Chapter 1 WHEN SECRETS CHANGE HISTORY During the American Civil War 1861 1865 military strength was the key to victory The Confederate and Union armies were each working to build a new type of weapon for themselves a warship armored in iron The Union intelligence didn’t know that the Confederate army had stolen parts of a Union warship the USS Merrimack to build their new and improved weapon They were nearly finished building their own ironclad ship the CSS Virginia 4
A freed slave named Marie Louvestre was working for the Confederate engineer who was building the Virginia When Louvestre overheard the details of the Virginia she knew the breakthrough could change the outcome of the war She stole copies of the plans and walked 200 miles 322 km north to where the Union army was stationed Louvestre met with a Union leader and handed over the plans The Confederate and Union armies used warships in the Civil War 5
The Union had no idea the Virginia was nearly completed They wouldn’t be able to destroy the ship before it launched But Louvestre’s information helped the Union prepare for the incoming battle The Battle of Hampton Road also known as the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack was a battle between warships in the Civil War 6
Why Spy The more a government knows the more easily it can keep people safe That’s why government agencies secretly collect information about other countries and groups Agencies collect all kinds of secret information also called intelligence Spy agencies are always collecting information 7
