Confederate Mail Runner,

by Absalom Grimes, edited by M. M. Quaife

Grimes was an agent with the Confederate secret service under General Price, passing back and forth through the Federal lines with letters from families and their relatives in the CSA army. He was in Gratiot St. Prison twice, the first time escaping in a rather dramatic way. Several people have commented that they think Grimes' amazing story has more than a bit of "old soldiering" to it, but, other than some errors in dating, the book is the truth as can be verified by numerous contemporary sources.

 

This book has been badly served by history with the main review of it coming from the respected historian Nevins who dismisses it as "Significant primarily for information on the Mississippi Valley." Unfortunately Nevins didn't recognize what he was reading or its importance. The book is a keystone and guide to Confederate secret service operations in Missouri and the Trans-Mississippi and is possibly the most significant source in existence for establishing connections between various western Confederate agents who otherwise are merely the most elusive of shadow-figures.

Available from ABEBOOKS

 

Come Retribution

by William A. Tidwell, James O. Hall, and David Winfred Gaddy, University Press of Mississippi, 1988

The main focus of this book is an examination of the Confederate authorities complicity in the Lincoln assassination.  However, it also contains an excellent chapter on the Tucker group of boat-burners which even mentions Robert “Loudon”. 

 

 April ‘65

by William A. Tidwell

Something of a sequel to “Come Retribution”, Tidwell talks about the history of the Courtenay torpedo and opines that the Sultana explosion would fit a Courtenay torpedo quite well.  Mentions the Memphis article with “Streeter” and “Lowden”.  Unfortunately, he does not seem to recognize that the “Loudon” of his earlier Come Retribution and the “Lowden” of April ’65 were in fact the same man.

 

General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West

by Albert Castel

Castel is one of the most respected historians on the War in the West, and this book is one of the best on Price and the Missouri Confederates. He does not seem to realize fully the shadowy side of Joseph W. Tucker’s activities during the war, but is very useful for getting a sense of Tucker’s political role as a confidant of Claiborne F. Jackson and Sterling Price.

 



Spies of the Confederacy
by John Bakeless

Good as far as it goes, which isn't too far. Most of the stories are the familiar ones of eastern spies. Not much in the way of new research. One western tale told is that of Arkansas 16-year-old David O. Dodd who was hanged for taking coded information through the lines.

 

The Spy of the Rebellion
by Allan Pinkerton

If any first-hand account of spies in the Civil War should be authentic and thorough, it's Allan Pinkerton's... right? However Pinkerton managed to partially fictionalize his own account. Though mid-1865 Pinkerton was investigating the Missouri Boat-burners, this book covers only eastern activities.

Shelby and His Men, by John N. Edwards

Originally published 1867 A bit hard to find though Morningside Press has done a recent reprint. A few copies available at abebooks.com (pricey)

Look for Arthur C. McCoy, sometimes spy and mail smuggler who also burned several steamers. His brother-in-law, Robert Louden, was the saboteur of the Sultana.

Confederate Agent

by James D. Horan Story of agent (and Castleman's associate) Thomas H. Hines

 

This is an interesting and well-researched account of the life and activities of Thomas H. Hines, one of the most notorious of Morgan's men who became a key participant on numerous secret service actions and in the Northwest Conspiracy. Horan gives due consideration to alternative theories, including the one that the famous escape of General Morgan and Hines from prison was not due to the tunnel they allegedly dug but due instead to a copperhead action from the outside.

Available from ABEBOOKS

Confederate Operations in Canada and New York

by John W. Headley

 

Headley was in on the attempted burning of New York; knew the major participants in the Camp Douglas/Chicago operations, and much of the Canadian activities. He wasn't aware of the full scope or scale of the Missouri connections and operatives but does offer valuable insights on many areas connected to them. Covers Hines, Castleman, Bennett Young and the St. Alban's raid, and the fate of Beall.

Available from ABEBOOKS