Final answer:
Russell's crew aims to gather critical information that may include military secrets, intentions behind activities, or intelligence on abolitionist actions, depending on the context of their mission.
Step-by-step explanation:
Russell's crew will "snoop around" to find out various pieces of information critical to their objectives. For instance, in a military context, they may seek the names of high-ranking officers and guards to facilitate a strategic advantage, such as crushing an army, storming a city, or carrying out an assassination.
Similarly, in a scenario involving espionage, they may look to uncover plans and secrets that could lead to the fall of an organization or place, such as Richmond, by escaping with crucial intelligence. In a frontier or rural context, the crew might be investigating the true intent behind seemingly innocuous activities, like digging in a field, which is initially claimed to be for a barn cellar.
Finally, in the antebellum South, they might be tasked with gathering intelligence on abolitionist activities and the movements of those aiding the escape of enslaved individuals.