George Washington's Secret Spy War: The Making of America's First Spymaster Paperback – October 3, 2017

A whole lot more here than in the History Channel's many made for TV Revolutionary War dramas. I consider myself an avid patriot enthralled by our heritage, but I have never found a book that is a more complete story of those days.

Although I was sometimes inundated with too many facts that I'll never remember, the author proves that George Washington was a superior spymaster for his time. Many of the stories, some of which were humorous, show how important spies were to winning the Revolutionary War.

John Nagy wins praise from fellow historians like David McCullough, but that's mostly because of the depth of his research. He's done an excellent job of uncovering material often overlooked by others, and focused on the importance of spying during the Revolutionary War, and showing Washington's development of and reliance on such information.That much is undeniable, but Nagy has no sense of drama in his work, no storytelling ability. It is mostly a cataloguing of many individual confrontations and the eventual results. He has one chapter, "Conclusions," where he (finally) discusses the impact of all this subterfuge. It is most unsatisfying if you like some tension to liven up your reading of important historical events.Yes, he presents the facts, and mostly without embellishment, but that most often is not enough to engage readers' interest. I am a fairly avid reader of pivotal historical events, but this history, while it does provide vital information, does little to breathe some life into the conflict that decided the future of this nation.

I purchased this as a gift for an American History fan. He is pleased. I'm in line to borrow it.

I always admired Washington, but now I admire him even more. This book was filled with fascinating information. Washington was a brilliant strategist. I'm very glad I read this book.The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars, was the writing style was kind of like a text book - just presenting facts. A more engaging writing style would have helped.

The Culper Ring has achieved something like celebrity status because of the popularity (and dramatic excellence) of the television show TURN: Washington's Spies. The first major observation that is mentioned in the forward of this superb history of America's espionage networks initiated and brilliantly utilized by General Washington during the Revolutionary War is that the Culper Ring has been over credited in previous history books and the popular media. What author John A. Nagy, a scholar and expert on espionage during the Revolutionary War has set out to do in George Washington's Secret Spy War is to reveal the extent and deftness of the general's handling of the young nation's espionage activities.Washington worked under British Major General Edward Braddock, who as commander of all British forces in North America was responsible for intelligence gathering, including the training and disposition of agents and the development and use of cyphers. Washington learned while on the job, becoming especially adept at the use of cypher codes and learning the most cunning methods of placing and running spies so that they were least likely to be detected. It was important experience that ultimately made George Washington America's very first spymaster. In establishing such a large, diverse and professional espionage system, Washington came to appreciate just how crucial this intelligence gathering machinery was in winning the Revolutionary War.The years 1776-77 were of fundamental importance because the war on the battlefield was going badly and the only aspects of the struggle with England that Washington could successfully manipulate were espionage, counter-espionage, and especially disinformation. The use of rumors, outright falsehoods and the dangerous use of double agents, were all necessary evils that Washington utilized, but in the case of double agents, without much enthusiasm. When working with double agents such as assistant commissary of forage for the Continental Army at Bedford, New York Elijah Hunter, Washington was deeply suspicious of his activities and the veracity of the information he provided, always worried that he was in fact a British agent working against the American cause. In order to calm his suspicions he was forced to play the deception game, deliberately inserting false or tainted information in reports and then sitting back and watching unfolding events and sifting through intelligence for tell-tale signs that Hunter was in fact a British spy. This added layers of complexity to the intelligence that was gathered, sometimes with a murky John Le Carre quality.Nagy uses Washington's own diaries as his primary source and reveals the names of several previously unknown agents. One of the most thrilling intelligence threads this enables Nagy to unravel is the fascinating story of Major John Andre, the debonaire, brilliant and well-liked British officer who was executed for his involvement in the turning of Benedict Arnold, despite the best efforts of his American counterparts to save his life. It is probably the central espionage story of the war and the hinge upon which the future of the American nation pivoted. The book details many of these intriguing tales, making it one of the most unique history books that I've ever read. If you're a fan of TURN: Washington's Spies or enjoy reading books about the Revolutionary War I think that you will enjoy this one. George Washington's Secret Spy War is fascinating history told with a novelist's sense of excitement.

The overall material is very interesting, concerning a topic that I like. But the writing style lacks any style. It is very nuts and bolts, and therefore, it is rather dry reading. There are also some typos and/or unexpected jumping around regarding a couple of dates that really made of few spots confusing. If you don't mind the flaws, it is about an area of Washington's greatness that is finally getting recognition.

This book provides a very interesting account of carer of Washington learning over his career how to gather and use intelligence on what an enemy was doing and to deceive an enemy. One doesn't necessarily think of early America being a hotbed of espionage, but spies and providing false information played a key part of helping the Americans position themselves against British forces and defeat an often superior enemy. The books often reads like a novel John LeCarre, complete with tales of double agentsThe book is well researched and relies on many sources, including Washington's diaries. It is about 275 pages of text, followed by about 70 pages of notes, most of which are source notes. This reliance on many sources in no way makes the book seem academic, but rather adds richness to story with citations from letters and said diaries. It really is an easy read and highly recommended to anyone interested in this period of American history, the life and career of George Washington, or espionage activities in general.