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The two non-fiction books reviewed here are from the American Revolution and the American Civil War. Both are concerned with spies. The profession of spy is an intriguing one. It is, of course, very important in war or in preparing for war to gather intelligence about one’s opponents in battle. There is often great drama, accompanied by great boredom, in carrying out this sometimes-dangerous activity. What is even more interesting, in some respects, is people’s wide range of attitudes towards spies. They are either raised up as heroes (Nathan Hale or James Bond) or denigrated as traitors. This probably depends on one’s point of view, i.e., whether the spy is working for your country or against your country, and whether he might be betraying your country or someone else’s… The two books below, both at the middle to high school reading level, look at spies and spying activities during the American Revolution and by the Confederate side of the American Civil War.
Spies of the Revolution, by Katherine and John Bakeless, tells many of the untold stories of espionage in the Revolution against the British, stories that often had a great effect on the course of events, battles included. The New York-based spy ring, run by George Washington, is of great interest. The story of the spy ring run by Paul Revere, he of the famous ride, is not as well-known but is equally fascinating. For example, the tale of that fateful April night in 1775 when Revere made his famous ride is much more complex and interesting than what is told in Longfellow’s famous poem. The authors make the point, repeatedly, that spies are not only the agents in the field, collecting information first-hand, but also include those who collect, organize, and evaluate the information from various spies, often risking their lives to get this information back to the military and civilian leaders. All in all, Spies of the Revolution is a well-told and fascinating look, at middle and high school reading level, at the people who risked their lives collecting information from the British that helped us to survive and ultimately win the American Revolution.
Confederate Spy Stories, also written by Katherine and John Bakeless, is a look at the spies who played a great role in gathering intelligence for the Confederate government and army. The Confederacy had spies at all levels in Washington, DC, even into the White House. The Southern army generally knew the plans of the Union generals, through spies and through wiretapping of Union telegraphs, which greatly helped the out-numbered and out-supplied Confederate Army to survive and even to win many battles, mostly in the first two years of the war. The battle of Gettysburg was in July, 1863, and is generally regarded as the high point of the Southern armies, in penetration in the north, and the turning point in the war, with the Confederate loss of Vicksburg and at Gettysburg at almost the same day. Even after this date, Southern spies helped the Confederate armies to survive and delay the inevitable Union victory. This book is a fascinating look at the role of secret agents, a more polite word for spies, for the South in the Civil War.
The authors are a talented husband and wife team. John Bakeless was a scholar and an author who worked in journalism, was a university teacher and researcher, served in the military for over 30 years, and was a consultant to the CIA in the early post-World War II years. His wife Katherine was a writer and musician and collaborated with him on several books, especially those designed for students. It is rare to find a husband-wife team who have done so well in the production of good books. Just about anything they together, or he separately, have written is worth reading, including books on Lewis and Clark, the early explorers of America, and a biography of George Rogers Clark, a hero of the American Revolution and brother of William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame.