Imagine being in the
perfect position to spy: you can move about without suspicion and your presence
is inconspicuous. You could learn information important to your organization
and deliver it without attracting attention. This was the position that many
African-Americans found themselves in during the Civil War.
Intelligence played a critical role in the outcome of the
Civil War. The Union’s ability to gather
information about the Confederacy’s next move allowed them to prevail in many
situations. How was the Union able to collect
such crucial knowledge? Many brave black American men and women risked their
lives to learn and share intelligence vital to the success of the Union.
Anonymous Heroes
During the war, African-Americans received recognition for
their contributions through articles in the press. However, after the war, the
recognition died off. Racial prejudice and a lack of official records of
intelligence activities were factors in the lack of acknowledgment.
In honor of Black History Month and in an effort to give
these brave black Americans the recognition they deserve, here are a few of
their amazing stories…
The Perfect Spy
African-Americans played an important role in the outcome of
the Civil War. Slaves and freed African-Americans were an invaluable resource
to the Union, providing information on the
Confederate forces. This became known as the “black dispatches.”
The dispatches were most commonly obtained from debriefing
slaves—either runaways or those who had come under Union
control. And a few brave black Americans learned important intelligence about
Confederate plans through behind-the-lines missions or by serving as an
agent-in-place.
William A. Jackson
Africans-Americans who could serve as agents-in-place were a
great asset to the Union. They could provide
information about the enemy’s plans instead of reporting how the plans were
carried out. William A. Jackson was one such agent-in-place who provided
valuable intelligence straight from Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Jackson served as a coachman
to Davis. As a
servant in Davis’ home, Jackson overheard discussions the president
had with his military leadership. His first report of Confederate plans and intentions
was in May 1862 when he crossed into Union lines. While there are no records of
the specific intelligence Jackson reported, it
is known that it was important enough to be sent straight to the War Department
in Washington.
Harriet Tubman
When it comes to the Civil War and the fight to end slavery,
Harriet Tubman is an icon. She was not only a conductor of the Underground
Railroad, but also a spy for the Union.
In 1860, she took her last trip on the Underground Railroad,
bringing friends and family to freedom safely. After the trip, Tubman decided
to contribute to the war effort by caring for and feeding the many slaves who
had the fled the Union-controlled areas.
A year later, the Union Army asked Tubman to gather a
network of spies among the black men in the area. Tubman also was tasked with
leading expeditions to gather intelligence. She reported her information to a
Union officer commanding the Second South Carolina Volunteers, a black unit
involved in guerrilla warfare activities.
After learning of Tubman’s capability as a spy, Gen. David
Hunter, commander of all Union forces in the area, requested that Tubman
personally guide a raiding party up the Combahee
River in South Carolina. Tubman was well prepared for
the raid because she had key information about Confederate positions along the
shore and had discovered where they placed torpedoes (barrels filled with
gunpowder) in the water. On the morning of June 1, 1863, Tubman led Col. James
Montgomery and his men in the attack. The expedition hit hard. They set fires
and destroyed buildings so they couldn’t be used by the Confederate forces. The
raiders freed 750 slaves.
The raid along the Combahee River,
in addition to her activities with the Underground Railroad, made a significant
contribution to the Union cause. When Tubman died in 1913, she was honored with
a full military funeral in recognition for work during the war.
Mary Touvestre
Mary Touvestre was a freed slave who worked as a housekeeper
for a Confederate engineer who was repairing and transforming the USS Merrimac into the Virginia,
the Confederate’s first ironclad (warship). She overheard the engineer talking
about the importance of the ship and realized that it could be a significant
weapon against the Northern blockade.
At great personal risk, Touvestre stole the plans for the
ship and fled to Washington,
where she met with the Department of the Navy. Upon seeing the plans and
hearing Touvestre’s report, the Union Navy sped up the construction of its
ironclad, the USS Monitor.
It is believed that if Touvestre had not alerted the Union
of the Confederacy’s activities, the Virginia might have caused enough damage to the
blockade to allow much needed supplies from Europe
to slip through.
John Scobell
John Scobell was a freed slave who was recruited by Union
intelligence chief Allan Pinkerton to spy behind Confederate lines. Scobell was
intelligent and a good actor. He took on several identities, including food
vendor, cook and laborer. Scobell often worked with two of Pinkerton’s best agents—Timothy
Webster and Carrie Lawton—posing as a servant.
Scobell provided valuable information about Confederate
order of battle, status of supplies and troop morale. He also sought out
leaders in the black community to collect information about local conditions,
fortifications, and troop dispositions.
The stories above are just a few examples of the amazing
acts of bravery carried out by black Americans during the Civil War. To learn
more about the “black dispatches,” read our publication Black Dispatches:
Black American Contributions to Union Intelligence During the Civil War.
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