An Artist in Treason: The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson

Prior to Andro Linklater's book on James Wilkinson, I had found that the scholarship on the "Founding Fathers" generation lacking when it came to the story of James Wilkinson. Wilkinson received short shrift or fell through the cracks of the newer progeny of works on the "Founding Fathers" generation (see, e.g. Joseph Ellis' Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, Joseph Ellis' American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson; Joseph Ellis' His Excellency: George Washington, Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton; Thomas Fleming's Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America) Thankfully, Andro Linklater admirably stepped into the void and has given us :An Artist in Treason." Linkater's book is not a true biography since it spends very little time on Wilkinson's private life. Rather, it can be said that the book is a biography of Wilkinson's amibition and duplicity. Linkalater admirably captures the changing tides of loyalty in the New Republic. It must be remembered that National loylaty had not become the fixed star it would be after the Civil War; there was the War for Independence in which the American colonists allied themselves with France against Grean Britain; there was the division of citizens between Federalists who favored the Constitituion of 1787 and the Anti-Federalists who opposed it; there was the uncertainty of the western settlers who were undecided as to whether their future lay with the newly formed United States, with Spain, Great Britain, France, or in some other national configuration; and there was the emergence of political parties. All of these events made national loylaty a fluid concept. Linklater's work also artfully builds up the drama leading to the climax of Burr's attempted grab for power and Wilkinson's ultimate choice of the United States over Spain. Linklater's work is well-documented and balanced and a contribution to the scholarship of that period.

What if the top-ranking general of the United States Army was actually a traitor in the employ of our country's greatest enemy? Well, from 1797 through 1812, he was! Documents found in Havana after the Spanish-American War prove that James Wilkinson, commanding general of the U.S. Army during those turbulent years when America was expanding westward into Spanish territory, was in fact a paid agent of the Spanish Crown, and his story is well-documented and engagingly told in Andro Linklater's "An Artist in Treason". Wilkinson is one of the most fascinating characters in American history. He was the subject of my Master's Thesis and at one time I planned on writing a biography of Wilkinson myself. Unfortunately, the man was so good at covering his tracks that it is difficult to come up with any hard evidence about many of his nefarious activities, and one can only speculate about all the fascinating things Wilkinson MIGHT have done--such as his role in the capture of Washington's second-in-command, General Charles Lee, during the Revolution, and the death of Meriwether Lewis in 1809. (I eventually opted for an approach where speculation would not be a liability but an asset, and decided to write a series of `Flashman'-type novels purporting culled from Wilkinson's secret memoirs, the first of which will be published in September of 2010). Mr. Linklater wisely avoids the pitfalls inherent in such speculation when writing a scholarly biography, and he concentrates on the things Wilkinson was known to have done. His research, I can say with some authority, is impeccable, and his writing style is accessible to the casual reader as well as the professional historian. I differ with him on a few points--he thinks Wilkinson was sincere in his efforts on behalf of the Spanish (at least at first), while I believe Wilkinson was simply playing them for suckers, selling them useless information at the same time that he and Burr were conspiring to seize Mexico and set themselves up as kings--but after reading Mr. Linklater's arguments, I'm not so sure that he isn't right and I'm wrong. If you have any interest in our nation's early history, you should really enjoy this book. It explores a number of issues and events that are rarely covered in other histories of the period, and I suspect will be a real eye-opener even to some historians of the era. If Mr. Linklater has not written the definitive biography of this fascinating figure, it is only because so much about Wilkinson remains unknown that a definitive biography can never be written.

One of the nation's hallmark beliefs, bequeathed to the citizens of the United States by the founders, is a firm commitment to civilian control of the military. George Washington certainly believed in it; so did rivals John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. So too, did Alexander Hamilton and a host of others. That is, except for one of the least well-known founders, James Wilkinson. As commander of the U.S. army in the early republic he aided in the so-called Burr Conspiracy that sought by military action to establish a separate nation in the Louisiana territory. This very fine biography of Wilkinson relates his life and career. Some might question my assertion that Wilkinson was one of the revered founders of the United States, but he was a Revolutionary War general and a hero in the War for Independence. He also became in 1796 general in command of the regular army and after Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana from Napoleon Bonaparte, Wilkinson was named territorial governor of northern Louisiana. But Wilkinson was also a traitor who was a spy on the Spanish payroll, with the code name of Agent 13, and a co-conspirator with Aaron Burr in a supposed plot to overthrow constitutional rule in the Louisiana Purchase territory during the first decade of the nineteenth century. James Wilkinson (1757-1825) has only had a few biographies dedicated to his life and career, and that is probably appropriate. M.R. Werner's 1941 biography, "The Admirable Trumpeter," surprisingly not mentioned in this book's otherwise extensive bibliography, exposed both Wilkinson's propensity for conspiracy and deception as well as his positive accomplishments. This modern biography by writer Andro Linklater, recites what we already knew about Wilkinson and his intrigues as well as adding to it additional details on his colorful career. Despite genuine skills Linklater generally agrees with historian Frederick Jackson Turner's characterization of Wilkinson as "the most consummate artist in treason that the nation ever possessed," even using part of this quote in his title for this book. Other historians have also characterized James Wilkinson in equally colorful language that Linklater might have appropriated in his title. Robert Leckie called him "a general who never won a battle or lost a court-martial--an allusion to Wilkinson's two trials, one for bribery in 1811 and a second for dereliction of duty in 1815. He was acquitted both times. In addition, Temple Bodley once appropriately concluded about Wilkinson, "He had considerable military talent, but used it only for his own gain." Andro Linklater would agree with all of these assessments. Reading this book makes one want to take a shower afterward, as he brings to life all of James Wilkinson's foilables, follies, and chicanery. He was both charming and ruthless in equal parts and seemingly at any point in his dealings with others, and this comes through well in "An Artist in Treason." It is an outstanding reading experienc

James Wilkinson's name pops up constantly in the history of the first twenty-five years of the American Republic, seldom in an edifying way. Rumors (and accusations) abounded at the time that Wilkinson was for years a spy for Spain, which for much of the period was still a powerful presence across what is now the southern United States from Florida through Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Later he was said to have been a co-conspirator with Aaron Burr in his alleged attempt to carve an empire for himself by combining these territories with some of the old southwestern states such as Tennessee and Kentucky. Although Wilkinson hotly and effectively denied these accusations, it is now clear that he did spy for Spain while serving as the senior officer in the US Army and even swore personal loyalty as a subject of the king of Spain. Wilkinson's connection with the "Burr conspiracy" is slightly more obscure. Wilkinson clearly corresponded with Burr during the earlier stages of the conspiracy and Burr certainly thought that Wilkinson would support him. With his support would come the support of the US Army which, while quite small by both contemporary and modern standards, was by far the most powerful force in what was then the West. Wilkinson later pointed to the danger of war between Spain and the US that seemed quite likely at the time and claimed that his dealings with Burr were aimed at using Burr and his supporters to assist the Army should war occur. Wilkinson argued that he did not realize that Burr was seeking to break up the United States. It may even have been true since Burr himself seems to have been confused (and certainly less than forthcoming) about his ultimate goals. In the end Wilkinson stuck with the United States, helped to reveal the conspiracy and kept the Army loyal. Wilkinson's decision certainly derailed whatever Burr's plans were. With the knowing complicity of the Jefferson administration, Wilkinson was acclaimed as one of the country's saviors. These were the high points of his career in treachery, but Wilkinson was fully capable of disloyalty on a personal level. Many a business partner found himself stiffed and Wilkinson's ability to shift his loyalty successfully from one military superior to another as career advancement seemed to require was awe inspiring. Among other things his charm, personality and ability to flatter were powerful. So far as his military career went, moreover, Wilkinson was good with troops, a strong disciplinarian, brave and effective in combat and a good leader. Over the course of his career he convinced every president from Washington through Madison (and even to some extent Monroe) that it was in their political interest to ignore, at least publicly, his questionable activities (of which they had ample evidence). Wilkinson has often been the subject of professional historical writing, much of it in history journals, monographs and other professional historical literatu

I have a degree in history and I have a liking for well-written and well-researched works on historical subjects. Andro Linklater's "An Artist in Treason" is both. Encompassing the life and activities of General James Wilkinson (1757-1825), officer in the American Revolution, commander of the American army and governor of Louisiana Territory, Andro's sweeping work touches upon many major events in the early development of the United States. This is due not only to Mr. Linklater's obvious interest in the subject, but because of Wilkinson's far-reaching roles as senior U.S. general, explorer, and spy in the pay of Spain. Wilkinson's is a cautionary tale in many respects. It is also by far the best example I've seen in historical biography of the old pagan Norse concept of creating one's own fate. General Wilkinson could have had it all. That he did not was due not to the vagaries of fortune, divine intervention or predestination. It was due entirely to his own actions, for he created the landscape upon which he was forced to operate when, faced by British invasion, he should have been at the height of his powers and most importantly, the right man in the right place at the right time. If the definition of hero is someone who can rise above their fate, then Wilkinson fails the test, for he did not. Despite some of the positive results of his military career (keeping the army loyal to the civilian government is no small thing), it is difficult to find anything good to say about a man like Wilkinson, who betrayed not only his country but most of those who, at one time or another, had come to trust or befriend him (Thomas Jefferson being the sole exception outside of his family). But Mr. Linklater does not indulge in vilification and instead lets the story tell itself. He makes no excuses for the conduct of those who participated in the great drama of Wilkinson's life. It is impossible to argue with the facts as they are known. In this case, thanks to General Wilkinson's own efforts at preserving his prodigious correspondence, and to the records found in Spanish official archives of his treasonous correspondence, we have a great many facts and Mr. Linklater's handling of them is masterful. I did note with interest that Mr. Linklater did not mention the death (or alleged assassination of) Meriwether Lewis. Stephen E. Ambrose, in his "Undaunted Courage", dismisses the idea, but in "The Death of Meriwether Lewis", James E. Starrs and Kira Gale accuse General Wilkinson of killing the great explorer. Whether Linklater dismisses the idea out of hand or simply thought it irrelevant for some reason, I would like to know. It is a shame that he did not at least mention the allegations. I am left to ponder the question based on what I now know of Wilkinson's character. He was certainly a ruthless individual and thought nothing of sending men to their deaths (for example, sending a party off into Spanish territories and then alerting the Spanish they were c