Description
Book SynopsisHistory remembers William Alvin Lloyd as the subject of Totten vs. United States—which set precedent for espionage law—but was he a total fraud? Lincoln's Secret Spy is a high-spirited historical caper about a notorious scoundrel who may have been Abraham Lincoln's secret agent in the Confederacy.
Trade ReviewCon man, charlatan, bigamist, perjurer, Alvin Lloyd managed to convince government officials and U. S. senators that he had been a secret spy for Abraham Lincoln operating in the Confederacy during the Civil War. It was a tissue of lies, as the authors of this detailed study demonstrate in a tour de force of historical detective work. -- James M. McPherson, Civil War historian and Pulitzer Prize-winner for "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era"
The characters of our Civil War included a plethora of spies from the North, South and abroad. Most espoused loyalty to one side or the other. Some were in the game because of the excitement of it. Others for greed. This is the tale of a scoundrel who defies a label. Was William Alvin Lloyd President Lincoln’s espionage agent or was he a bounder taken with himself? One thing is certain, his claim for money for his alleged wartime service as a spy was decided in his favor by the Supreme Court – or was it? The authors, in an entertaining and very readable way, attempt to sort fact from fiction by wrestling with one of the conundrums of war. -- Frank J. Williams, Retired Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and founding Chair of The Lincoln Forum
Beginning with a genuine pass written and signed by Abraham Lincoln, Singer and Stewart untangle the elaborate fraud perpetrated on the United States government by “Union spy” William Alvin Lloyd and his attorney, using that pass. Carefully distinguishing fact from fiction, half-truths from lies, the authors explain how a pro-Confederate con man, self-promoter, and bigamist emerged from the ruins of the Confederacy and converted a simple pass from the martyred President into gold—literally. And how after his death in 1869, his widow and attorney continued to press his claims in Congress and the Supreme Court, creating a doctrine that still affects claims by secret operatives today. -- Daniel W. Stowell, Director and Editor of "The Papers of Abraham Lincoln"
