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Major General George H. Sharpe and The Creation of American Military Intelligence in the Civil War
The vital role of the military all-source intelligence in the eastern theater of operations during the U.S. Civil War is told through the biography of its creator, George H. Sharpe. Renowned historian Peter Tsouras contends that this creation under Sharpe's leadership was the combat multiplier that ultimately allowed the Union to be victorious.
Sharpe is celebrated as one of the most remarkable Americans of the 19th century. He built an intelligence organization (The Bureau of Military Information - BMI) from a standing start beginning in February 1863. He was the first man in military history to create a professional all-source intelligence operation, defined by the U.S. Army as "the intelligence products, organizations, and activities that incorporates all sources of information, in the production of intelligence." By early 1863, in the two and half months before the Chancellorsville Campaign, Sharpe had conducted a breath-taking Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) effort. His reports identified every brigade and its location in Lee's army, provided an accurate order-of-battle down to the regiment level and a complete analysis of the railroad. The eventual failure of the campaign was outside of the control of Sharpe, who had assembled a staff of 30-50 scouts and support personnel to run the military intelligence operation of the Army of the Potomac. He later supported Grant's Armies Operating Against Richmond (AOAR) during the Siege of Petersburg, where the BMI played a fundamental role in the victory.
His career did not end in 1865. Sharpe crossed paths with almost everyone prominent in America after the Civil War. He became one of the most powerful Republican politicians in New York State, had close friendships with Presidents Grant and Arthur, and was a champion of African-American Civil rights.
With the discovery of the day-by-day journal of John C. Babcock, Sharpe's civilian deputy and order-of-battle analyst in late 1963, and the unpublished Hooker papers, the military correspondence of Joseph Hooker during his time as a commander of the Army of the Potomac, Tsouras has discovered a unique window into the flow of intelligence reporting which gives a new perspective in the study of military operations in the U.S. Civil War.
Sharpe is celebrated as one of the most remarkable Americans of the 19th century. He built an intelligence organization (The Bureau of Military Information - BMI) from a standing start beginning in February 1863. He was the first man in military history to create a professional all-source intelligence operation, defined by the U.S. Army as "the intelligence products, organizations, and activities that incorporates all sources of information, in the production of intelligence." By early 1863, in the two and half months before the Chancellorsville Campaign, Sharpe had conducted a breath-taking Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) effort. His reports identified every brigade and its location in Lee's army, provided an accurate order-of-battle down to the regiment level and a complete analysis of the railroad. The eventual failure of the campaign was outside of the control of Sharpe, who had assembled a staff of 30-50 scouts and support personnel to run the military intelligence operation of the Army of the Potomac. He later supported Grant's Armies Operating Against Richmond (AOAR) during the Siege of Petersburg, where the BMI played a fundamental role in the victory.
His career did not end in 1865. Sharpe crossed paths with almost everyone prominent in America after the Civil War. He became one of the most powerful Republican politicians in New York State, had close friendships with Presidents Grant and Arthur, and was a champion of African-American Civil rights.
With the discovery of the day-by-day journal of John C. Babcock, Sharpe's civilian deputy and order-of-battle analyst in late 1963, and the unpublished Hooker papers, the military correspondence of Joseph Hooker during his time as a commander of the Army of the Potomac, Tsouras has discovered a unique window into the flow of intelligence reporting which gives a new perspective in the study of military operations in the U.S. Civil War.
592 pages, Hardcover
Published October 5, 2018
37 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 9, 2019
This book is a great in-depth profile of someone who has been generally forgotten, and probably should not have been. Must read if you are interested in Civil War history.
May 22, 2020
Outstanding account of the unsung Father of U.S. Intelligence
Excellent account of Sharpe's life and contribution to creation of modern intelligence work. The book could have benefited from better editing. A lot of sentences are repeated at different points in the book and there are a number of typos. But overall this is a valuable contribution to Civil War history.
Excellent account of Sharpe's life and contribution to creation of modern intelligence work. The book could have benefited from better editing. A lot of sentences are repeated at different points in the book and there are a number of typos. But overall this is a valuable contribution to Civil War history.
February 28, 2024
The author is a retired military all-source intelligence analyst and is also a military historian that has written numerous (last count 30) books. This book details the history of the creation of the Bureau of Military Information and is also a first real biography of Major General Sharpe. Although the idea of a centralized intelligence collection and analysis organization was the idea of Major General Joseph Hooker, it was Sharpe, Daniel Butterfield and Marsena Patrick that would professionalize and institutionalize Hooker’s idea into a formal organization.
There are two books that are considered the primary sources for documenting the history of the use of intelligence in the civil war, but this is the first book that is the biography of Sharpe’s life.
(1. The Secret war for the Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War, 1996; 2. Grants Secret service: The Intelligence war from Belmont to Appomattox, 2002)
MG Sharpe is essentially the creator of the American Military Intelligence organization. Hooker interviewed Sharpe in early 1863 and Sharpe took the job on February 12, 1863. Sharpe came from an affluent and landed family in Kingston NY. By all accounts he was charismatic, affable, networked with people exceedingly well, had impeccable integrity and preferred to stay low key. The book consists of seventeen chapters and several Appendices for a total of 510 reading pages. There are fifty-four pages of notes and over ten pages of sources (bibliography), of which there are four pages of primary sources which include memoirs, news reports, archive material and letter collections of all the key players of the civil war. The book is a bit redundant at times, but this is necessary to the story parts that the author conveys. Additionally, the author conveys a passion and energy for Sharpe’s story, however, at times I get the impression that the author is overly emphatic (Infatuated?) and glowing of Sharpe’s character. The book is rich with detail with some little known and less know aspects of intelligence collection, key campaigns of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Grants Overland Campaign, and Sharpe’s public and political life after the war, the reader won’t be disappointed with this book.
There are two books that are considered the primary sources for documenting the history of the use of intelligence in the civil war, but this is the first book that is the biography of Sharpe’s life.
(1. The Secret war for the Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War, 1996; 2. Grants Secret service: The Intelligence war from Belmont to Appomattox, 2002)
MG Sharpe is essentially the creator of the American Military Intelligence organization. Hooker interviewed Sharpe in early 1863 and Sharpe took the job on February 12, 1863. Sharpe came from an affluent and landed family in Kingston NY. By all accounts he was charismatic, affable, networked with people exceedingly well, had impeccable integrity and preferred to stay low key. The book consists of seventeen chapters and several Appendices for a total of 510 reading pages. There are fifty-four pages of notes and over ten pages of sources (bibliography), of which there are four pages of primary sources which include memoirs, news reports, archive material and letter collections of all the key players of the civil war. The book is a bit redundant at times, but this is necessary to the story parts that the author conveys. Additionally, the author conveys a passion and energy for Sharpe’s story, however, at times I get the impression that the author is overly emphatic (Infatuated?) and glowing of Sharpe’s character. The book is rich with detail with some little known and less know aspects of intelligence collection, key campaigns of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Grants Overland Campaign, and Sharpe’s public and political life after the war, the reader won’t be disappointed with this book.
January 5, 2023
Interesting
Did not know much about this Civil War topic. Filled in the gaps in my knowledge. The political career after the Civil War was less interesting.
Did not know much about this Civil War topic. Filled in the gaps in my knowledge. The political career after the Civil War was less interesting.
April 25, 2019
This is a remarkably readable, intriguing and interesting book. The research is extensive and Tsouras puts it together in lucid prose. Sharpe was able to accomplish a great deal in “looking over the hill” to divine what the enemy was doing and proposed doing. Using an exceedingly small staff, scouts and agents, time and time again they were able to give commanders actionable intelligence. Just a knock-out book about an important topic.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews