The National Counterintelligence and Security Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has unveiled a new digital exhibit on espionage during the American Civil War as part of its ongoing “Evolution of Espionage in America” project.
Housed on Intelligence.gov, the Intelligence Community's platform for greater public transparency, the project is designed to share with a worldwide audience the critical role of espionage throughout our nation’s history.
The new Civil War exhibit can be found at Intelligence.gov/evolution-of-espionage/civil-war.
“Just as espionage has shaped wartime strategies and outcomes from the Revolutionary War to contemporary times, the spies of the Union and Confederacy had a profound impact on the Civil War and our nation,” said Michael J. Orlando, the senior official performing the duties of the Director of NCSC.
“We’re proud to spotlight for the public some of the remarkable stories of espionage during this momentous chapter in American history. Only by learning from the past can we effectively confront the challenges of today and tomorrow." -- Michael J. Orlando, NCSC
The research, design, and development of this exhibit was a joint effort by personnel at NCSC and the Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy, and Transparency, both components of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
While not a full accounting of every case of espionage during this period, the new digital exhibit provides details on more than 20 Union and Confederate spies whose espionage helped shape the course of the Civil War. More than 230 images accompany the narrative and help bring it to life.
The new Civil War exhibit is the second era of espionage adapted from NCSC’s physical “Wall of Spies” museum to make the transition to online, public view. The “Evolution of Intelligence in America,” debuted on Intelligence.gov in October 2021, sharing tales of more than 30 Continental Army and British Army spies during the Revolutionary War, illustrated by more than 80 images.