How Did The Ring Form?
- In the beginning of the war, the Americans believed they could route the British due to their superior numbers and knowledge of the land. That plan crumbled when King George sent a well trained, massive British army. During the first few battles when the British took New York, it was clear that the Americans had to change their strategy or risk losing the war in just a few weeks. In what is today Harlem, Washington told Congress that he now plans to “avoid general action” and instead “protract the war”. That’s when he turned to espionage.
Historical Questions
- To what extent was the Culper Ring essential to winning the war?
- During the Revolutionary War the Culper Ring was used primarily to feed misinformation to the British which would give the Americans the upperhand. I think that the Culper Ring was essential because without the spies, the already weakened American forces would have been wiped out by British raids and invasions that were only prevented and known of due to spies commanded by Washington. Without the spy ring, the British would have surely gained the upper hand on the Americans.
- What do you think was the most important tool used by the ring?
- I think that the most important tool used by the ring was the art of giving misinformation to the British. Much of the rings focus was into this and this ultimately allowed the American forces to be given more time and information to either retreat or plan an attack on British forces. This proved successful when Hercules Mulligan learned of the plot to kidnap an American commander. Another of this is when Clinton, the commander of British forces had the American forces on the retreat, but was later misinformed by a “careless courier” which said the American forces were planning an attack on New York. This led to confusion and ended with Clinton giving orders to retreat back to New York for an invasion that never occured.
- Compare and contrast the Culper Spy ring to modern day spy agencies.
- The Culper Spy Ring is different from modern day spy agencies due to the situation. The Ring’s job was to find a way to end the war while modern day spy agencies are not actively participating in a war, but instead trying to prevent wars from occurring in the first place. The tactics and functions used by both agencies are almost parallel. The use of secret messages, hidden identities, and being trained to not spill secrets during interrogations were used both by the Culper Spy Ring and modern day agencies. The Ring and modern day spy agencies were also trained primarily for the art of espionage, and did/do not resort to violence unless absolutely necessary.
Revolutionary War Involvement
- There was some British intelligence, we need to talk about this too since it’s what Washington loosely based his vision on. Washington’s Surgeon General was leaking information to the British
- Nathan Hale was discussed previously in another chapter but he was doomed to fail
- After Hales capture, Washington had to pull out of New York and retreat to Delaware with the remaining troops we had left, he sent a message to his generals that we needed a person to cross the river and be able to spy on the British
- After that Washington appointed Tallmadge and the Culper Spy Ring was formed soon after.
- Major John Clark constantly gave misinformation to a British spy and made the British very unaware of the American forces.
- The British were planning an invasion of Morristown. Than an unknown figure came to New Jersey, informed Col. Elias Dayton that there was a British invasion force massing. Dayton sent a rider to inform Washington and with the help of the NJ militia was able to stall the British long enough to hold off the British while George Washington got away.
- While retreating, the British found out that there was a French force that had amassed that was going to help the Americans. The commanding officer, Clinton, decided to attack the Americans before the reinforcements came. Townsend soon discovered the plan and went to scout the British forces. He then told Washington and he planned to go misinform the British. The British then got a paper that was passed by a careless courier that the Americans were massing a huge invasion for New York. Clinton reluctantly recalled his men and prepared for an invasion that never happened.
- The next main event was that Benedict Arnold and John Andre were trying to sell West Point had some militiamen not intervened and captured Andre. Washington had to hang Andre, it being a very hard decision and he would make it less severe if the British gave them Arnold.
- While Washington was marching south towards Yorktown, a lot of misinformation was given to the British that they needed to defend New York.
- Hercules Mulligan learned about a plot to kidnap an American commander and told it to Alexander Hamilton himself.
Parallels to Intelligence Agencies Today
- Both used coded messages in order to remain secret
- Agents were trained not to speak during interrogation
- Both followed a set of rules in the purpose of being the most advantageous
- Agents remained anonymous
- Both operated in order to infiltrate enemy lines and gain secret information.
Post Spy Ring Lives
- Townsend struggled with life after spying after the loss of many of his fellow spies
- Agent 355 may have been killed on a prisoner ship after being captured by the British
- Tallmadge went into business and politics
- Nathan Hale was Executed
Primary Sources
The Code Book was used by the agents who wrote and read transmissions to pass along information without risking revelation of spy knowledge to the British. Some of the text today is still unable to be unciphered in order to protect the identities of the spy agents.
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This letter by George Washington written to Nathaniel Sackett was to suggest that he build a network of spies, this would ultimately become the Culper Spy Ring that Washington envisioned.
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This letter from George Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge described some of the Culper Spy Ring’s efforts and eventually fell into British hands.
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Works Cited
“Agent 355.” History of American Women, 2 Apr. 2017, www.womenhistoryblog.com/2011/12/agent-355.html.
This source describes the events surrounding the Culper Spy Ring’s involvement in the events surrounding Benedict Arnold and John André with reliable evidence and connections to many of the figures involved in the spy network. This information is reliable and referenced in our other research. A possible description of the activities and death of Agent 355 is also presented. This describes her losing her life offshore after being captured and delivering a baby. The struggles that Robert Townsend faced are described at the end of the article. These are somewhat speculative but are also present in other sources.
“Benjamin Tallmadge.” George Washington's Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/benjamin-tallmadge/.
This source, a legitimate website relating to Mount Vernon, outlines the military career and life of Benjamin Tallmadge, focusing on his involvement in America’s first intelligence group. It describes the “how” and “why” behind Tallmadge’s activities, illustrates his role in the Benedict Arnold situation, and describes his life after the American Revolution.
Bertrand, Natasha, and Michael B Kelley. “George Washington Letter Image.” Business Insider, 25 Feb. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/this-letter-from-george-washington-is-the-birth-of-american-espionage-2015-2.
This is a reliable source that describes an important letter that was part of the beginnings of the Culper Spy Ring. We used it as a primary source to analyze Washington’s activities in this area during the war. The source describes the purposes and context of the letter and time period, showing how Washington saw it as important to form a spy network that could move information in either direction for the Colonies’ benefit.
“George Washington and the Culper Spy Ring: Home.” Research & Subject Guides, guides.library.stonybrook.edu/culper-spy-ring.
This describes the locations and purposes involved in the Culper Spy Ring. It provides information on how the Spy Ring is presented today and how primary sources provide context and help teach about the group.
“George Washington, Spymaster.” AMERICAN HERITAGE, www.americanheritage.com/content/george-washington-spymaster.
This article provides a general overview of of the Culper Spy Ring and how it developed over time. It provides more information on the Spy Ring’s early discovery of Benedict Arnold’s intentions (through John Andrê) and focuses on Washington’s involvement in the formation and continuation of the secret group.
“The Founding Fathers of American Intelligence.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 7 July 2008, https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/the-founding-fathers-of-american-intelligence/art-1.html.
This government source was used to find the general context of the Culper Spy Ring and specific information on the path that Washington took in recruiting spies, forming groups, and, eventually, conducting operations involving intelligence. It also provides comparisons between Washington and other figures he encountered and how parts of the Middle and New England Colonies were the center of spying activities.
“The Culper Code Book.” George Washington's Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/spying-and-espionage/the-culper-code-book/.
This source contains the primary source pictures and transcriptions of the Culper Code Book. It also describes the historical context surrounding the spy ring and code system. This is a reliable source with codes that fit the other sources we found. The pictures and transcribed codes were analyzed as important sources relating to the Culper Spy Ring.
McIntyre, Ruluff D. “George Washington - Master of Misinformation.” Varsity Tutors,
Varsity Tutors, www.varsitytutors.com/earlyamerica/early-america-review/volume-8/
George-washington-master-misinformation.
This contains an illustrated source that describes the fate of Nathan Hale, an important part of George Washington’s activities.
Mead, Wendy. “Four Fearless Friends: Meet the Real-Life Spies of 'Turn'.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 23 Mar. 2016, www.biography.com/news/amc-turn-season-2-washingtons-spies-facts.
This is a source describing a TV show that focuses on espionage during the American Revolution. We used it for more information on the individual characters, a brief overview of the Spy Ring, and more historical context surrounding the unknown story of Agent 355.
Washington, George. Translated by Kate Foster, Letter -- June 27, 1779, Washington to
Tallmadge, Public, University of Michigan,
clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/spies/letter-1779jun27pub.html.
This source is an image and transcription of a primary source letter that was sent by George Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge. It comes from a reliable source and contains information on the Culper Spy Ring and the historical context of the time.
Yost, Russell. “Culper Spy Ring Facts and Accomplishments.” The History Junkie, 19
Sept. 2017, thehistoryjunkie.com/culper-spy-ring-facts/.
This source contains information on the specific members of the Culper Spy Ring, including who they were and how they operated. This is presented in a list. The article also describes the early stages of the formation of the network and its eventual accomplishments, in addition to concluding that some facts on the spy ring will never be known (due to the nature of their work).
This information was reinforced and corroborated with other sources.
This source describes the events surrounding the Culper Spy Ring’s involvement in the events surrounding Benedict Arnold and John André with reliable evidence and connections to many of the figures involved in the spy network. This information is reliable and referenced in our other research. A possible description of the activities and death of Agent 355 is also presented. This describes her losing her life offshore after being captured and delivering a baby. The struggles that Robert Townsend faced are described at the end of the article. These are somewhat speculative but are also present in other sources.
“Benjamin Tallmadge.” George Washington's Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/benjamin-tallmadge/.
This source, a legitimate website relating to Mount Vernon, outlines the military career and life of Benjamin Tallmadge, focusing on his involvement in America’s first intelligence group. It describes the “how” and “why” behind Tallmadge’s activities, illustrates his role in the Benedict Arnold situation, and describes his life after the American Revolution.
Bertrand, Natasha, and Michael B Kelley. “George Washington Letter Image.” Business Insider, 25 Feb. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/this-letter-from-george-washington-is-the-birth-of-american-espionage-2015-2.
This is a reliable source that describes an important letter that was part of the beginnings of the Culper Spy Ring. We used it as a primary source to analyze Washington’s activities in this area during the war. The source describes the purposes and context of the letter and time period, showing how Washington saw it as important to form a spy network that could move information in either direction for the Colonies’ benefit.
“George Washington and the Culper Spy Ring: Home.” Research & Subject Guides, guides.library.stonybrook.edu/culper-spy-ring.
This describes the locations and purposes involved in the Culper Spy Ring. It provides information on how the Spy Ring is presented today and how primary sources provide context and help teach about the group.
“George Washington, Spymaster.” AMERICAN HERITAGE, www.americanheritage.com/content/george-washington-spymaster.
This article provides a general overview of of the Culper Spy Ring and how it developed over time. It provides more information on the Spy Ring’s early discovery of Benedict Arnold’s intentions (through John Andrê) and focuses on Washington’s involvement in the formation and continuation of the secret group.
“The Founding Fathers of American Intelligence.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 7 July 2008, https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/the-founding-fathers-of-american-intelligence/art-1.html.
This government source was used to find the general context of the Culper Spy Ring and specific information on the path that Washington took in recruiting spies, forming groups, and, eventually, conducting operations involving intelligence. It also provides comparisons between Washington and other figures he encountered and how parts of the Middle and New England Colonies were the center of spying activities.
“The Culper Code Book.” George Washington's Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/spying-and-espionage/the-culper-code-book/.
This source contains the primary source pictures and transcriptions of the Culper Code Book. It also describes the historical context surrounding the spy ring and code system. This is a reliable source with codes that fit the other sources we found. The pictures and transcribed codes were analyzed as important sources relating to the Culper Spy Ring.
McIntyre, Ruluff D. “George Washington - Master of Misinformation.” Varsity Tutors,
Varsity Tutors, www.varsitytutors.com/earlyamerica/early-america-review/volume-8/
George-washington-master-misinformation.
This contains an illustrated source that describes the fate of Nathan Hale, an important part of George Washington’s activities.
Mead, Wendy. “Four Fearless Friends: Meet the Real-Life Spies of 'Turn'.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 23 Mar. 2016, www.biography.com/news/amc-turn-season-2-washingtons-spies-facts.
This is a source describing a TV show that focuses on espionage during the American Revolution. We used it for more information on the individual characters, a brief overview of the Spy Ring, and more historical context surrounding the unknown story of Agent 355.
Washington, George. Translated by Kate Foster, Letter -- June 27, 1779, Washington to
Tallmadge, Public, University of Michigan,
clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/spies/letter-1779jun27pub.html.
This source is an image and transcription of a primary source letter that was sent by George Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge. It comes from a reliable source and contains information on the Culper Spy Ring and the historical context of the time.
Yost, Russell. “Culper Spy Ring Facts and Accomplishments.” The History Junkie, 19
Sept. 2017, thehistoryjunkie.com/culper-spy-ring-facts/.
This source contains information on the specific members of the Culper Spy Ring, including who they were and how they operated. This is presented in a list. The article also describes the early stages of the formation of the network and its eventual accomplishments, in addition to concluding that some facts on the spy ring will never be known (due to the nature of their work).
This information was reinforced and corroborated with other sources.