Lincoln's Spies

[L Verge]

(08-03-2019 03:41 AM)Steve Wrote:  

(08-02-2019 08:10 PM)L Verge Wrote:  As I posted elsewhere, the book has bios on four spies - Pinkerton (who affected McClellan's military strategy with inflated info), George Sharpe (who was pretty much the father of what we now term military intelligence), Lafayette Baker (an early version of the Gestapo, imo), and Elizabeth Van Lew of Richmond.

Laurie, your opinion about Baker makes me think you might want to read this article about Hiram Whitley:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-secret...guantanamo

Would love to read it, but this morning, I am being hit with AdBlocker walls on the dailybeast. Happened when I tried to get back on the WaPo Lincoln article.

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I believe Steve said that Holzer did not believe Lincoln and Pinkerton met prior to the 1860 election, and right now, I agree. Pinkerton was working for a railroad line and infiltrated Baltimore's "underground" during the period before the election. That's where he picked up the rumors of what would happen to Lincoln if he were elected. I don't think Lincoln did much campaigning on his own - wasn't it the custom for the candidates to let others do the stumping for them?

Anyhow, I think Pinkerton reported to his railroad boss because the line that would get the president-elect to D.C. had to run through Maryland. That report subsequently led to Pinkerton and Lamon being able to fool the secessionists in Baltimore. I believe Pinkerton first met Lincoln in either Harrisburg or Philadelphia in the final leg of the trip in February.

When I get a chance to crack open Waller's book, I'll see what he says.