Lincoln's Minister of Mystery: Henry Shelton Sanford and Civil War Intelligence (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781476697987)

As Abraham Lincoln's unofficial "secret service" and intelligence chief based in Europe during the Civil War, Henry Shelton Sanford bought rifled guns, hired private detectives to spy on Confederate purchasing agents and developed a comprehensive intelligence network throughout Europe, providing the U.S. State Department with the data and insight necessary to allow Lincoln to have "one war at a time" and save the country. For the first time, Sanford's little-known life is revealed in this new biography based upon Sanford's original correspondence.

In the end, primal ambition, powerful enemies, and extravagant living with his wife, whom many considered to be the most beautiful woman in America, were Sanford's downfall. He died in debt and was quickly forgotten by history. This work brings back the power and the mystery of this important figure and gives him the credit due for his "secret service" work during the American Civil War.