Welcome to Spycraft, a podcast that tells gripping life and death spy stories and
the amazing devices and operations that made them possible. Now, let's get started.
Were there spies during the era of the wild West? The Wild West
area, which roughly spanned the mid nineteenth centuries or early twentieth centuries, was
this time of lawlessness, conflict, and rapid expansion in the western regions of
the US. Now, the concept of traditional espionage may not have been as
prevalent as it is in today's world, but there were instances of intelligence gathering
and COVID activities. So let's take a look at some of the examples of
spies and espionage activities in the wild West. First, we look at the
Pinkerton Detective Agency, which is founded by Alan Pinkerton in eighteen fifty. He
played a significant role in gathering intelligence and conducting investigations during the Wild West era.
The agency was known for its detective work and providing security services, but
they were also involved in tracking down outlaws, gathering information, and infiltreating criminal
organizations. Their work often involved undercover opts and surveillance. Number Two, we
look at the Union and Confederate spies during the American Civil War, Spies from
both the Union and Confederate armies operating in the Wild West. They gathered information
about enemy troop movements, supply routes, and other critical intelligence. One example
was James wild Bill Hiccock, who worked as a Union scout and spy,
and John slide Out, a confident, a Confederate diplomat who sought to gain
support from French authorities in the West. Three, we look at the Native
American Scouts that played a crucial role in intelligence gathering for the US Army during
conflicts with the Native American tribes. Many tribes are their own methods of covert
information exchange, which we were utilized by the US Army. Scouts such as
Appatche Leader Geronimo and Lakota Sue Chief Red Cloud provided intelligence and many enemy movements,
ambushes, and tribal alliances. Well, how about the out laws.
Well at laws and bandits also engaged in covert activities. They gathered information on
law enforcement activities or rival gangs. They often operated in secretive networks and use
informants to gain insights into their adversaries plants. However, it's important to note
that activities were primarily focused on criminal pursuits rather than traditional espionage. Another unlikely
group you might not think much about is castle were cattle rustlers. Cattle rustling
was a common crime in the Wild West, and rival groups often engaged in
stealing or illegally branding livestock. In some instances, rival cattle rustlers would infiltrate
each other's groups or pose as legitimate cowboys to gather information about herds and their
owners. So you can see a lot of the information was actually to gather
intel, usually on the opposing side, and that's where we see this espionage
work really coming into for But if we look at more specifics, it becomes
complicated again as it depends. But John Slidell is one that comes to mind.
He was most known for his diplomatic efforts on behalf of the Confederacy during
the Civil War. Some of his espionage escapades included In eighteen sixty one,
shortly after the start of the Civil War, Slidell was dispatched as a Confederate
diplomat to Europe. His mission was to secure diplomatic recognition and support for the
Confederacy. As part of his mission, Slidell sought to gather intelligence on the
Union's efforts to prevent Confederate trade and garner information about Union military activities. While
in Europe, he established a network of Confederate agents and spies who operated covertly
to obtain valuable information. One of the most famous espionage endeavors of his took
place in France, where he established contact with a French naval officer named Armand
de Montmauren, who sympathized with a Confederate cause. Montmarine shared valuable intelligence on
the Union blockade and provided slide Out with detailed information about Union naval operations and
strategies. Utilize and the gathered intelligence, Slidell drafted reports and dispatched them back
to the Confederacy. These reports were instrumental in enabling the Confederate government to understand
the Union's actions and adjuster strategies. Accordingly, Slidell's espionage activities, though,
were not without risk. Union splies were actively monitoring his movements, aware of
his diplomatic mission and suspected involvement in gathering intelligence. On his return journey to
the Confederacy, Slidell attempted to slip past the Union authorities, but he was
captured by the USS San Jacinto, commanded by Charles Wilkes. This was known
as the Trent Affair. Sparked an international diplomatic crisis between the US and Britain,
and Slidell was traveling on the British maleship the RMS Trent. The British
government deranded the release of slight Out and his fellow Confederate diplomat James Mason,
as they considered the capture of violation of the neutral rights. Ultimately, to
avoid an international conflict, President Lincoln release Slidell and Mason