On Hazardous Service

IN undertaking the preparation of the following chapters, which were first published in Harper's Magazine and in Harper's Weekly, it was not expected that serious difficulty would be met with to obtain the data. Nevertheless, the articles were written only at the cost of the most unforeseen effort and nearly three years' time. Hundreds of letters were written to persons in almost every State in the Union, and in the Philippine Islands, Canada, France, England, Gibraltar. Frequent trips became necessary to Washington and Richmond, also to Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, etc. A bibliography of the books, newspapers, and pamphlets consulted would show a list of hundreds of volumes. No expenditure of time, effort, or money has been spared, not only in collecting all the data obtainable for each of the subjects, but also in verifying it-where not absolutely impossible -to the smallest detail. The following chapters are in every sense historical. The original plan for obtaining data was to secure permission to examine the original records in the War Department, of the Bureau of National Police and the Secret Service. To this request President Wm. H. Taft, who was then Secretary of War, replied, through the Adjutant-General of the Army, "all such documents that are of any historical interest or value, and which are in the possession of the War Department, have been published in the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies." But though the Official Records approximate 139,000 pages, very little is to be found regarding the work of individual members of the Secret Service. The very nature of the work made the keeping of written records an additional and unnecessary hazard to the men. In an effort to discover the whereabouts of some of the men and women who served the North and the South as scouts and spies I went to Washington. Few members of the Secret Service were alive when these chapters were begun. Of the ten stories that follow only three are personal narratives-"Rowand," "Phillips," and "Landegon"-and John Landegon died last year. Every assistance possible was given me in Washington by Col. Gilbert C. Kniffen, of the Bureau of Pensions; W. H. Crook, of the White House police ever since President Lincoln's time; Maj. Albert E. H. Johnson, for years the private secretary to Secretary of War Stanton; Major Sylvester, of the Metropolitan Police; Chief John E. Wilkie, of the present Secret Service (not organized till 1869), and Gen. Michael V. Sheridan. Only by the guidance, assistance, and advice of Maj.-Gen. F. C. Ainsworth (retired), then Adjutant-General of the Army and one of the compilers of the Official Records, have several of these chapters been made possible. For the "Bowie" chapter I am indebted to Col. John S. Mosby, who, when he had told me all he could of "Wat" Bowie, gave me introductions to two members of his old band of partisans, Dr. Jas. G. Wiltshire and Mr. Chas. Vest, who were with Lieutenant Bowie on his last raid.