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A man of as many names as motives, Edward Bancroft is a singular figure in the history of Revolutionary America. Born in Massachusetts in 1745, Bancroft moved to England as a young man in the 1760s and began building a respectable résumé as both a scientist and a man of letters. In recognition of his works in natural history, Bancroft was unanimously elected to the Royal Society, and while working to secure French aid for the American Revolution, he became a close associate of such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and John Adams. Though lauded in his time as a staunch American patriot, when the British diplomatic archives were opened in the late nineteenth century, it was revealed that Bancroft led a secret life as a British agent acting against French and American interests. In this book, the first complete biography of Bancroft, historian Thomas J. Schaeper reveals the full extent of the agent's deception during the crucial years of the American Revolution. Operating under aliases, working in ciphers, and leaving coded messages in the trees of Paris's Tuileries Gardens, Bancroft filtered information from unsuspecting figures including Franklin and Deane back to his contacts in Britain, navigating a complicated web of political allegiances. Through Schaeper's keen analysis of Bancroft's correspondence and diplomatic records, this biography reveals whether Bancroft should ultimately be considered a traitor to America or a patriot to Britain. - Publisher.
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Subjects
Secret service, Spies, Biography, History, United states, history, revolution, 1775-1783, secret servicePeople
Edward Bancroft (1744-1821)Places
United StatesTimes
Revolution, 1775-1783Showing 4 featured editions. View all 4 editions?
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1
Edward Bancroft: Scientist, Author, Spy
Sep 11, 2012, Yale University Press
paperback
0300187459 9780300187458
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2
Edward Bancroft: Scientist, Author, Spy
2011, Yale University Press
in English
0300171714 9780300171716
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3
Edward Bancroft: scientist, author, spy
2011, Yale University Press
Hardcover
in English
0300118422 9780300118421
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Book Details
Table of Contents
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references and index.
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Feedback?August 3, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
August 11, 2011 | Edited by 158.158.240.230 | Added new cover |
August 11, 2011 | Edited by 158.158.240.230 | Edited without comment. |
December 4, 2010 | Created by ImportBot | initial import |