George Washington's Secret Six Summary

“George Washington’s Secret Six”, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger

Set in the early stages of the Revolutionary War, “George Washington’s Secret Six” uncovers the clandestine operations of men and women who were tasked with infiltrating the British and delivering secrets back to revolutionary leaders. Washington understood early on that the war would not be one by brute force and direct attacks against the British. His army was ill-trained, ill-equipped and less organized than the British forces. Most of his army were comprised of volunteers with little to no military training. Gen. Washington’s mission was to maintain control of the New york area, with its waterways and harbors that served as a critical port for resupplying his troops. And since the British …show more content…
Townsend, the Manhattan Quaker, found himself at a disadvantage in the north. Although he was a native of New York, he did not have a justifiable excuse for roaming around New York asking questions. To solve this problem, Townsend tapped the expatriate Englishman and bookseller James Rivington. The Royal Gazette, a local publication run by Rivington, was known for its loyalty to the British crown, and Townsend recognized this opportunity as just the break he’d been looking for. He offered to write a few columns for Rivington’s paper, which gave him the cover he needed to begin asking questions without drawing the unwelcomed attention of the British. He could freely pose inquiries about British troop movements and supplies, feeding those details back to Tallmadge and Washington. Additionally, Rivington’s own professed political views kept the paper – and Townsend’s columns – off of the British radar. Townsend and Rivington’s success would prompt, as one writer put it, ‘…future appetites of intelligence agencies, in America and elsewhere, to deploy spies under journalistic