All to Pieces introduces a new character, Mrs. Langdon, who is a Union spy. This character is modeled on a real woman named Hattie Lawton, who was part of Pinkerton's Female Detective Bureau, formed in 1860 to 'worm out secrets' by means unavailable to male detectives. During the Civil War, Pinkerton's agents became Union spies who gathered information about Confederate missions, troop positions, supplies and fortifications.
Hattie Lawton worked with John Scobell, a former slave who had been well educated. She traveled freely in the South with Scobell, who posed as her servant. Mrs. Lawton gathered information from unwitting Confederates in social settings, while Mr. Scobell gathered information from the witting slaves of Confederates--who overheard and knew a great deal.
Mrs. Langdon, the character in All to Pieces, deviates from her real world inspiration--in a way that shocks and surprises Cato.
Hattie Lawton worked with John Scobell, a former slave who had been well educated. She traveled freely in the South with Scobell, who posed as her servant. Mrs. Lawton gathered information from unwitting Confederates in social settings, while Mr. Scobell gathered information from the witting slaves of Confederates--who overheard and knew a great deal.
Mrs. Langdon, the character in All to Pieces, deviates from her real world inspiration--in a way that shocks and surprises Cato.