The Civil War is the deadliest war this country has had to endure. It pitted the North versus the South over the issues of slavery and preservation of the Union. Families were literally torn apart as some members supported the Union while others supported the Confederacy. Divided loyalties among such close relatives made espionage a near certainty throughout the war. This paper will examine why there were spies, who they were, how they operated, and their contributions to the war effort.
During the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy made extensive use of spies. Harnett Kane, a Southern historian asserts that, “This war between Americans probably saw more espionage, involving more people, than any in our history” (Kane 11). The nature …show more content…
The Union capital, Washington, D.C. was located south of the Mason – Dixon line so there were many Southern sympathizers in Washington. (Axelrod 43). It is interesting that the Confederate government chose Richmond, Virginia as its capital. Richmond is located slightly over one hundred miles from Washington, D.C. One can theorize that this was intentional so its spies/agents could keep a better eye on things in Washington. However, this worked both ways since the Union government just as easily deployed its spies from DC to Richmond to monitor the Confederacy.
Civil War spies on both sides came from all walks of life to include wealthy men, working class men, high society women, housewives, and former slaves. Just as there was diversity among the spies, there were various motivations for becoming an agent. Most spies appeared to have been truly committed to the cause. However, a few did it out of a sense of adventure; some for the ultimate fame/heroism associated with it. Yet others did it to advance their careers as detectives or military officers (Merkle 96).
Today, the world of espionage makes use of all types of technology …show more content…
It is interesting to note that the punishment for captured women spies was vastly different than that of men since no woman was executed for spying during the Civil War (Merkle 80).
Most Civil War spies’ names have never come to light, but there a few on both sides that became famous for their extraordinary efforts. For the Union, one of these spies was Elizabeth
Van Lew, a dedicated abolitionist who lived in Richmond, Virginia. She convinced the city’s provost marshal to allow her to conduct “humanitarian” visits to Libby Prison where
Union prisoners of war were held. While taking baskets of goodies (food, medicine, and books) to the prisoners, she received useful information on Confederate troops (Abbott 46). After being banned from speaking with the prisoners, Van Lew developed a communications cipher where prisoners would faintly, in their books, underline words that would be a code for her. She was a major player in the Richmond spy ring, even using her family’s home as a safe house for smuggling escaped Union prisoner (Kane 54).
However, Van Lew’s greatest success was to get one of her former slaves, Mary
Bowser, hired on as a servant at the home of Confederate President Jefferson
During the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy made extensive use of spies. Harnett Kane, a Southern historian asserts that, “This war between Americans probably saw more espionage, involving more people, than any in our history” (Kane 11). The nature …show more content…
The Union capital, Washington, D.C. was located south of the Mason – Dixon line so there were many Southern sympathizers in Washington. (Axelrod 43). It is interesting that the Confederate government chose Richmond, Virginia as its capital. Richmond is located slightly over one hundred miles from Washington, D.C. One can theorize that this was intentional so its spies/agents could keep a better eye on things in Washington. However, this worked both ways since the Union government just as easily deployed its spies from DC to Richmond to monitor the Confederacy.
Civil War spies on both sides came from all walks of life to include wealthy men, working class men, high society women, housewives, and former slaves. Just as there was diversity among the spies, there were various motivations for becoming an agent. Most spies appeared to have been truly committed to the cause. However, a few did it out of a sense of adventure; some for the ultimate fame/heroism associated with it. Yet others did it to advance their careers as detectives or military officers (Merkle 96).
Today, the world of espionage makes use of all types of technology …show more content…
It is interesting to note that the punishment for captured women spies was vastly different than that of men since no woman was executed for spying during the Civil War (Merkle 80).
Most Civil War spies’ names have never come to light, but there a few on both sides that became famous for their extraordinary efforts. For the Union, one of these spies was Elizabeth
Van Lew, a dedicated abolitionist who lived in Richmond, Virginia. She convinced the city’s provost marshal to allow her to conduct “humanitarian” visits to Libby Prison where
Union prisoners of war were held. While taking baskets of goodies (food, medicine, and books) to the prisoners, she received useful information on Confederate troops (Abbott 46). After being banned from speaking with the prisoners, Van Lew developed a communications cipher where prisoners would faintly, in their books, underline words that would be a code for her. She was a major player in the Richmond spy ring, even using her family’s home as a safe house for smuggling escaped Union prisoner (Kane 54).
However, Van Lew’s greatest success was to get one of her former slaves, Mary
Bowser, hired on as a servant at the home of Confederate President Jefferson