Is it true that Abraham Lincoln had his own personal spy in the South during the American Civil War (a man who reported directly to Lincoln and nobody else) and that Lincoln used the information obtained from this man as a means of checking on what his general staff was telling him about the war, and also as a means of deciding if what the general staff was planning made sense in light of what he already knew from his personal spy?

lanfranco

It would appear that this is true. William A. Lloyd, a publisher of steamer and railroad guides for the South was hired by Lincoln to provide information about the Confederacy. After the war and Lincoln's death, he, and later his estate, tried to sue to get monies owed to him, but the claim was denied: http://www.civilwarhome.com/lloydbio.htm Feb 25 06, 11:58 AM