Special thanks are due, too, to Matt Arthur, Living History Program coordinator at Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens in New Bern, North Carolina, and to Rebecca Reimer Arthur, lecturer in history at Liberty University, for sharing their tremendous knowledge of the era and genealogical investigations during the early stages of writing this book.
If there was one trip that galvanized our belief that this was a book that should be written, it was the journey we took to CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. When we heard the CIA’s historians and agents talk so movingly about the success of this ring and its methods, we knew that our interest and awe were justified. At their request I will not list their names, but I would like to acknowledge the CIA Office of Public Affairs and the CIA’s historical staff.
Finally, I’d like to thank the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation (www.ciamemorialfoundation.org), the Armed Forces Foundation (www.armedforcesfoundation.org), and the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) for their support for today’s generation of fighters and spies, which needs support more than ever before.
SELECTED SOURCES
Allen, Thomas B., and Cheryl Harness. George Washington, Spymaster: How America Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2004.
A highly accessible book, this is a great starting point for adults and older children alike who are interested in the spying activities under Washington’s command during the Revolution. It is the result of solid research and offers a good overview of espionage activities throughout the war.
Bakeless, John Edwin. Turncoats, Traitors, and Heroes. New York: Da Capo, 1998.
This work provides a look at the unfortunate incident of Nathan Hale, the saga of Benedict Arnold’s treachery, and many other covert operations in the American theater during the war, including the incredible adventure of John Champe and his attempt to kidnap Arnold back for the Patriots.
Baker, William S. “Itinerary of General Washington from June 15, 1775, to December 23, 1783.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 15, no. 1 (1891): 41–87. http://jstor.org.
Crary, Catherine Snell. “The Tory and the Spy: The Double Life of James Rivington,” The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd ser., 16, no. 1 (January 1959): 61–72. Accessed online March 22, 2013.
This article pulls together a number of primary sources that shed light on Rivington’s spying activities, including his contribution to the victory at Yorktown, that were previously discounted as apocryphal, and therefore unreliable, by many historians.
Fernow, Brian, ed. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Vol. 15. State Archives, vol. 1. Albany, NY: Weed, Parsons and Company, 1887.
“George Washington and the Culper Spy Ring.” Stony Brook University Libraries. http://guides.library.stonybrook.edu/culper-spy-ring.
Kerber, Linda K. Women of the Republic: Intellect and Ideology in Revolutionary America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
Macy, Harry, Jr. “Robert Townsend, Jr., of New York City.” The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 126 (1995): 25–34, 108–12, 192–98.
Perhaps more than any other single source, this article shed light on the physical appearance and relationships of the Townsend family and also offered an in-depth look at Robert Townsend and his interaction with the child named Robert Townsend Jr. after the war.
Nagy, John A. Invisible Ink: Spycraft of the American Revolution. Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2010.
Nagy has compiled a searching and fascinating examination of various techniques used by spies throughout the American colonies and abroad to communicate covertly. His exploration of the history of invisible ink prior to the Culper stain’s development by Sir James Jay, as well as the use of that particular formula, was tremendously helpful for this book.
———. Spies in the Continental Capital: Espionage Across Pennsylvania During the American Revolution. Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2011.
New York Gazette & Weekly. Templeton & Stewart. April 25, 1774. Mercury issue 1174, p. 2.
———. Templeton & Stewart. August 15, 1774. Mercury issue 1192, p. 4.
———. Templeton & Stewart. February 27, 1775. Mercury issue 1220, p. 3.
Norton, Mary Beth. Liberty’s Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750–1800. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1996.
A fascinating compilation of primary sources, this book offers valuable insight into the challenges and perils of women living in war-torn areas during the Revolution, including the lighthearted letter from Lord Rawdon about the outbreak of sexual assaults against ladies in British-occupied Staten Island.
Paul, Joel Richard. Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution. New York: Riverhead, 2009.
A detailed account of the covert activities of the French government via the fabricated Roderigue Hortalez & Company, Paul’s research offers a dynamic and intriguing reconstruction of the events leading up to, and resulting from, the smuggling efforts.
Pennypacker, Morton. General Washington’s Spies. Walnut Creek, CA: Aegean Park, 1999.
Pennypacker’s 1939 publication of the Culper letters includes a narrative of many of the events involving the ring, as they were known at the time, as well as both transcripts and photographs of many of the original letters exchanged between several of the ring’s members, Tallmadge, and Washington. It was absolutely invaluable not only to the composition of this book but also to understanding the Culper story in general.
———. Two Spies: Nathan Hale and Robert Townsend. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1930.
Pierce, Kara. “A Revolutionary Masquerade: The Chronicles of James Rivington.” Binghamton University. n.d. http://wwwz.binghampton.edu/history/esources/journal-of-history/chronicles-of-james-rivington.html.
Pierce’s article offers a fascinating look into the personal life of James Rivington as well as his spying activities during the war and was an important resource in helping to reconstruct Rivington’s mysterious character.
Pierce, Susan M. The History of Raynham Hall. Thesis, Columbia University, 1986.
This thesis study provided many helpful details about the architectural history of the Townsend family homestead and its position in colonial Oyster Bay.
Rose, Alexander. Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring. New York: Bantam, 2006.
Rose undertook a tremendous depth of research to complete his book, and it served as an excellent starting point in quite a few places for our own investigation into the matter. Especially helpful was his engagement with disparate primary sources that together formed a fuller picture of the Culper Ring’s activities and accomplishments.
Ross, Peter. “A Few Revolutionary Heroes—General Woodhull—Colonel Tallmadge—General Parsons—Colonel Meigs.” A History of Long Island, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. New York and Chicago: Lewis, 1902.
Schecter, Barnet. The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution. New York: Walker, 2002.
This book proved especially important in helping us to understand the vital importance of New York City to the overall outcome of the war and allowed us to better grasp the significance of its political, strategic, and symbolic impact. It also helped us explain the high regard that Washington had for his spy network within the city.
Tallmadge, Benjamin. Memoir of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge Prepared by Himself at the Request of His Children. New York: Thomas Holman, 1858. Reprint, New York: New York Times, 1968.
Most of the accounts of Tallmadge’s activities and emotions come directly from his own pen in the memoirs he originally wrote in the final years of his life and first published for widespread distribution in 1858. Rarely is an author so lucky as to have the impressions and reflections of a historical figure in hi
s original words. This is an especially valuable resource for any student of the American Revolution or Washington’s spycraft.
Townsend, Robert. “Account Book of Robert Townsend, Merchant, of Oyster Bay Township, N.Y., and New York, N.Y., Begun November 23, 1779, and Continued to March 29, 1781.” Transcription. East Hampton Library, Long Island Collection, East Hampton, NY.
The firsthand information revealed in this document was extremely helpful in understanding more about how Townsend operated first in Oyster Bay and later in Manhattan. Both the detailed entries and the periods of inactivity reveal a great deal about Townsend’s patterns of behavior, possible emotional struggles, and business habits in managing his shop and his daily life.
Woodhull, Mary Gould, and Francis Bowes Stevens. Woodhull Genealogy: The Woodhull Family in England and America. Philadelphia: H. T. Coates, 1904.
INDEX
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. The link provided will take you to the beginning of that print page. You may need to scroll forward from that location to find the corresponding reference on your e-reader.
abolitionism, 212
Adams, John, 3, 195
Agent 355, xvii, 97, 123, 135, 144–46, 149, 213, 216
André’s possible connection with, 94, 117, 146
as covert agent, xviii, 87
possible capture of, 177–78, 211
speculation as to identity of, 93–94
Townsend and, 87, 165, 173, 177–78, 211
American Revolution, 11, 36
Anderson, John, see André, John
André, John, 85–86, 97, 108, 117, 127
Benedict Arnold and, 134–38, 144–46, 151–61
capture and execution of, 160–61, 163–73, 175, 185, 187, 211
Peggy Shippen Arnold and, 86, 131–32, 134
Appalachian Mountains, 16, 117, 193, 213
Arnold, Benedict, xv, 86
André’s capture and, 160–61, 163–64, 166–68
in British army, 179–80, 185
as British spy, 134–39, 141–46, 151–53, 155, 219
courtship and marriage of Peggy Shippen by, 132–33
Culper Ring and, 142–43, 161, 164, 173, 175–81
in England, 190
escape by, 167–68
insecure and resentful nature of, 127–28, 129, 133, 145, 169, 173
money troubles of, 129, 130, 133, 136–37
new command sought by, 127
in Philadelphia, 127, 130–34, 136–38, 189
plots to recapture, 180–81
West Point command of, 137–39, 142, 146, 149, 154–56, 159–61
Arnold, Edward Shippen, 136, 168, 173, 190
Arnold, Margaret Mansfield, 128–29
Arnold, Margaret “Peggy” Shippen, 131–34, 136, 145, 168, 173, 190
André and, 86, 132, 134, 144
as Loyalist, 86, 131, 138
Atlantic Ocean, 16, 70, 77, 119
Bailey, Nathan, 134
Beckwith, George, 216
Black Rock, Conn., 210
Blackstone, William, 134
Bolton, John, see Tallmadge, Benjamin
Boston, Mass., 17, 37
British expelled from, 3, 5, 13
Boston, Siege of, 5, 21
Boston Massacre, 17, 128–29
Boston Tea Party, 17, 131
Brest, 121
Brewster, Anne Lewis, 209
Brewster, Caleb, xvii, 58, 66, 91, 93, 148, 206, 216
character and personality of, 55–57
as courier, 102, 123–24, 177
naval and shipbuilding reports of, 60–61, 135
postwar life of, 209–10
with Second Light Dragoons, 182, 186
Tallmadge ferried by, 64
Bridgeport, Conn., 210
Britain, British:
American independence granted by, 197
attacks on women by, 48–49
Brooklyn captured by, 10–11
counterfeiting scheme by, xv, 103–6, 142
expelled from Boston, 3, 5, 13
France’s rivalry with, 120
in French and Indian War, 15–16
Hudson River patrols of, 151–52
intelligence system of, 185–86
Long Island occupied by, 1, 3, 27, 31, 49, 56, 59, 73, 75–76, 110, 135, 136, 142, 187
naval codebook of, xv, 189–90
New York occupied by, xvi, 3, 13–14, 15, 19–20, 28, 34, 43–44, 49, 73–75, 93, 110, 113, 126, 127, 132, 134, 139, 145–46, 157, 177, 180, 185, 187, 191–93, 194–99
Philadelphia abandoned by, 34, 130, 132
prison ships of, 38
spies of, 125
Tallmadge’s camp raided by, 89–90
Washington trapped in Brooklyn Heights by, 11
British army, 26, 27, 102
Brookhaven, 35, 204, 212
Brooklyn, 7, 10, 26, 73
port of, 122
strategic importance of, 81–82
Brooklyn, Battle of, 15, 37, 43, 74
Brooklyn ferry, 46, 188
Brooklyn Heights, 10–12
Brown, John, 129
Buchanan, Thomas, 74
Buchanan family, 71, 74, 77
Bunker Hill, Battle of, 36–37, 60
Canada, 192, 197
Caribbean Sea, 16, 128, 188
Carleton, Sir Guy, 191–92, 195–96, 200
Central Intelligence Agency, 215
Champe, John, 180–81, 185, 219
Charleston, S.C., 117, 191, 195–96
Chesapeake Bay, 152, 185
Chester, John, 37
Clinton, Henry, 7, 85, 91, 117, 119, 123–25, 127, 141, 147, 154, 177, 181, 185, 189–92
André’s capture and, 170–73
Arnold and, 134, 136–37, 139, 143, 145, 170
Concord, Mass., 36
Connecticut, 4, 12, 37, 42, 45, 49, 51, 65, 93, 110, 112, 123, 129, 138, 145, 147, 166, 176, 183, 211, 214
militia of, 21, 129
Tallmadge in, 53, 56, 57, 64, 82
Connecticut’s Continental Line, 37
Continental Army, 4, 8, 11, 18–20, 22, 27, 33, 35, 64, 77, 130, 132, 135, 143, 167, 170–71, 182, 192, 197
impact of British counterfeiting on, 103–4
Townsend and, 73–74
Continental Congress, 5, 37, 176, 197
Arnold charged reparations by, 136–37
First, 18, 131
mint of, 104
Second, 7, 18, 131
Cornwallis, Charles, 189, 190
counterfeiting, xv, 103–6, 142
Coventry, Conn., 20
Cow Boys, 156–57
Cresswell, Nicholas, 43
Croton River, 157
Culper, Samuel, Junior, see Townsend, Robert
Culper, Samuel, Senior, see Woodhull, Abraham
Culper Ring, xv–xviii, 58, 82, 87, 102, 138, 141, 186–88, 194, 197–98, 222–23
Arnold and, 142–43, 161, 164, 173, 175–81
code used by, 90–92, 94, 107
compared with Arnold and André, 134–35
invisible ink used by, 62–67, 90, 96–97, 99, 114, 134, 148
letters of, 222
postwar lives of, 209–14
relative obscurity of, 213–14
return of, 122–24, 126
revocation of, 122, 127
taught in CIA training, 215–16
timeliness of reports of, 109–12, 116, 119
Townsend’s resignation and, 115
Washington’s postwar visits with, 205–7
Currency Act, 17
Custis, George W
ashington Parke, 202, 210
Danbury, Conn., 60
Deausenberry, John, 113–14
Deausenberry family, 112–14
Declaration of Independence, 7, 43, 73, 107, 131, 211
DeLancey, Oliver, 185–86, 188
Delaware, 130
Devil’s Belt, 93
Diehel, Daniel, 115–16
Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., 151, 159
Duchess of Gordon, 106
East Hampton, 61
East River, 42, 100
England, 62, 86, 105, 106, 172, 185, 193, 210
Enlightenment, Age of, 36
Entick’s Spelling Dictionary, 91
Erskine, General, 61
espionage, eighteenth-century perceptions of, 69
Estaing, Jean-Baptiste-Charles-Henri-Hector d’, 121
Europe, 214
trading with, 71
Expédition Particulière (Special Expedition), 121
Fairfield, Conn., 182, 209
farmers:
British occupation and, 47
gentleman, 59
in Hudson Valley, 45
merchants and, 44–45
smuggling by, 45–46
fishermen, smuggling by, 45–46
Florida, 16
Floyd, Mary, 211
Floyd, William, 211
Floyd family, 85
Flushing, 61
Fly Market, 74, 203
Fort Knyphausen, 81
Fort St. George, 182, 185
Fort Ticonderoga, 129
France, 77
as American ally, 221
Britain as rival of, 120
cryptography in, 91
Franklin in, 34, 120
in French and Indian War, 15–16
troops sent by, xv, 117, 119–22, 124–26, 141–42, 147–48
Franklin, Benjamin, 34, 77, 120, 195
Franks, Major, 166
Fraunces Tavern, 203
French and Indian War, 15–16, 17, 29, 34, 70, 128
George III, king of England, 4, 7, 11, 17, 19, 25, 42, 43, 49, 62, 84, 120, 131, 133, 145, 193, 196
Georgia, 8, 18, 191
Germans, see Hessians
Germantown, Pa., 39
Grasse, François-Joseph-Paul de, 124, 188, 190
Graves, Admiral, 124
Great Depression, 214