also a time of remembrance and significant moral progress. It is remembered as the turning point in American History and would be the foundation for the Civil Rights movement many years later.

Throughout the entire war, there were many individuals and groups that sent information all around, mostly in the New York and New Jersey area. Perhaps the most well-known spy is Nathan Hale. After graduating from Yale at age 18, Nathan was given the rank of 1st Lieutenant when he joined the Continental army. A few months later, he was promoted to captain and was given a command of Rangers to secure New York City. On September 6, 1776, Hale enlisted to become a spy. Hale is not remembered for being a spy, though. He imitated a school teacher, his previous job before the war. Hale’s mission was to collect intelligence behind enemy lines before the Battle of Harlem Heights. He slipped behind enemy lines on Long Island and successfully gathered information about British troop battle

With over a half million deaths the most gruesome war in American history drove citizens to action. The suffering during this era was so great many were inspired by nationalism to act. For those who were unable to join the fight upon the battlefield, espionage represented a chance for personal involvement. Although it is believed that many agents never sought recognition for their service, especially Confederate scouts, documentation depicts the espionage present during the American Civil War to be surprisingly sophisticated. By examining the recorded history involving active female intelligence agents in the American Civil War, we can see the roles of female scouts were severely underestimated, frequently encouraged, and generally

During the early eighteen hundreds, many southerners entangled themselves and their families in the Civil War. The Civil War caused many men to turn against one another, and the war affected family life as well. “Approximately 620,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the Civil War.” Most

The book Secret Missions of the Civil War, I find important in another way because I learned more about the American Civil War and what happened during that time. For example, I learned that the Confederate Army tried to go to Mexico to establish slavery, but failed because the leader of Mexico during that time was Maximilian 1 that they contacted died when they got there. I also learned that a Union spy named Charles P Stone who was veteran of the Mexican American. The spy Charles P Stone led an attack on the Confederate Army to gain control of their territory, but lost that battle and was eventually captured by the Confederate Army. Later, he was released by The congress of the Union States. The book teaches the history of the Civil War and

The Unknown Soldiers of the Civil War The United States during the Civil war was a divided nation and filled with gruesome fighting. It hit all parts of the country and brought the fighting right to the back yards of families. While the men of the nation fought the combat war,

Though both the Union and Confederacy didn't have a proper intelligence network, they both were able to acquire critical information through spies, espionage transactions, and undercover agents. Because this was one of the first American wars that

The book, Secret Missions of the Civil War, impacts me in my life today =because I know the stories of the missions that Confederate spies and Union spies did during the Civil War. I read Tthe book and it explains accounts of spies and the missions they did for the

LaFayette Baker was an important union spy. In 1856, he joined the San Francisco vigilance committee. Which was a group that put effort into protecting the city from crime. In 1861, Baker found out the news of the burgeoning rebellion, that is when he went back to the east to help out the union forces. In 1864, he uncovered a plan by the conference called the “Northwest Conspiracy.” It would cause the war to move to the cities of the North. When Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865, baker planned to capture John Wilkes Booth. After the Civil War, Baker carried out some of his work and then

Spies, you may think that spies just dress up in all black and listen to other people's conversations and tell their bosses, but there is way more to it. In the Civil War, spies would work in the enemy's white house for example. Mary Bowser and her sister Elizabeth Van Lew were spies for the union. They would work in the confederate’s white house and while they would be cleaning, they would look through the documents and find out information. They would get this information to the North, using their friend who would work in the bakery and bring bread to the white house. Now you needed to have connections with people so you could travel the news. Just like Mary and Elizabeth had the bakery man, if you were a spy, you need someone that you could

The American Civil War was a time of great trial and tribulation for the American people. It forced individuals to choose a cause, and many families were torn asunder as they chose opposing sides. As the men marched off to war a small group of women prepared to wage a different kind of warfare. These women became an overlooked but deadly force using espionage and womanly wiles to gather military intelligence for their cause. They used whatever means they had at their disposal to enter into the confidence of men within the opposing side and gain their trust. Women during this period were often overlooked as insignificant and stationary. Women were meant to stay within the home and care for their families needs. However, these extraordinary women rose to answer a more imminent need. These brave women had a profound influence on their cause.