The Blue and the Gray Undercover

Battles were won with bullets and sabers on the battlefields of the War Between the States, for sure. But often, the outcome of those battles was affected by the heroic acts of spies–both Union and Confederate. Such heroes, unsung while they did their vital work, included those whose true stories are told in the pages of this book:

• • Elizabeth Van Lew: Her Richmond, Virginia, neighbors thought her eccentric–or crazy–but her odd behavior covered her activities as a spy for the Union army.
• • Belle Boyd: A daring Confederate spy whose charm and beauty were exceeded only by her boldness and resourcefulness in eluding Union’s efforts to capture her.
• • Serena Freneau: A beautiful spy who seduced secrets from Union officers–even marrying one of them!
• • Timothy Webster: A Union spy who dared to infiltrate the South’s infamous “Knights of Liberty” as a double agent.

Their exploits, and the other tales in this extraordinary volume, are as thrilling as any spy stories from the past or present–and many of them are true history.

The Blue and the Gray Undercover

No war is won on the battlefield alone, and the Civil War was no exception. Behind the lines, behind closed doors, in disguise, spies for both the Union and the Confederacy did what spies have always done: seek out information that will help their side get some advantage over the enemy.

In the pages of this unique volume, some of the most gifted storytellers of our generation write about many different spies. Editor Ed Gorman has brought together never-before-published tales of undercover work during the War Between the States by such bestselling authors as Doug Allyn, John Lutz, Brendan DuBois, Loren D. Estleman, and by other talented writers, including Janet Berliner, James H. Cobb, Bill Crider, Jane Haddam, Edward D. Hoch, Marie Jakober, Jane Lindskold, P. G. Nagle, Gary Phillips, Robert J. Randisi, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Aileen Schumacher, and Ray Vukcevich.

In cities and in the wild, north and south of the Mason-Dixon line, in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea–even in Canada–these stories capture the tension and excitement of the high-stakes risks numberless people took to help their side in the terrible war that sundered a nation.

Not all the stories are based on fact, but all show people doing the kinds of things that were actually done to win the war with brains instead of bullets. The result is a fascinating look at a little-known part of our Civil War heritage.