In Raising the Flag, Peter Eicher chronicles the experiences of envoys to a dozen countries, from the American Revolution to the Civil War. The characters he profiles faced hostile governments, physical privations, disease, isolation, and the daunting challenge of explaining American democracy to foreign rulers who could not conceive of such a political system. They were sent to China, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, New Orleans, California, Tripoli, Tahiti, Turkey, Cochin China, Siam, Muscat, and Japan. They variously suffered threats from tyrannical despots, were held as slaves or hostages, and led foreign armies into battle. Some were heroes, some were scoundrels, and many perished far from home. Their stories are replete with intrigues, revolutions, riots, war, shipwrecks, swashbucklers, desperadoes, and bootleggers. Eicher spent 25 years in the Foreign Service, serving in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific, specializing in human rights, conflict resolution, and international organizations.