George Washington, Spymaster Extraordinaire

by Thomas Fleming

Without George Washington’s brilliance at espionage, writes New York Times bestselling author Thomas Fleming, the Revolution could not have been won. Here’s the little-told story of America’s spymaster-in-chief.

24 pages, Nook

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.

After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.

Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".

Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.

Reviews

[Jim Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title looks like the prequel to Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter but it details the history and development of the use of intelligence in the Revolutionary War.

The book moves quite quickly, but covers a good deal of spy tropes and how they were employed to help the Patriots, from invisible ink, ciphers, moles, establishing and managing spy networks, misinformation campaigns, the use of book code to using laundry as a flag code and the infamous Benedict Arnold. This book (and American history has it all!)

A very fun read for anyone interested in how real spies operated, or sides of American History that are not usually taught in high school. (If it had been, I might have paid more attention.)

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content was fascinating -- wonderful for ideas for a history fair or anyone teaching children about the revolutionary war. The writing style was dry and too simple a narrative. This would be a difficult book for a child, even a gifted one, to finish. It took me forever and I usually read something this length in two hours. I kept putting off a return to it. I wish someone would read this and then wend it into a piece of fiction or turn it into one of those DK books with all the pictures or maybe do it Smithsonian style, with little fake maps, etc.
It gets four stars from me purely for content (and about a two for style).

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at the spying done during the American revolution. Very general.

[Cherisse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating. Grateful to Washington's skills.