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Speaker 1: Welcome to Spycraft, a podcast that tells gripping life and

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death spy stories and the amazing devices and operations that

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made them possible. Now, let's get started.

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Speaker 2: Were there spies during the era of the wild West?

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The Wild West area, which roughly spanned the mid nineteenth

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centuries or early twentieth centuries, was this time of lawlessness, conflict,

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and rapid expansion in the western regions of the US. Now,

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the concept of traditional espionage may have been as prevalent

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as it is in today's world, but there were instances

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of intelligence gathering and covert activities. So let's take a

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look at some of the examples of spies and espionage

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activities in the wild West. First, we look at the

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Pinkerton Detective Agency, which is founded by Alan Pinkerton in

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eighteen fifty. He played a significant role in gathering intelligence

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and conducting investigations during the Wild West era. The agency

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was known for its detective work and providing security services,

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but they were also involved in tracking down outlaws, gathering information,

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and infiltrating criminal organizations. Their work often involved undercover ops

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and surveillance. Number two, we look at the Union and

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Confederate spies during the American Civil War, spies from both

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the Union and Confederate armies operated in the Wild West.

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They gathered information about enemy troop movements, supply routes, and

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other critical intelligence. One example was James wild Bill Hiccock,

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who worked as a Union scout and spy, and John

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slide Out, a confident, a Confederate diplomat who sought to

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gain support from French authorities in the West. Three, we

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look at the Native American Scouts that played a crucial

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role in intelligence gathering for the US Army during conflicts

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with the Native American tribes. Many tribes of their own

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methods of covert information exchange, which were utilized by the

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US Army. Scouts such as a patche leader Geronimo and

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Lakota Sioux chief Red Cloud, provided intelligence and many enemy movements, ambushes,

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and tribal alliances. Well how about the outlaws. Well, outlaws

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and bandits also engage in covert activities. They gathered information

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on law enforcement activities or rival gangs. They often operated

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in secretive networks and use informants to gain insights into

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their adversaries plans. However, it's important to note that activities

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were primarily focused on criminal pursuits rather than traditional espionage.

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Another unlikely group you might not think of much about

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is castle were cattle wrestlers. Cattle rustling was a common

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crime in the Wild West, and rival groups often engaged

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in stealing or illegally branding livestock. In some instances, cattle

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rustlers would infiltrate each other's groups or pose as legitimate

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cowboys to gather information about herds and their owners. You

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can see a lot of the information was actually to

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gather intel, usually on the opposing side, and that's where

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we see this espionage work really coming into But if

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we look at more specifics, it becomes complicated again because

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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

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of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Some of his

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espionage escapades, including eighteen sixty one, Shortly after the start

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of the Civil War, Slidell was dispatched as a Confederate

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diplomat to Europe. His mission was to secure diplomatic recognition

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and support for the Confederacy. As part of his mission,

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Slidel sought to gather intelligence on the Union's efforts to

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prevent Confederate trade and garner information about Union military activities.

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While in Europe, he established a network of Confederate agents

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and spies who operated covertly to obtain valuable information. One

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of the most famous espionage endeavors of his took place

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in France, where he established contact with a French naval

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officer named Armand de Montmarine, who sympathized with the Confederate cause.

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Moult Marine shared valuable intelligence on the Union blockade and

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provided slide L with detailed information about Union naval operations

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and strategies. In the gathered intelligence, slide L drafted reports

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and dispatched them back to the Confederacy. These reports were

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instrumental in enabling the Confederate government to understand the Union's

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actions and adjuster strategies. Accordingly, slide L's espionage activities, though,

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were not without risk. Union spies were actively monitoring his movements,

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aware of his diplomatic mission and suspected involvement in gathering intelligence.

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On his return journey to the Confederacy, Slydell attempted to

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slip past Union authorities, but he was captured by the

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USS san Jacinto, commanded by Charles Wilkes. This was known

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as the Trent Affair. Sparked an international diplomatic crisis between

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the US and Britain and slide l was traveling on

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the British mailship the RMS Trent. The British government deranded

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the release of slide Down and his fellow Confederate diplomat

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James Mason, as they considered the capture violation of the

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neutral rights. Ultimately, to avoid an international conflict, President Lincoln

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released Slydel and Mason