Prentiss Ingraham, born in 1843, fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. He then became a soldier of fortune, fighting in the Austro-Prussian War and the Cuban Revolution, among others. His literary career began in London during his soldier of fortune years where he wrote essays, poetry, and articles for several British periodicals. Ingraham's literary fame in the United States arose from his writing of several hundred "dime novels" from the 1870s until his death. Among the titles are The Brand of the Red Anchor; Lafitte, the Pirate of the Gulf; and The Masked Spy.