Almost every one know about the revolutionary war and how it changed america forever. That is of course by giving us our freedom, but what many people do not know is that there were a network of spies that were used. No, they were not spies in the sense of James Bond but rather in the sense of very observant and skilled in the art of eavesdropping.
The first and most effective spy ring to be implemented on the patriots side was known as the Culper Spy Ring. They were a group of men and women from Setauket, Long Island. The Culper Spy Ring was brought together by a calvary officer named Benjamin Tallmadge. Tallmadge only recruited those who he knew that he could absolutely trust. This is why most of the people in the group were his childhood friends.
The Culper Spy Ring worked in a very sophisticated way. That is why during the five years that they existed not a single member was ever found out by the British. Letters were transferred through British territory in such a complex way that it is much to long to explain here. The letters were written either with special code called "The Culper Code Book" which consisted of 763 different words or phrases, or invisible ink.
One of the Spy Rings greatest achievements during its time was the unveiling of British plan to ambush the French Army as soon as they landed in Rhode Island. With out the uncovering of this plan the Franco-American alliance would have been destroyed or greatly wounded. One of the many other achievements that they are credited with is finding information of treason between Benedict Arnold and John Andre, one of the chief intelligence officers of British forces in New York
For anyone that is interested in "The Culper Code Book" it is posted below. I took a quick look at it, and have to say it is very complex and well thought out.
http://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/spying-and-espionage/the-culper-code-book/
Sources:
http://www.mountvernon.org/research-collections/digital-encyclopedia/article/culper-spy-ring/
http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/culper-spy-ring
Way to pick a topic that's not thought of often but is a very good read. Excellent post.
ReplyDeleteWay to pick a topic that's not thought of often but is a very good read. Excellent post.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see some of the older history reappearing because sometimes we forget how much the earliest days influenced our country. The United States is nearing an era of new intelligence communities and a world of intrigue and diplomacy in the 1930's and it is interesting to see where it all started. Spying has always been the ace up the sleeve that has the potential to change a battle and win a war, as will be seen heavily in WW2 and the Cold War.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Its interesting to see posts about the revolutionary war and the spy rings that helped the continental army. Without these eyes and ears to watch the movements of the british and capture their plans, the war may have panned out much differently. Very interesting read.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really great and fun post to read, especially because it gives us some insight on tactics used in the Revolutionary war without being something that we have heard of before.
ReplyDelete