America's Secret War by @TomRizzoWrites #civilwar #western

America's Secret War

By Tom Rizzo

In my novel, Last Stand At Bitter Creek, the main character is Grant Bonner, a burned-out Union Army spy who emerges from three years behind enemy lines, ready to move on to the next chapter in his life. He has no way of knowing, of course, that life on the other side of the battle line is just as dangerous and unpredictable.

When Bonner became an operative, the Confederacy had the upper hand when it came to spying. Neither side, however, had much of a formal intelligence network in place.

The Confederacy managed to establish the Secret Service Bureau, an arm of the Confederate Signal Corps, which operated a spy network in the federal capital of Washington, DC, early on in the war. Washington happened to be home to many southern sympathizers.

Union General Ulysses S. Grant, however, didn't realize the need for a reliable spy system until the Battle of Shiloh when a Confederate force surprised the Federals and stormed through their camps forcing a Union retreat.

In the two weeks before the battle, Grant hadn’t bothered to dispatch any spies or scouts.

According to the facts, as he knew them, Confederates were camped at least twenty miles away. But this information came from dispirited Confederate deserters. Grant and his troops eventually drove the Confederates back, and his actions helped shape his reputation as an effective field commander—but at a cost of more than 10,000 Union soldiers killed or wounded.

Grant once wrote, "The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can and as often as you can, and keep moving on.” He hadn't realized—until Shiloh—that locating the enemy could best be accomplished through espionage.

After this battle, Grant helped forge what would be called the Bureau of Military Information.

The new agency utilized around 70 field agents during the war—ten whom were killed. The bureau also gathered information by interrogating prisoners of war, and refugees. In addition, agents combed through newspapers, and documents left on the battlefield by Confederate officers who retreated, or had been killed.

At the outset of the war, casual gossiping and newspaper clippings served as the main sources for intelligence gathering, until both sides decided to formalize spying operations, even to the point of involving cavalry forces.

Two different organizations carried out espionage activities for the Union. Scouts—as they were called— wore uniforms, and served as an army’s advance force. Their mission: to determine the location and size of the enemy, and weapons capability. Spies—like Grant Bonner—operated mostly behind enemy lines, and in civilian attire.

One daring band of mounted Union Army scouts wore Confederate uniforms, and operated behind enemy lines.

This force was, composed of eager young volunteers who didn’t mind extra dangerous duty, fell under the leadership of Major General John C. Frémont. He dubbed them the Jessie Scouts, named after his wife.

These volunteers risked their lives to collect intelligence on the locations and intentions of enemy forces in their particular area so they could provide a sufficient warning of any possible surprise attacks being planned against Union forces.

Jessie Scouts, however, risked death if caught wearing the enemy’s uniform because this—as defined by the rules of war—represented as an act of espionage, and punishable by death if captured. These scouts used their own ingenuity to keep in touch, and to distinguish each other from real Confederate soldiers.

Some Jessie Scouts units wore white scarves knotted in a particular way. Others used conversational code where they would use a conventional phrase (such as “Good morning”) that would provoke a response from another Jessie that wouldn’t sound strange if overheard by a real Confederate soldier.

Confederate cavalry units also engaged in similar scouting missions.

As their Northern counterparts, Confederate scouts also operated independently, and wore the uniform of the enemy to improve their ability to get access to certain areas, and information. They too risked summary execution, if caught.

Some families, however, suffered at the hands of Confederate scouts. For example, scouts in Union uniforms often asked for help from families that lived between opposing battle lines. If such help materialized, these scouts often returned the next day, wearing their regular uniforms, accompanied by a military force, and burn the homes of those who thought they were giving aid and comfort to Union forces.

Regardless of the army, scouts were special types of soldiers.

For the most part, they were fearless, who embraced such duty without regard for the potential danger they were putting themselves in. According to William Gilmore Beymer’s Scouts and Spies of the Civil War, other soldiers – fearless and brave on their own – found they could not tolerate the kind of pressure experienced by these special scouts.

Overall, the Union experienced more success rate at espionage and counterintelligence. The Confederacy, on the other hand, excelled at covert operations. Both succeeded at conducting a secret war within America’s Civil War. And, in the end, the efforts of both sides established the foundation for the future of military intelligence.

♦ ♦ ♦
2013 Peacemaker Nominee
Best Western First Novel

Last Stand at Bitter Creek

by Tom Rizzo

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Read 

RTW's interview with Tom 

including an excerpt from 

Last Stand at Bitter Creek

Thanks to Tom for guesting at Romancing The West this week!

You can learn more about or contact Tom at:

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Tom Rizzo: Last Stand at Bitter Creek #western @TomRizzoWrites

Last Stand at

Bitter Creek

by Tom Rizzo

Romancing The West welcomes Tom Rizzo, who has been a writer all his life, including a stint at Associated Press.  Now he's moved on from news stories, ads, and obituaries to fiction — which is luck for us.  His first novel, Last Stand at Bitter Creek has been received very well, and if it's not in your TBR pile, you're missing out!  Now, to Tom.  First, please tell us what the book is all about.

TR: Union Army spy Grant Bonner, tired of living a life of deception, desperately wants to put his past behind him, but agrees to one last assignment—the routine surveillance of a cunning, battle-hardened military commander gone rogue.

When the mission is compromised, events spiral out of control, and Bonner finds himself entangled in an intricate conspiracy that could cost him everything—including his life. Undeterred by relentless odds, he emerges from hiding to pursue a single clue he hopes leads to the one person responsible for trying to destroy him. The hunted and the hunter are on a collision course.

RTW: What aspect of life in the Old West intrigues you the most? Did you work that into Last Stand at Bitter Creek? What didn’t you include that you wish you could have?

TR: So many things intrigue me about the Old West. For starters, its immense and stunning landscape—a borderless canvas that often evokes powerful emotions within me. Natural beauty aside, the most intriguing aspect of those years—particularly the last half of the 19th century—was the spirit of individualism, the courage, and the determination of those who pioneered and populated the frontier. History of the American frontier reads like a novel, with real-life heroes who had to find ways to cope with incredible odds—the land, wildlife, brutal weather conditions, and actual villains to established and, more importantly, to preserve a special ways of life. I tried, and hoped I succeeded in showing how my cast of characters embraced those qualities.

RTW: Time travel to the year your book is set. You’re the same age as Grant Bonner — what/where would you visit first? (Yes, you have a few dollars burning a hole in your change purse.) What would your occupation be, and what danger would you find?

TR: I'd head to Cheyenne, Wyoming, on special assignment as a newspaper reporter and get a room at the Union Pacific Hotel - considered a "first class hotel on the Plains" – and use it as my base of operations. My assignment would be to cover the Wyoming Cattle Boom, to learn how much of its expansion is linked to Eastern and European investors and determine who's benefitting the most and who is not, and why.

Any danger I'd encounter would no doubt revolve around my poking around for information, some of which would be considered private and privileged, and none of my damn business.

RTW: Would Grant Bonner get along better with Ulysses S Grant, Jesse James, Virgil Earp, or Wild Bill Hickok? Why?

TR: Ironically, Bonner would get along with both. As a former spy, he walked both sides of the street when it came to law and order. And, he's perfectly comfortable in the company of heroes or rogues because of his ability to adapt to different situations.

RTW: What song best portrays Last Stand at Bitter Creek? Who would star as Grant Bonner? What character would Tom Rizzo play?

Tom Rizzo, Author

TR: Well, Jacquie, I would want an original — and inspiring — score of music created for the film. I haven't yet given serious thought to the individual I'd want to play Grant Bonner — as if I would have any say in it! But, I'll give it more thought when Hollywood calls. As far as what character I'd like to play, it's probably the role of Sheriff Will Denton, who Bonner encounters along the way. A man comfortable with himself, but uncomfortable knowing too much about another man's motives. A man who likes all contingencies covered.

RTW: Why must Grant Bonner take this particular story journey? Excluding his outward quest for exoneration and justice, what does he have to prove to himself?

TR: He has a burning need to carry out the original assignment he was given, despite the odds and despite the dangers involved. He also needs to know what makes a man like Marcus Steele tick—what makes a man like him think he can control others by only willing it. And, what is behind Steele's willingness to sacrifice the lives of others to achieve his own brand of success. As much as anything, Bonner wants to know why he was singled out for Steele's relentless wrath.

RTW: It's our lucky day because you have an excerpt for us.  Please set it up for us.

TR: This is Chapter 4, which helps define what Bonner is up against.

Excerpt of
Last Stand at Bitter Creek
by Tom Rizzo

Marcus Steele clenched his fists, regretting the exchange with the junior officer. He should have ignored the incident, but worried about those pine boxes getting damaged. No real harm done, he decided, as he approached the cowboy slouching on the bench a few yards behind him, legs outstretched in front of him.

"Are we all set?" the colonel asked, finding difficulty suppressing the gnawing sensation, which often accompanied him into any important battle. He would rest easier, once finished with this unpleasantness.

"Yep," said the man, tipping his hat back and sitting up straighter, and looking past Steele at Bonner. "Problems?"

"A little too inquisitive for his own good."

"Looks harmless to me," the man said.

"Appearances and reality can often be at odds." Steele glanced back at the lieutenant. "I'm not sure what it is, but there's more to him than he's letting on."

"He gonna be at the livery with the others?"

"I have different plans for him. Actually, he is going to be quite useful. He just doesn't know it."

The man nodded, and Steele thought he detected a spare smile. He admired this kind of physical economy—a man of few words, known only by his surname. The most eloquent statements this cowboy made came from his gun. When the man left, Steele saw the lieutenant standing where he left him. He's up to something. Over the years, he learned to rely on an acute sense of intuition, and it served him well.

The lieutenant's remark about the manifest troubled him. In his experience, most men weren't so observant—unless he happened to be on the lookout for something specific. Steele embraced, as did many of his peers, an adage of Frederick the Great, It is pardonable to be defeated, but never to be surprised.

He brushed the incident aside, and stepped across the siding into a small clearing where a group of men on horseback waited, looking restless. Some wore faded and wrinkled Union blue; others were dressed in soiled, gray Confederate uniforms, and the rest in civilian clothes. He looked up at the lead rider and nodded. The cowboy raised his hand into the air, wheeled his horse around, and led the group out. Two riders stayed behind. When the dust cleared, Steele joined them.

"Everything in place? And are you clear about where to transport the merchandise?"

"Yep. All set."

"There has been an unforeseen development, which requires a slight adjustment to the plan," Steele told them. "Here's what I want you to do..."

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RTW: Whew, boy, Bonner's in trouble!  Loved the book video, too.  What’s next? Is Last Stand at Bitter Creek a part of a series? Has it been nominated for any awards lately?

TR: I'm at work now on a sequel; I'm bringing back a few of the characters that readers expressed interest in—such as, Bonner, of course, along with David Webster, the black Union Army officer who played such a key role in the story.

And, I'm pleased to say Last Stand At Bitter Creek is a finalist for a Peacemaker Award for Western Fictioneers' Best Western First Novel.

RTW: Congratulations for the well-deserved nomination!  That's a very high honor and I wish you luck in the final judging.  Anything else you’d like to add?

TR: I'm all talked out, at least for this moment. But I appreciate your invitation to join you on Romancing the West. I've had fun with your questions.

Thanks, Tom, for joining us this week.  

See you Thursday!

Peacemaker Nominee: Last Stand at Bitter Creek by @TomRizzoWrites #western

Last Stand at Bitter Creek

by Tom Rizzo

2013 Peacemaker Nominee for 
Best First Book

Romancing The West welcomes author Tom Rizzo, who spent most of his career writing non-fiction, but has now made the transition to the story world.  What a splash he's made, too--nominated for Best First Book!  So let's see what he has to say about this unique and compelling book. 

The Story
A patrol of soldiers massacred...
A hidden gold shipment missing...
An irreplaceable historical document stolen...
An undercover agent betrayed, and on the run...

When a routine undercover mission gets compromised, a burned out Union spy finds himself in the crosshairs of a cunning and diabolical army commander. Grant Bonner becomes the hunted and the hunter, trapped in an intricate conspiracy that will test his courage and sense of justice.

Facing unrelenting odds, he struggles whether to put the past behind him for good, or risk going undercover once more to pursue the battle-hardened, rogue officer intent on destroying him. For some soldiers, the war isn't over, and won't end until Bonner makes his Last Stand at Bitter Creek.

About Tom

Tom Rizzo is the author of Last Stand at Bitter Creek a historical action-adventure novel set in the mid- to late-1800s. A passion for 19th century American history, Tom's novel includes several elements of historical fact. His writing journey has taken him from radio and television news reporting to The Associated Press, where he worked as a correspondent, followed by several years in advertising and public relations. He grew up in central Ohio, lived in Great Britain for several years, and now calls Houston, Texas home. Visit Tom at his website, Twitter, or Facebook. 

Origin of the Story Idea

Years ago, I wrote an article for Wild West magazine about the first peacetime train robbery in the United States, which took place a North Bend, Ohio, just outside Cincinnati. If you Google "first train robbery in US history," most results will reference the Reno gang boarding an Ohio & Mississippi passenger train on Oct. 6, 1866, at Seymour, Indiana, and robbing it of $13,000. The Reno Brothers would eventually be caught.

More than a year earlier—May 5th, 1865—the Ohio & Mississippi was robbed on its express run from Cincinnati to St. Louis. Outlaws derailed the train about 12 miles outside the city and made off with at least thirty US Treasury bonds valued at $1,000 each from the Adams Express car, along with whatever valuables they took from a hundred passengers. The robbers escaped in skiffs across the Ohio River into Kentucky, never to be heard from again.

The crime was never solved. From various newspaper accounts, I've concluded the robbery was staged by a band of both Union and Confederate soldiers. Union troops were in the area awaiting discharge, but with little money since pay-periods were so infrequent. Also in the area were Confederate soldiers who had been paroled, but still in uniform. Several passengers reported hearing one of the robbers referred to as "captain," and another as "lieutenant."

Up to then, most of my writing had been focused on news and magazine articles, but the idea of writing a novel persisted. Since the train robbery was never solved, it triggered a lot of "What if" scenarios, which boiled down to handful of questions: What if something was on that train so valuable that less than four or five individuals knew of its existence? To what diabolical means would someone go to protect, and even kill, for this secret treasure?

I've read comments by other authors who have said that once they got an idea for a novel, it sort of wrote itself. In my case, the story did not write itself—otherwise I would have gotten a whole lot more hours of sleep that I did!

Excerpt
Last Stand At Bitter Creek
by Tom Rizzo

Will Denton stood waiting at the railroad siding. By habit, he usually kept his badge pinned on his shirt, beneath the vest. This time, he wore it in a more conspicuous place so there would be no mistake about him being the one in charge. The train carried one passenger. A short, stocky man stepped onto the platform, wearing a gun on his hip, and some kind of leather contraption under his arm. He spotted the sheriff and walked toward him, a saddlebag draped over his left shoulder.

"Sheriff Denton. I'm Frank Mecklin. That killer Bonner still in town?"

Ever since approaching the man who called himself Brady Adams, the sheriff had suspicions. Nothing specific, of course, but over the years he came to rely more and more on his intuition. His exchange with Adams on the night he arrived left him less than satisfied. The stranger seemed to dance around the questions that were asked. Denton didn't quite buy the tale Adams spun about the doctor he telegraphed.

Soon after he contacted the railroad office in Cincinnati and mentioned a drifter who sent a telegram to Doctor Caleb Wright, he received a return wire advising him to expect Detective Frank Mecklin on the next train.

"He's been laid up with a fever for a couple of days now. I doubt he's going anywhere soon. At least voluntarily," he told the visitor.

Denton spotted the double barrels of a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun cradled in a leather sling under Mecklin's arm. Denton used a scattergun at one time, a big advantage in a shootout, but not much of one at long range.

"You aimin' to shoot someone or blow him into little pieces?"

"Whatever hurts the most," he said, delivering the words without a trace of humor.

For a second, Denton questioned whether he did the right thing contacting Mecklin.

"Sounds like you got something personal at stake."

"Yep. Real personal."

The sheriff looked up at the sky, hoping to discourage further explanation. Sometimes, the less he knew about a man's motives, the better.

"Had the son-of-a-bitch in my hands once," Mecklin said, almost to himself. "But he got the drop on us, hogtied us, took our horses and hats, and left us in the hot sun to bake to death."

"Us?"

"Me and a couple of witnesses to the train robbery I deputized. He roughed one of 'em up pretty bad. Kicked him so hard, the man's brains are still scrambled. He threw a shot my way when he left, and almost hit me in the head. So, what's our first move? Where's he at now?"

Denton took a bandana from his back pocket and mopped sweat from his tanned face. Not yet mid-morning, and already the air began to thicken with humidity.

"I don't want to get the town all riled up with a lot of shooting. We need to be smart about this. It's just the two of us. Keep in mind, he already dealt with three of you, if he is the man you're hunting."

Brady Adams—or whatever his name—didn't strike him as an experienced gun hand. But Denton learned long ago, appearances were sometimes deceptive. No telling what a man can do when his survival's at stake.

"It's him all right. I knew the killer made it this far when you mentioned Doctor Wright in your telegram. Son-of-a-bitch got lucky last time we met. But it won't happen again. Let's just get this over and done, and I'll be on my way."

"He can't leave town without his horse. And it's at the livery," said the sheriff, worried about Mecklin's impatience. "But, he's close by, staying at a tavern a few doors down."

"How do you know he hasn't lit out already?"

"I got a man who would tell me," said Denton, as he returned the bandana to his back pocket.

Mecklin looked away for a few seconds, and then slipped the scattergun from under his arm.

"I can take the tavern, and you cover the livery. I suspect between those two, there ain't a lot of places the son-of-a-bitch can run."

# # #

Last Stand at Bitter Creek

is available at

Amazon, B&N, Smashwords

Congratulations for your nomination, Tom!

The Lifetime Achievement Peacemaker will be presented to Robert Vaughan
2013 BEST WESTERN NOVEL:

• City of Rocks (Five Star Publishing — Cengage) by Michael Zimmer
• Unbroke Horses (Goldminds Publishing, LLC) by D.B. Jackson
• Apache Lawman (AmazonEncore) by Phil Dunlap
• Wide Open (Berkley Publishing Group) by Larry Bjornson

2013 BEST WESTERN SHORT STORY:

• “Christmas Comes to Freedom Hill” (Christmas Campfire Companion — Port Yonder Press) by Troy Smith
• “Christmas For Evangeline” (Six-guns and Slay Bells — WF ) by C. Courtney Joyner
• “Keepers of Camelot” (Six-guns and Slay Bells — WF) by Cheryl Pierson
• “The Toys” (Six-guns and Slay Bells — WF) by James J. Griffin
• “Adeline” (Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT — Goombah Gumbo Press ) by Wayne Dundee

2013 BEST WESTERN FIRST NOVEL:

• High Stakes (Musa Publishing) by Chad Strong
• Wide Open (Berkley Publishing Group) by Larry Bjornson
• Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr (AWOC.com Publishing) by Phil Truman
• Last Stand At Bitter Creek (Western Trail Blazer) by Tom Rizzo
• Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave (Sunbury Press) by Mark Mitten

Winners will be announced on June 1, 2013 

on the Western Fictioneers website.