Customer Reviews

Secret Service: British Agents in France, 1792-1815 (Modern History)

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It might be thought that effective espionage has only existed in the 20th century, but as the British Director of Military Operations, James Edmonds, commented in 1908, the military successes of Napoleon and Wellington "were largely due to carefully elaborated spy systems". Napoleon himself is reputed to have said that a spy in the right place was worth 40,000 men, although his famous spy Schulmeister was only ever rewarded with plenty of money and not the Legion d'Honneur he reputedly craved. On the other side of the coin, the French would regularly attribute their setbacks to "English gold". The authoress tells the story of the operations run by the British during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Begun by the Aliens Office to control French agitators among the émigrés fleeing Revolutionary France, under Wickham the networks expanded into a system capable of both gathering vital military and political intelligence, while channelling money to the Continental Allies. It should be more accurately described as the activities of both the British and French, as the various French factions and leaders jockey for position backed by Britain. Virtually anyone of any consequence is included, plus unsavoury characters and throughout the story, the shadowy and cunning Joseph Fouche lives a charmed life, keeping just enough incriminating documentation out of Napoleon's way to prevent the Emperor taking decisive action against him. The success of the British network is stunning - they are often in control of the Paris police - as they attempt to support a series of potential new rulers in France (and ultimately Bonaparte). Then, they act in support of their Allies against the expansionist plans of Emperor Napoleon. There were disasters too, especially in 1804, when the network is broken up by Napoleon's men. In fact all the elements of a good spy story are here, including double-crosses, bribes, multiple aliases, assassination conspiracies, spies dressed as monks, the unfortunate souls who found themselves sacrificed to save operations or senior individuals. Naturally, the authoress concentrates on the Anglo-French duel, but there are many interesting details included which influence the Wars in general, notably the Bank of France's near-bankruptcy in Sept 1805. Aside from the murder of Tsar Paul I, something that has remained an opaque subject until this book, she can only briefly look at the activities of the Continental Allies, but there are several smoking guns left east of the Rhine, which are worthy of further investigation. Few books in the last twenty years have added greatly to our knowledge of the Napoleonic period, but this is certainly one of them. Just one word of caution - this is not a James Bond novel! These men were involved in something far more complex and were doing it for real. The first 30 pages or so see a whole series of characters emerging in quick succession as the British deal with the various factions, so take it steady at the start. All becomes clear soon after, especially when the focus turns directly on Consul and later Emperor Napoleon. The real backdrop to many key events emerges - ever wondered how Napoleon eluded the British blockade of Egypt? Essential and worthwhile reading.

I did enjoy this book - but it is not one I found easy to read. Even with Elizabeth Sparrow's relatively easy style it is difficult at times to unravel the complex relationships and payments - double crosses and so on. The world of subterfuge is a truly murky place.

The book is well set out though and the topic is utterly fascinating. So while I found it difficult to untangle the threads I found the subject compelling.

She has made the divisions in sections and chapters well, so while you can read the book from start to finish for a complete overview - if you have a specific interest in a time period or place it is easy to pick up and read for that period - which is really what I ended up doing.

Perhaps only giving 4 stars is underselling the book because the topic is difficult and Sparrow does do a great job making sense of it. A very impressive job actually - it just didn't grab me by the throat the way some other books do.

I would definitely recommend this book for those with an interest in the British History in this period or for people with an interest in the Napoleonic Wars. Or maybe for people who just want to know how to be sly and cunning - there are some great tips!

First off I should say that I could not put this book down (until I would get a headache - from trying to keep all the info in order in my head). It really was very interesting. What was the problem? It was a very frustrating read. The book could have been a 5 star incredible read if it was just organized. Even though the book is broken up into dated sections - she did not keep to the dates and would float back and forth into the past and future. One moment you would read an agent was executed and then 2 pages later she would be talking about him and the prison he was in. One minute she would be discussing 1804 the next 1799. If she had written the book in chronological order it would have been much easier to understand. Also it would have been a lot easier to understand what was going on if she discussed the important battles that were going on at the time. I had to have a book about the Napoleonic War sitting next to me so that I could see what was going on with the armies etc. This book could have been amazing if she brought the agents to life on the page. It was hard to understand what was going on with the agents when she would go back and forth in dates. Hopefully some day someone will take all this information and make a more interesting and understandable book.

You will not understand the French Revolution until you have read this book.

Most histories of the Revolution, whether written by Frenchmen or Anglophones, relate a surreal world apparently inhabited mostly by madmen such as the Jacobins. What motivated them to create the bloodbath of the Terror? Was there a common thread linking events, or were they really random occurences? Were events really as disjointed and disconnected as they appear?

British gold, is what. The British government, naturally royalist in spirit, wished to return the Bourbons to the French throne, rather than have the Republican spirit wash onto their own shores. Their method of choice: bribe key revolutionaries to create conditions so frightening, so repulsive, so disgusting, that the French would ardently desire the return of their kings. Who would have guessed that Robespierre was acting as directed by a British paymaster? Who would have guessed that the British would even have approached a military figure named Napoleon Bonaparte?

This book is not an historical novel. Heavily footnoted, extensively researched, it is a work of impressive scholarship. It does, however, raise an interesting question of its own: It is far, far stronger in the Revolutionary period than in the Empire. Were there secrets the British were willing to reveal about the former period that are still impossible to release about the latter?