American Civil War spies

People who are involved in espionage usually must remain unknown during their lifetimes. Achieving anonymity even in history is especially true of African American spies and particularly of women spies. When people think of a civil war spy, they imagine a male. Nevertheless, women played a huge role and were perfect because they were easily trusted and viewed as a non-threat. African Americans were also great spies because they had direct access to conversation as they were serving and cooking for both the union army and Confederates. However, during the civil war, most spies that were captured were executed. Certain espionage exploits by African Americans during the Civil War have come to be known and are a part of history. The stories of…

The American Civil War was fought between the northern and southern soldiers during 1861-1865. This war played a crucial part in shaping the opinions of citizens and provisional gender roles during war time; females were encouraged to help aid the soldiers. Ladies at this time were “vivandieres” who were often known to accompany and provide support to the Union and Confederate army. A handful of women also impersonated themselves as men and joined the fight, while many other females were nurses…

The American Civil War is an event in American history that is looked back on with regret. Regret that our country had to go through such a terrible time when brother killed brother, and father killed son. When most look back on the American Civil war, they might think of the men, maybe Abraham Lincoln, maybe the slaves, but do women come to the mind of most when thinking about the American Civil War? Women played a great role during the Civil War. Some women were spies, like Isabelle Boyd and…

“We never sleep” was the motto of Allan Pinkerton’s detective agency. Pinkerton led these spies in the South where they “Didn’t sleep”, discovering more and more tactical information on the South’s plans to win the Civil War. In the USA a great war would soon begin a war that would separate the young nation, and would create the North and the South (Confederacy). The war would begin on April 12, 1861, and the main reason for this war was slavery. Spies such as Allan Pinkerton and the…

12, 1861 the Civil War broke out due to the unyielding distinctions regarding free and slave states regarding the power of the national government forbidding slavery in the unpopulated areas. Over the course of the war as the Union infiltrated Confederacy territory many Union officials recognized an intellectual advantage by utilizing the African American population. Herbert Aptheker, who was an American Marxist historian and political enthusiast declared, "The greatest source of military and…

“Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, A Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy” is a biography written by Elizabeth R. Varon and published by Oxford University Press in 2003. This book has 317 pages including the List of Abbreviations, Notes, and Index and 261 pages excluding these items. The purpose of this book is to inform the reader of the life of Elizabeth Van Lew while trying to fix how she is viewed in American History. Elizabeth Van Lew was an elite,…

Lines of Civil War Spies The American Civil War was one of the greatest battles in our nation’s history. This war lasted from 1861 to 1865, resulting in more than one million deaths. Not only were there soldiers who died, but among them were women, children, slaves and families. The Civil War is considered to be one of the bloodiest events to ever take place on American Soil, and the effects of this war would forever alter our nation’s history. There are many individuals today that argue…

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…

cooks, laundresses, spies, and, most importantly, nurses. Nurses in the military date as far back as the American Revolution. However, the first contracted nurses did not appear until around 1898, shortly…

issues of the Civil War was if America was going to be a country of slavery. The South also known as the Confederate army were all the states that support slavery as they used slaves for their big agricultural fields. The North also known as the Union army were all the states that were against slavery, they believed African American are just as equal as a white man. With the country expanding both sides feared that the country will have more pro-slavery or anti-slavery states, this lead to the…