Renae Nickens

History 1110

Dr. W. Kesler Jackson

Espionage in the American Revolution

Knowledge is power (Sir Francis Bacon). With knowledge, we can gain

leverage over our opponent. During the Revolutionary war the Continental Army created

a sophisticated network of spies with double agents and secret informants, who used

coded messages to gain leverage over the British army. According to the United States

of Americas Central Intelligence Agency (2007) Espionage, counterintelligence, and

covert action had all been vital during that war against a powerful, better-funded, and

better-organized British army. Washington and fellow patriots like Benjamin Franklin

and John Jay directed a wide-ranging plan of clandestine operations that helped level

the playing field and gave the Continentals a chance against the British, the worlds

reigning superpower at the time. Espionage affected the outcome of the Revolutionary

War by gaining information that prepared them for attacks and stopped potential

massacres. The stories below show the different spying techniques, spies themselves

and what they prevented, and lastly how these brave operatives changes the outcome

of the war.

The Culper Spy ring was founded by Benjamin Tallmadge. He was appointed by

General Washington as the directory of military intelligence. His objective was to gather

intel about the British forces in New York City. Tallmadge enlisted close friends to join

him in his cause. These added members were: Abraham Woodhull, Caleb Brewster,
Anna Strong, Austin Roe and Hercules Mulligan. There is a female member whose

name still is still unknown to this day. The only information regarding her name was

Agent 355. ( History. com Staff, 2010) In their letters to each other, they used

pseudonyms to conceal their true identities. For example, Tallmadges new identitys

name was John Bolton. Nathan Hale, one of General Washingtons other spies, was

captured and hung in 1776. Due to this, General Washington insisted that the member

of the Culper Spy Ring use and exercise extreme secrecy at all times. As a result , even

General Washington didnt know who all the spy ring member were. In addition, to

keeping names secrete, they needed to successfully send top secret information.

Washington and Tallmadge formulated intricate codes and methods to conceal and or

to redirect information from the British. Tallmadge created a system where numbers

were substituted for commonly used words, names, and places to encode messages,

and he provided a key to Washington, Woodhull, and Robert Townsend, or any other

member of the spy ring to reference. (Victoria Williams, Ph. D. ) Another tool used by

the spy ring was invisible ink. This was supplied by Washington. The invisible ink was

generally applied on the back of letters whose appearances were completely normal. To

read the hidden message, the recipient would apply a chemical reagent. This tactic was

most commonly used during the entirety of the war. General Washington wrote, I have

not any of the Ink, but I will endeavor to provide some of it as soon as possible (1777)

to Tallmadge and Woodhull regarding them requesting more ink to continue their hidden

writings. The Culper Spy ring also concealed messages by applying a grille or a mask to

hide messages. (Clements Library) The key part of this spy tactic that whether you have
the mask on the letter, it makes sense either way but still hiding the true meaning of the

letter. For example: Henry Clinton wrote a letter to John Burgoyne on August 10, 1777

demonstrating this tactic. Without the mask, the letter read: You will have heard, Dr Sir

I doubt not long before this / can have reached you that Sir W. Howe is gone from

hence. The / Rebels imagine that he is gone to the Eastward. By this time / however he

has filled Chesapeake bay with surprize and terror. Washington marched the greater

part of the Rebels to Philadelphia / in order to oppose Sir Wm's. army. I hear he is now

returned upon / finding none of our troops landed but am not sure of this, great part / of

his troops are returned for certain. I am sure this counter marching / must be ruin to

them. I am left to command here, half of my force may / I am sure defend everything

here with much safety. I shall therefore / send Sir W. 4 or 5 Bat [talio] ns. I have too

small a force to invade the New England / provinces; they are too weak to make any

effectual efforts against me and / you do not want any diversion in your favour. I can,

therefore very well / spare him 1500 men. I shall try some thing certainly towards the

close / of the year, not till then at any rate. It may be of use to inform you that / report

says all yields to you. I own to you that I think the business will / quickly be over now.

Sr. W's move just at this time has been capital. / Washington's have been the worst he

could take in every respect. / sincerely give you much joy on your success and am with /

great Sincerity your [ ] / HC . (Henry Clements) With the mask on, the letter wrote: Sir.

W. Howe / is gone to the / Chesapeake bay with / the greatest part of the / army. I hear

he is / landed but am not / certain. I am / left to command / here with / too small a force /

to make any effectual / diversion in your favour. / I shall try something / at any rate. It
may be of use / to you. I own to you I think / Sr W's move just at this time / the worst he

could take. / Much joy on your success (Clements Library). With the mask on, it

changed the letters true intent and exposed the real information. If the letter would have

been stolen, then the other side would have the wrong information keeping the letters

true intent safe. Another example of important information gathered by the Culper Spy

ring includes the discovery of General Benedict Arnolds act of treason. Benedict Arnold

planned an attack to the arriving French troops who were coming to aid the Continental

army. He also aided the British in a plan to counterfeit the colonist currency. The biggest

achievement of the Culper Spy Ring was during the summer of 1780, they informed

Washington of a British plan to ambush the French troops gathered at Newport, Rhode

Island. With this new information, their French allies we able to avoid the possible

ambush. (History. com Staff , 2010)

James Armistead is one of the most famous spy that we have on record.( W. W.

Norton, 1982 ) Armistead was a black slave who with permission of his owner joined the

continental army. He was found by Military Officer Marquis de Lafayette during the

Yorktown campaign. Lafayette had Armistead originally transport dispatches and

intelligence reports across enemy lines. However, all of that changed in the summer of

1781. Armistead went across enemy lines and posed as a runaway slave who was loyal

to the British. Due to his extraordinary acting skills, he was convincing enough to have

General Charles Cornwallis fooled. The general enlisted him as a spy for the British

side. Armistead agreed and immediately started funneling false information to the British

soldiers to guide the Redcoats into the wrong direction. He is now one of America's first
double agent. (Meserette Kentake, 2015) Armistead successfully gained access to the

headquarters of the British General where he was able to obtain important information

about British plans. After which he was able to pass along to Lafayette. These reports

would include informations of british supplies, military personnel, british strategy and

military movements. Lafayette then provided fraudulent information for Armistead to

give to General Cornwallis. These false reports included nonexistent Continental troop

locations, and battle strategy. He also spied on General Benedict Arnold after Arnold

became a traitor and joined the British Army. Armistead gained the Arnolds trust and he

invited Armistead to be present when crucial military information was being discussed.

Near the end of the Revolutionary war, Armistead was the first to inform Lafayette and

General Washington that the British were heading to Yorktown. This crucial information

that allowed Lafayette to trap the british at Hampton. This battle at Yorktown insured the

victory over the british. The victory in Yorktown was credited to Armisteads bravery and

intelligence reports. (American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, 2014) Unfortunately

after the war was over, he was sent back to his owner. However, in 1787, Armistead

received his release papers from Lafayette who wrote a letter on Armisteads behalf to

the Virginia Legislature. In honor of Lafayette, Armistead changed his name to James

Armistead Lafayette. (Ruth Quinn, 2014)

Austin Roe was one the above mentioned members of the Culper Spy Ring. He

owned and operated a tavern in Setauket Long Island. Roe was the spy rings courier,

and transporter. He would travel some 55 miles from Robert Townsends coffee in New

York City all the way back to his tavern in Long Island. Roes job was dangerous. Even
though the letters were written in invisible ink, if the British found out about it, then he

would have been captured and most likely executed. When Rose was asked why he

traveled so far, he would say that he was gathering the best supplies for his tavern.

When he arrived at Townsends shop, Rose would place orders from Tallmadge who

signed for it under his code name: John Bolton. (Greater Patchogue Historical Society)

The Culper Spy ring wasnt only for males. Women played an essential role in the heavy

male populated war efforts. Below are the following influential female spies that

contributed to the victory over the British.

Anna Strong was also another member of the spy ring. She was also a well

connected woman, which came in handy during the war. She had connections in New

York, colonial, upper class. With the capture of her husband, she was motivated to take

revenge on the British and helped send signals to members of the spy ring. She did so

by arranging her laundry on her clothes line. For example, a black petticoat meant that

there was information to share and the number of white handkerchiefs pointed to where

and when they would meet or find the messages. (Kenna Howat with the National

Women's History Museum, 2017) Sources say that she was communicating to Andrew

Woodhull and Caleb Brewster. (Morton Pennypacker, 1939)

Agent 355 was a member of the Culper Spy Ring as well, however her identity is

still unknown to this day. (Kyla Cathey, 2017) She reported to Woodhull , who went

under the alias on Samuel Culper Sr, and Robert Townsend , whose alias was Samuel

Culper Jr. Agent 355 was reported as a maid to a Loyalist family. Now, being connected

to high ranking British Soldier, she would pass intelligence to the Culper Spy Ring
members. Her main source of information came for Major John Andre who led British

intelligence. Agent 355 helped in the capture of General Benedict Arnold. Due to her

discovery and information, the battle of West Point was saved. (National History

museum, 2017)

Deborah Sampson was declared in 1837 by congress that the history of the

Revolution furnished no other similar example of female heroism, fidelity, and courage.

Deborah was the real life Mulan. She disguised herself as a male soldier named Robert

Shurtleff and joined the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment in 1782. Under the command

of Captain George Webb, she was assigned the dangerous task of finding neutral

territory to spy on the British regarding their quantity of soldier and supplies in

Manhattan. Gathering this information was helpful for General Washingtons battle

plans. Despite close calls on other soldier finding her true sex identity, she was

discovered in 1783, a year and a half into her service. She had received a contusion on

her forehead made from a sword and also a bullet wound on her thigh. She extracted

the piston ball herself. This epidemic made her sick and was taken to the hospital when

found unconscious. She was honorably discharged on October 23, 1783. Her

information and heroism influenced the outcome of the Revolutionary War. (Debra

Michals, Ph. D , 2015)

Lydia Darragh was living in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. Her

descendants and other sources claim that her house was a meeting spot for British

soldiers. The Family lore states that she would hid within the closets nearby taking

notes and gathering intel to send to her son who was in the Continental Army. She hid
messages in pin cushions, button covers, and in needle books. This was found in the

journal of Elias Boudinot. It states: "...After Dinner a little poor looking Insignificant Old

Woman came in and solicited leave to go into the country and buy some flour- While we

were asking some questions, she walked up to me and put into my hands a dirty old

needlebook, with various small pockets in it... On Opening the needlebook, I could not

find any thing till i got to the last Pocket, Where I found a piece of paper rolled up into

the form of a Pipe Shank.--- on unrolling it I found information that Genl Howe was

coming out the next morning with 5000 men..." According to the National History

museum, (2013) during one of the British officers meetings, the British officers

discussed information they had received information about General Washingtons forces

were in White Marsh. They plotted to launch a surprise attack on the. Darragh

overheard the plans, then came up with a lie that she needed to purchase flour from a

mill outside the city. After receiving the permission from the British, she headed straight

for the Continental Army leader. She passed the information to an officer in

Washingtons army. With this new news, Washingtons army was now prepared for the

surprise attack and resulted in the British retreating the Philadelphia. (Martha Kieb ,

2004 )

In conclusion, espionage was a crucial tactic which led the Americans on the

road to victory. Without the bravery and skill from the operatives, vital information would

have been left behind. Information is key to winning any mission. Gaining information

from enemy lines provided optimal positioning from known whereabouts, protection from

surprise attacks, and allowed Washington to better prepare his troops in any situation.
We know these techniques work because other wise we wouldnt still use similar

techniques today. George Washington stated that the Necessity of procuring good

intelligence is apparent and need not be further urged(Upon Secrecy, Success

depends in Most Enterprisesand for want of it, they are generally defeated.

Knowledge provides leverage, and leverages gives us an inch closer to victory. Without

the leverage gained from espionage, our nation would not be the same today.
 Works Cited:

Casey, Susan. Women heroes of the American Revolution: 20 stories of espionage,

sabotage,
defiance, and rescue. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2017.

Daigler, Kenneth A. Spies, patriots, and traitors: American intelligence in the

Revolutionary
War. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2015.

Tonsetic, Robert L. Special Operations in the American Revolution. Havertown, PA:

Casemate, 2013.

"World of influence." PBS. Accessed September, 2017.

http://-.org/benfranklin/l3_world_spies.html.

"Spying and Espionage." George Washington's Mount Vernon. Accessed September

2017.
http://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/spying-an
d-espionage/.

Rose, Alexander. Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring. New
York,
NY: Penguin Random House Company, 2006. 2014. Accessed September 2017.
https://books.google.com/books?id=K4lUeuo-UI8C&printsec=frontcover&source=
gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.

George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring. Directed by Amanda Ohlke. Performed by
Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan. Youtube. July 17, 2013. Accessed September 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq9VwhU_RV8.

Clinton, Henry. "August 10, 1777 -- HeChurch, Benjamin , Jr. "George Washington
Papers at the Library of Congress, Series 4. General Correspondence.
1697-1799." George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799:
Series 4. General Correspondence. 1697-1799. Accessed October 10, 2017.
 http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw4&fileName=gwpage033.db&r
ecNum=753.

Henry Clinton to John Burgoyne." Spy Letters of the American Revolution

Bibliography. Accessed October 10, 2017.
http://clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/spies/index-bibliography.html.

Washington, George. "June 27, 1779 -- George Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge

(Page 1 of 3,
public)." Spy Letters of the American Revolution -- Bibliography. Accessed
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http://clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/spies/index-bibliography.html.

"Culper Spy Ring Code." George Washington's Mount Vernon.

http://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-sources-2/article/culper-spy-ring-
code/.

"Letter from G. Washington." Central Intelligence Agency. September 05, 2013.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/intelligence-history/intelligence/letter.html.

Kneib, Martha. Women soldiers, spies, and patriots of the American Revolution. New
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Rosen Pub. Group, 2004.

Hill, Mark. "Carlyle Connection." Spies and Secret Communications during the
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2014, 1-4. 2014. Accessed September 2017
 Scanned Documents Mentioned:

1. Here is page 1 from the Culper Spy Ring Code: This was the key for encrypted

messages.
2. Below was the mask/grille that they would put on letters to reveal the letters true

intent.

This was a letter made: August 10 1777 -- Henry Clinton to John Burgoyne.
3. In 1784, Lafayette wrote out this testimonial for James Armistead Lafayette who had aided the

American cause during the Yorktown Campaign of 1781. The letter reads:

This is to certify that the bearer by the name of James has done essential services to me while I

had the honour to command in this state. His intelligences from the enemys camp were
industriously collected and faithfully delivered. He perfectly acquitted himself with some

important commissions I gave him and appears to me entitled to every reward his situation can

admit of. Done under my hand, Richmond, November 21st, 1784. Lafayette

Lafayette Collections, Skillman Library, Lafayette College