The first book-length study of one of the Civil War's most outlandish and mysterious characters

Devil's Game traces the amazing career of Charles A. Dunham, Civil War spy, forger, journalist, and master of dirty tricks. Writing for a variety of New York papers under alternate names, Dunham routinely faked stories, created new identities, and later boldly cast himself to play those roles. He achieved his greatest infamy when he was called to testify in Washington concerning Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Many parts of Dunham's career remain shadowy, but Cumming offers the first detailed tour of Dunham's convoluted, high-stakes, international deceits, including his effort to sell Lincoln on plans for a raid to capture Jefferson Davis.

Exhaustively researched and unprecedented in depth, this carefully crafted assessment of Dunham's motives, personality, and the complex effects of his schemes changes assumptions about covert operations during the Civil War.

| Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1. Chameleon 2. "Cheats and Forgeries" 3. Castle Thunder 4. Reptile Journalist 5. Southern Life 6. Fire in the Rear 7. A Message from Richmond 8. "Private Business" 9. School for Perjury 10. Plots "Shrewd and Devilish" 11. Scorpions in a Bottle 12. Impeachment 13. "Protean Maneuvers" 14. Letters from Albany Notes Bibliography Index
Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Dunham, Charles A, , 1832-1900, United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Biography, Spies United States Biography, Spies Confederate States of America Biography, Journalists United States Biography, Swindlers and swindling United States Biography, United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Underground movements, United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Journalists, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Assassination, Perjury United States History 19th century|

"The first extensive treatment of [Dunham's] mendacious career. . . . Well worth reading for a glimpse at the termites that are eternally at work in the foundations of historical truth."—Civil War Book Review

"Cumming has done a great service in so fully and carefully bringing [Dunham's] activities to the attention of scholars and anyone interested in the more bizarre and Byzantine aspects of the Civil War."—Louisiana History

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Carman Cumming worked as a reporter and editor in Canada and the United States before becoming a journalism professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. His publications include Secret Craft: The Journalism of Edward Farrer and Sketches from a Young Country: The Images of Grip Magazine.