"This book examines the career of the notorious Gen. James Wilkinson, the highest ranking US official ever tried for treason and espionage. Wilkinson's military career began during the Revolutionary War, and he served with nearly every president and major military figure during the first forty years of US history. As he rose to the rank of commanding general of the US Army, Wilkinson betrayed virtually everyone he worked for or with to advance his career and finances. He was a handsomely paid spy for Spain, plotted to have western territories split from the United States, and accepted kickbacks from government contractors. His negligence and greed also caused the largest peacetime disaster in the history of the US Army. This book focuses on Wilkinson as a spy and makes unique contributions with its in depth analysis of how Wilkinson survived his 1811 court-martial trial. Cox concludes that the prosecution deliberately lost the case to ensure Wilkinson's acquittal in order to cover up presidential failures"--