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by Michael E. Bigelow, INSCOM Command Historian
July 1-3 marks the 159th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. To commemorate the occasion, some brave souls will no doubt travel to the battlefield to walk the grounds in the July heat. Others, perhaps less adventurous, might be satisfied reading about the battle from the comfort of their own homes. The readers will find no shortage of books and articles covering all manner of details about the battle, its units, and its commanders. This Week in MI History readers, however, might want to dip into Thomas J. Ryan’s excellent study of intelligence operations during the Gettysburg Campaign.
In Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign, Ryan provides a comprehensive look at how intelligence affected operations during this singular Civil War battle. He does this through a thoughtful and detailed comparison of the Union and Confederate intelligence operations and their effectiveness in support of their commanders.
Ryan begins his comparison with two important chapters on intelligence assets of the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker and, later, Maj. Gen. George Meade, and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee. More than just cavalry and spies, these resources included scouts, newspapers, and prisoner interrogations. As Ryan describes these assets, he identifies those individuals from both sides who played a role in intelligence operations and assesses their contributions to the campaign. While some of these characters—like John Mosby and John Buford—are relatively well known, many—like Frank Stringfellow and David McConaughy—are not.
Ryan gives the Union army two distinct advantages in intelligence operations. First, the Bureau of Military Information (BMI), a centralized intelligence staff which both collected and analyzed data, gave Hooker and Meade a powerful tool. When the Union cavalry failed to detect Lee’s northern movement, the BMI picked up the slack and gave the necessary information to General Hooker. Second, Ryan keenly recognizes the advantage a well-organized Signal Corps gave to the Union forces in communicating intelligence to its commanders.
The majority of the book is an extensive day-by-day, sometimes hour-by-hour, inspection of how the assets performed throughout the campaign. Starting with Lee’s move from Virginia into Pennsylvania in early June, through the climactic battle of July 1-3, and ending with Lee’s crossing back into Virginia on July 13, Ryan’s chronologic narrative shows what knowledge the respective commanders had of their opponent’s movements and intentions. As the situation unfolds, he evaluates what impact the incoming information had on the senior commanders’ decisions. When Ryan finishes, the reader clearly understands the important role intelligence played in the campaign.
Historians will welcome Ryan’s deeply researched study of a neglected subject in Civil War. Intelligence professionals will appreciate his understanding of how intelligence works, a knowledge based on his years of experience in the Department of Defense’s intelligence community. Avoiding anachronistic terminology, he still clearly breaks down the intelligence, counterintelligence, and security aspects of the campaign. Moreover, he carefully describes how the assets worked in the field, showing intelligence is not something that just appears in front of the commander.
Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign is the best study of how intelligence influenced a Civil War campaign. This Week in MI History readers will find it an insightful look at their craft in history and how commanders can use and be confused by intelligence.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2022 11:47 |
| Story ID: | 423838 |
| Location: | FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 310 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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