From Library Journal
Written by an intelligence professional, this treatment of Civil War espionage reflects his background; he frequently interjects his opinions and provides deep detail for operational topics. Although Markle's informal and enthusiastic style is quite readable, the book's topical organization and exhaustive treatment of some fairly arcane topics make it more useful for researchers than general readers. In fact, the book's final five chapters have a quasi-reference organization; featuring Markle's discussions of all known Civil War spies, they would alone make the book worth considering for academic libraries. Public libraries may want to look elsewhere, but this is the most general account in print. Fritz Buckallew, Univ. of Central Oklahoma Lib., EdmondCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The history of Civil War espionage is usually mentioned only in passing in general accounts of the war. Lying under a cloud of romanticism, its details have had to be ferreted out in specialized sources. For his complete account of the subject, Markle draws upon just about all the available material and summarizes it with judgment, balance, clarity, and occasional wit. Among the subtopics are technology (photography for mapmaking and Confederate use of a forerunner of microfilm), the value of women spies (less subject to suspicion, they could move with greater freedom than male spies), and the roles of blacks as spies. A good case could be made that this volume is the single most valuable contribution to general Civil War literature so far this year. Roland Green

FROM OUR EDITORS

The development of photography, telegraphy, and even hot-air ballooning lent Civil War espionage an unprecedented sophistication and technological cutting edge. Examining the overall impact of spies on the outcome of the war, Donald E. Markle details the rapid advances in methods of covert communication via newspaper and telegraph and their effect on the war front. In some rare but effective instances, spies listened in on enemy communications and even acted as telegraphers for the enemy, distorting messages and prompting both sides to develop cryptography skills. Markle documents the participation of women as spies, the effect of misinformation on troop movement, and the overall impact of Civil War espionage on the modern world of intelligence. An eminently readable account, written with "...judgment, balance, clarity, and occasional wit."-- Booklist.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Although documentation shows that the American Civil War was conducted in large part by amateurs, the activities of spies gained some unprecedented sophistication thanks to new technology - photography, telegraphs, and even hot air balloons. Donald E. Markle details the rapid advances in methods of covert communication via newspaper and telegraph, and their effects on the war front. Enemy newspapers, for instance, became a coveted asset for the spy. Spies often acted as newspaper couriers for their governments, or even provided a "clipping service" to swiftly convey information aiding military strategists and their supporters. In some rare but very effective cases, spies listened in on enemy communications and even acted as telegraphers for the enemy, distorting messages. Such activities prompted both the Union and Confederate forces to encode messages and develop cryptography skills. Markle brings to light the extensive participation of women in Civil War espionage. For the first time during an American war, women with a desire to take an active part in the war effort (in areas besides nursing) were able to spy on the enemy by relaying daily reports from the battlefields. This new phenomenon is due in part to the rapid movement of information; for the first time during a war, the civilian population received timely news of their armies, their losses, their victories, and their struggles. Information conveyed by both the Union and the Confederate spies was, inevitably, not always accurate. Markle details some of the havoc wreaked by the misinformed. Generals Van Dorn and Price, for example, experienced such misfortune when they were considering an attack on Corinth, Mississippi, in the fall of 1862. Based on the information of one of their spies, General Van Dorn grossly underestimated the number of Federal troops he faced. This miscalculation lead to a Confederate rout with a loss of over 5,000 of his 25,000 troops. Markle examines the spies' overall impact on

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal