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Welcome to Spycraft, a podcast that
tells gripping life and death spy stories and

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the amazing devices and operations that made
them possible. Now, let's get started.

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Were there spies during the era of
the wild West? The Wild West

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area, which roughly spanned the mid
nineteenth centuries or early twentieth centuries, was

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this time of lawlessness, conflict,
and rapid expansion in the western regions of

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the US. Now, the concept
of traditional espionage may not have been as

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prevalent as it is in today's world, but there were instances of intelligence gathering

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and COVID activities. So let's take
a look at some of the examples of

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spies and espionage activities in the wild
West. First, we look at the

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Pinkerton Detective Agency, which is founded
by Alan Pinkerton in eighteen fifty. He

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played a significant role in gathering intelligence
and conducting investigations during the Wild West era.

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The agency was known for its detective
work and providing security services, but

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they were also involved in tracking down
outlaws, gathering information, and infiltreating criminal

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organizations. Their work often involved undercover
opts and surveillance. Number Two, we

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look at the Union and Confederate spies
during the American Civil War, Spies from

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both the Union and Confederate armies operating
in the Wild West. They gathered information

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about enemy troop movements, supply routes, and other critical intelligence. One example

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was James wild Bill Hiccock, who
worked as a Union scout and spy,

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and John slide Out, a confident, a Confederate diplomat who sought to gain

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support from French authorities in the West. Three, we look at the Native

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American Scouts that played a crucial role
in intelligence gathering for the US Army during

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conflicts with the Native American tribes.
Many tribes are their own methods of covert

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information exchange, which we were utilized
by the US Army. Scouts such as

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Appatche Leader Geronimo and Lakota Sue Chief
Red Cloud provided intelligence and many enemy movements,

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ambushes, and tribal alliances. Well, how about the out laws.

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Well at laws and bandits also engaged
in covert activities. They gathered information on

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law enforcement activities or rival gangs.
They often operated in secretive networks and use

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informants to gain insights into their adversaries
plants. However, it's important to note

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that activities were primarily focused on criminal
pursuits rather than traditional espionage. Another unlikely

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group you might not think much about
is castle were cattle rustlers. Cattle rustling

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was a common crime in the Wild
West, and rival groups often engaged in

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stealing or illegally branding livestock. In
some instances, rival cattle rustlers would infiltrate

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each other's groups or pose as legitimate
cowboys to gather information about herds and their

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owners. So you can see a
lot of the information was actually to gather

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intel, usually on the opposing side, and that's where we see this espionage

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work really coming into for But if
we look at more specifics, it becomes

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complicated again as it depends. But
John Slidell is one that comes to mind.

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He was most known for his diplomatic
efforts on behalf of the Confederacy during

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the Civil War. Some of his
espionage escapades included In eighteen sixty one,

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shortly after the start of the Civil
War, Slidell was dispatched as a Confederate

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diplomat to Europe. His mission was
to secure diplomatic recognition and support for the

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Confederacy. As part of his mission, Slidell sought to gather intelligence on the

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Union's efforts to prevent Confederate trade and
garner information about Union military activities. While

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in Europe, he established a network
of Confederate agents and spies who operated covertly

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to obtain valuable information. One of
the most famous espionage endeavors of his took

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place in France, where he established
contact with a French naval officer named Armand

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de Montmauren, who sympathized with a
Confederate cause. Montmarine shared valuable intelligence on

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the Union blockade and provided slide Out
with detailed information about Union naval operations and

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strategies. Utilize and the gathered intelligence, Slidell drafted reports and dispatched them back

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to the Confederacy. These reports were
instrumental in enabling the Confederate government to understand

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the Union's actions and adjuster strategies.
Accordingly, Slidell's espionage activities, though,

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were not without risk. Union splies
were actively monitoring his movements, aware of

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his diplomatic mission and suspected involvement in
gathering intelligence. On his return journey to

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the Confederacy, Slidell attempted to slip
past the Union authorities, but he was

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captured by the USS San Jacinto,
commanded by Charles Wilkes. This was known

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as the Trent Affair. Sparked an
international diplomatic crisis between the US and Britain,

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and Slidell was traveling on the British
maleship the RMS Trent. The British

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government deranded the release of slight Out
and his fellow Confederate diplomat James Mason,

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as they considered the capture of violation
of the neutral rights. Ultimately, to

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avoid an international conflict, President Lincoln
release Slidell and Mason