During the American Civil War, the Confederacy established a clandestine Secret Service that engaged in covert operations to manipulate news coverage and influence public opinion. Led by President Jefferson Davis, the Secret Service attempted to sway the Northern press in favor of the Confederacy and undermine Northern morale. They employed tactics such as bribery, intimidation, and the dissemination of propaganda, aiming to create a false narrative of the war and erode support for the Union cause. One of their primary objectives was to influence the outcome of the 1864 presidential election, and they succeeded in influencing the Democratic Party platform and spreading anti-war sentiment throughout the North.