Henri Le Caron

author

Henri Le Caron

1841–1894

A Civil War veteran turned double agent, he spent years moving inside Irish nationalist circles while secretly reporting to British intelligence. His memoirs and the uproar around his testimony made him one of the most talked-about spies of the late 19th century.

1 Audiobook

Twenty-five years in the Secret Service: The recollections of a spy

Twenty-five years in the Secret Service: The recollections of a spy

by Henri Le Caron

About the author

Born in Colchester, England, in 1841, Thomas Miller Beach is better known by the name Henri Le Caron. He emigrated to the United States, served during the American Civil War, and later built a public identity that let him move through Irish-American nationalist and Fenian networks.

Behind that public role, he was secretly passing information to the British authorities for many years. His reports were used against Irish revolutionary activity, and his evidence later drew wide attention in Britain during the investigations into Irish political violence.

He published memoirs about his life as a spy, adding to the notoriety that followed him in his final years. He died in 1894, leaving behind a story that sits at the crossroads of espionage, empire, and Irish nationalism.