![]() History reports that, besides the unfortunate case of executed spy Nathan Hale, other spies assisted the first commander in chief. Tallmadge wasn't the first spy set to task by George Washington himself. He recruited people he knew and trusted on Long Island, forming the basis of the Culper Spy Ring. Tallmadge was the key to it all, if only the British knew. It all began with Benjamin Tallmadge, the military officer who Washington put in charge of the brand-new nation's military intelligence. Yet, the plain designation underlies Washington's true role as a spymaster in charge of a complicated network of espionage agents. After a short trial, André was hanged on October 2, 1780.Īccording to Mount Vernon, Washington himself had a code name in the Culper Spy Ring. Though Arnold and his wife would escape to England, André was caught with incriminating documents that indicated he and Arnold had colluded to hand the key stronghold of West Point over to the British. André was head of the British Secret Service and the liaison for Benedict Arnold, the American military officer who infamously betrayed Washington's forces. Per the American Battlefield Trust, Major John André was executed for the same charges as Hale. It wasn't easier for British spies, either. Though it's still not clear why the British targeted Hale specifically, he was found guilty of espionage and hanged on September 22, 1776. According to History, he was successful for a few weeks, then was caught as he was attempting to sail back into American territory across the Long Island Sound. That's certainly what happened to Nathan Hale, the young Continental Army captain who volunteered to collect intelligence on Long Island in 1776. Using this intel, Washington was able to prepare for and ultimately win the Battle of Yorktown, which then ended the American Revolution. Armistead told the Marquis de Lafayette, commander of the French forces aiding the Americans, vital intelligence about British troops surrounding Yorktown, Virginia. He insinuated himself in a British military outpost and began to provide information to officers there, making it seem as if he were friendly to their cause. All told, Mulligan supplied information that saved Washington's life on at least two occasions, and provided valuable intel about British forces.Īn enslaved man named James Lafayette Armistead even acted as a double agent in Virginia, reports History. According to ThoughtCo, Mulligan used his tailor shop, which catered to British officers, to listen in on sensitive conversations about supplies, troops, and the odd plot to kidnap George Washington. These included Hercules Mulligan, a New York City-based tailor who used his position to spy on the British occupying the city. The ring learned that British Major General William Tryon's raid in Connecticut in July 1779 was a diversion to induce Washington to divide his forces, so that British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton could attack them piecemeal.Agents were already feeding information to Washington's forces before the more complex spy ring formed on Long Island. They also reported that the British planned to counterfeit American currency on the actual paper used for the Continental dollars, prompting the Continental Congress to retire the bills. The Culper Ring provided valuable information to General Washington, including the fact that the British planned a surprise attack on the newly allied French forces under Lieutenant General Rochambeau at Newport, Rhode Island, before the French could fully recover and set up defenses after their arduous sea journey to America. The Ring's covert operations started in late October 1778 and continued through the British evacuation of New York in 1783, but its heyday was between 17. The members of the Ring operated mostly in New York City, Long Island, and Connecticut. The Ring's task was to send messages to General Washington about the activities of the British Army in New York City, the British headquarters and base of operations. ![]() Tallmadge was referred to by the alias of "John Bolton." Tallmadge was in direct contact with and control of the Ring, but Washington often directed its operations. The two main members of the Ring were Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend, who used "Samuel Culper, Sr." and "Samuel Culper, Jr." respectively as aliases. The "Culper" name was suggested by Washington, who devised it from Culpeper County, Virginia. The Culper Ring was a spy ring organized by American Major (later Colonel) Benjamin Tallmadge under orders from General George Washington in the summer of 1778 during British occupation of New York City at the height of the American Revolutionary War. For fiction and non-fiction featuring or about the Culper Spy Ring.
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