Times Observer file photo Retired CIA agent Michael Ganske will return to the Warren County Courthouse to present “Women of Espionage” in the Civil War on Tuesday starting at 6:30 p.m.

Espionage is as old as war itself.

But when warring nations were separated by just the Potomac River during the Civil War, that flow of information became even more alluring.

A program set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the main courtroom at the Warren County Courthouse will explore the role that women played in the espionage game during the Civil War.

The Warren County Historical Society program will feature retired CIA counterintelligence officer Michael Ganske.

“From feminine wiles to racial prejudice, the Civil War’s female spies used every advantage–and disadvantage–to assist their causes,” WCHS Program Manager C.J. Chase said.

“Mr. Ganske will explain the significance of The Secret Line, offer a case study of Harriett Tubman, and discuss methodologies and tradecrafts such as codes, flags, and balloons,” she added.

Though Tubman is perhaps best known for her work freeing slaves via the Underground Railroad, she “was also one of the war’s most daring and effective spies, focusing on military operations in South Carolina,” Ganske said. “The CIA dedicated a sculpture of her at the Langley, Virginia, headquarters in September 2022.”

Before joining the CIA, Mr. Ganske served in the U.S Army. At his retirement, he was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal for over 20 years of service to the American people. He is the founder of Silver Eagle Consulting LLC and a frequent lecturer on espionage for universities and civic groups. He lives with his family in Clymer, NY.

“This will be Mr. Ganske’s second trip to Warren to showcase historical espionage,” Chase said. “His 2023 presentation The Role of Intelligence in the Revolutionary War was such a huge success, he is back by popular demand.”