Lincolns Spies, Douglas Waller
Lincolns Spies, Douglas Waller
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Lincoln's Spies
Their Secret War to Save a Nation

Author: Douglas Waller

Narrator: Danny Campbell

Unabridged: 18 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/06/2019


Synopsis

This major addition to the history of the Civil War is a “fast-paced, fact-rich account” (The Wall Street Journal) offering a detailed look at President Abraham Lincoln’s use of clandestine services and the secret battles waged by Union spies and agents to save the nation—filled with espionage, sabotage, and intrigue.

Veteran CIA correspondent Douglas Waller delivers a riveting account of the heroes and misfits who carried out a shadow war of espionage and covert operations behind the Confederate battlefields. Lincoln’s Spies follows four agents from the North—three men and one woman—who informed Lincoln’s generals on the enemy positions for crucial battles and busted up clandestine Rebel networks.

Famed detective Allan Pinkerton mounted a successful covert operation to slip Lincoln through Baltimore before his inauguration after he learns of an assassination attempt from his agents working undercover as Confederate soldiers. But he proved less than competent as General George McClellan’s spymaster, delivering faulty intelligence reports that overestimated Confederate strength.

George Sharpe, an erudite New York lawyer, succeeded Pinkerton as spymaster for the Union’s Army of the Potomac. Sharpe deployed secret agents throughout the South, planted misinformation with Robert E. Lee’s army, and outpaced anything the enemy could field.

Elizabeth Van Lew, a Virginia heiress who hated slavery and disapproved of secession, was one of Sharpe’s most successful agents. She ran a Union spy ring in Richmond out of her mansion with dozens of agents feeding her military and political secrets that she funneled to General Ulysses S. Grant as his army closed in on the Confederate capital. Van Lew became one of the unsung heroes of history.

Lafayette Baker was a handsome Union officer with a controversial past, whose agents clashed with Pinkerton’s operatives. He assembled a retinue of disreputable spies, thieves, and prostitutes to root out traitors in Washington, DC. But he failed at his most important mission: uncovering the threat to Lincoln from John Wilkes Booth and his gang.

Behind these operatives was Abraham Lincoln, one of our greatest presidents, who was an avid consumer of intelligence and a ruthless aficionado of clandestine warfare, willing to take whatever chances necessary to win the war. Lincoln’s Spies is a “meticulous chronicle of all facets of Lincoln’s war effort” (Kirkus Reviews) and an excellent choice for those wanting “a cracking good tale” (Publishers Weekly) of espionage in the Civil War.

About Douglas Waller

Douglas Waller is a former correspondent for Newsweek and Time, where he covered the CIA, Pentagon, State Department, White House, and Congress. He is the author of the bestsellers Wild Bill DonovanBig Red, and The Commandos, as well as critically acclaimed works such as Disciples, the story of four CIA directors who fought for Donovan in World War II, and A Question of Loyalty, a biography of General Billy Mitchell. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jay

When the American Civil War became a total war and not just an armed misunderstanding, a network of spies and informants was needed to help the generals make their decisions on how to move and place their armies. We know of the use of cavalry as information gatherers, but the use of small bands of s......more

Goodreads review by Steven

It goes without saying that intelligence gathering during the American Civil War was an inexact science. Information was derived from a myriad of sources that included; newspaper articles, railroad passengers and riders, free blacks, runaway slaves, deserters, prisoners of war, local farmers and oth......more

Goodreads review by Angie

This is a meticulously detailed, impressively researched book on the Civil War, centering on the role of intelligence. History buffs will LOVE it, but there was a bit more than I really wanted to know about battle details. etc., so I confess I skimmed or even skipped some parts. There re a LOT of pe......more

Goodreads review by Simon

A highly entertaining and well researched look into intelligence gathering during the Civil War mostly from the Union side whoose resources were more abundant than the Confederacy's and directed in large part by Lincoln himself who proved to be a savy inturpretor of the raw data people, places and t......more

Goodreads review by David

A compelling look at the often-unknown spy networks that helped the Union win the Civil War. With his focus on Allen Pinkerton, Elizabeth Van Lew, George Sharpe, and Lafayette Baker, the author lets us into the secrets of finding secrets. Some of their activities helped the North win battles, while......more


Quotes

"Narrator Danny Campbell chronicles the exploits and scandals of spies during the Civil War. Many people know that Allan Pinkerton, founder of the famed detective agency, worked as an intelligence officer for President Lincoln. But he was far from the only one. Campbell offers an engaging narration. His storytelling tone exactly suits the material, especially since the author takes an anecdotal approach rather than a chronological one. He doesn't add any false drama, but he varies his voice nicely to suit the material. He captures the sense of excitement during action-packed scenes and even provides a hint of humor during some of the more ludicrous espionage efforts."