Monday, July 5, 2010

SPIES DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS




I love writing Regencies about spies and now have three novellas where spies make an appearance. But the spies during the Napoleonic era were not like James Bond or those in contemporary literature. They were informers and intelligence gathers who worked for Wellington and were not always treated well.
In my book, LOVE AND WAR, my hero, Gyles Devereaux, the Earl of Halcrow is a member of the Hussar Regiment. His spymaster is George Scovell. Scovell was the chief codebreaker for the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War of 1808-1814.
Under Wellington’s command, codebreaking and intelligence gathering played an important role in British victories such as Oporto (1809), Salamanca (1812) and Vittoria (1813).
Scovell, a gifted linguist, developed a system of military communications and intelligence gathering for the British that intercepted French letters and dispatches to and from the battlefield, and cracked their code.
It is to Scovell that Lady Selena turns when her mysterious husband, Lord Gyles disappears again. And, unwittingly, she places him in great danger.
For anyone interested in learning more about spies and spymasters, I have a much more detailed blog on http://www.maggiandersen.blogspot.com

2 comments:

Deborah Swift said...

Hi Maggi,what fascinating reading. I'll go visit your blog.

Maggi Andersen said...

Thanks Deborah. Wonderful fodder for a writer!

Maggi