Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart
Their Secret War to Save a Nation
This book is a great resource about the spying that took place during the Civil War.
I read this book while researching for my novel, Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1 of my “Spies of the Civil War” series. This book gave a nice overview and many specific examples of the spying during the war. Sometimes the information spies provided was credited with helping to win specific battles.
The author divided the book into yearly sections and includes the spies that were active in those specific war years.
Civil War enthusiasts will likely recognize some of the agents discussed in this book: Allan Pinkerton, Belle Boyd, Rose O’Neal Greenhow, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Lafayette Baker. Several of Allan Pinkerton’s detectives, called scouts, are also highlighted.
I also liked how the history of the events, meetings, and battles was interspersed throughout the book, making it an interesting read.
My copy has lots of highlighted sections as a testament to how helpful I found the book.
Recommended for Civil War research and for lovers of American history.
Sandra Merville Hart 