The C.I.A. Honors America's Black Spies During Slavery

Will someone, please, make a serious movie of this woman's life?

During the war, African-Americans received recognition for their contributions through articles in the press. However, after the war, the recognition died off. Racial prejudice and a lack of official records of intelligence activities were factors in the lack of acknowledgment.

In honor of Black History Month and in an effort to give these brave black Americans the recognition they deserve, here are a few of their amazing stories… 

The Perfect Spy

African-Americans played an important role in the outcome of the Civil War. Slaves and freed African-Americans were an invaluable resource to the Union, providing information on the Confederate forces. This became known as the “black dispatches.”

The dispatches were most commonly obtained from debriefing slaves—either runaways or those who had come under Union control. And a few brave black Americans learned important intelligence about Confederate plans through behind-the-lines missions or by serving as an agent-in-place,...