This changed him from a pacifist loyalist to patriotic spy, it also is known that Robert Townsend and Abraham Woodhull knew each other when they were younger and were at the same boarding school that was run by Woodhulls brother-in-law. Washingtons mission for Townsend was to stay in New York and collect useful information, by blending in and mixing with officers and refugees as well as going to coffee shops and public places. Since Townsend is a reporter for the New York Royal Gazette, a pro loyalist paper, provided him with an access of wealth of intelligence. Another person that was recruited was Austin Roe, A tavern keeper in Setauket who would go to Manhattan to “buy supplies” for his business and collect information as well when he
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The more confident the spies became they started to learn how to track movements of enemy officers. For Washington, Secrecy is his first priority for the Culper Spy Ring, It is so strict that not even Washington didn’t know all of his spy’s identities. Washington made sure that the Culper Spy Ring had more support and better secrecy than previous spies. This is due to the fact when a Captain of the 19th regiment of the Continental Army named Nathan Hale volunteer in September 1776, before the battle of Long Island, to cross the British lines as a Dutch schoolmaster so he could gather intelligence. He was discovered when the British found sketches of their fortifications, number of soldiers as well as their positions, from their Long island and York island Forts, He was hanged the next day. Washington procured different methods of hiding and transmitting information, like aliases, invisible ink, codes, and dead drops. Some other methods included messages cut into slivers and stored into a hollowed stem of quill. hollowed out silver balls or bullets were also used to carry messages over enemy lines, these items were easily concealed, and if needed, could be swallowed if the messenger was …show more content…
Another reason for less information is because General Clinton left New York to go to South Carolina and took all of his main key decision makers. This made Washington disband the Culper Spy Ring thinking that he could no longer use them, but he was wrong. When word reached General Clinton that the French were on their way with troops to help the Americans win the war, Clinton left South Carolina and got back to New York. Without any way to get information from New York Washington is unable to know if the British knew where the French were going to land. If Britain is aware of this location, they would engage with the French as soon as they hit land, or would prevent them from landing, which would hinder the Americans chance at winning the war. Washington found out that the French were planning to landed at Narraganset bay in Rhode Island, when one of his spies known as “Lady” sent a letter to Washington stating that the British were planning on leaving New York to make a diversion for the French up the river. In the book Patriots under cover by Edward Lengel he states that Washington Focused on the possibility of launching an all-out attack on New York City to destroy the primary base of british power in north America. Washington needed exact and constant intelligence of British troops and naval movements in and around the
The more confident the spies became they started to learn how to track movements of enemy officers. For Washington, Secrecy is his first priority for the Culper Spy Ring, It is so strict that not even Washington didn’t know all of his spy’s identities. Washington made sure that the Culper Spy Ring had more support and better secrecy than previous spies. This is due to the fact when a Captain of the 19th regiment of the Continental Army named Nathan Hale volunteer in September 1776, before the battle of Long Island, to cross the British lines as a Dutch schoolmaster so he could gather intelligence. He was discovered when the British found sketches of their fortifications, number of soldiers as well as their positions, from their Long island and York island Forts, He was hanged the next day. Washington procured different methods of hiding and transmitting information, like aliases, invisible ink, codes, and dead drops. Some other methods included messages cut into slivers and stored into a hollowed stem of quill. hollowed out silver balls or bullets were also used to carry messages over enemy lines, these items were easily concealed, and if needed, could be swallowed if the messenger was …show more content…
Another reason for less information is because General Clinton left New York to go to South Carolina and took all of his main key decision makers. This made Washington disband the Culper Spy Ring thinking that he could no longer use them, but he was wrong. When word reached General Clinton that the French were on their way with troops to help the Americans win the war, Clinton left South Carolina and got back to New York. Without any way to get information from New York Washington is unable to know if the British knew where the French were going to land. If Britain is aware of this location, they would engage with the French as soon as they hit land, or would prevent them from landing, which would hinder the Americans chance at winning the war. Washington found out that the French were planning to landed at Narraganset bay in Rhode Island, when one of his spies known as “Lady” sent a letter to Washington stating that the British were planning on leaving New York to make a diversion for the French up the river. In the book Patriots under cover by Edward Lengel he states that Washington Focused on the possibility of launching an all-out attack on New York City to destroy the primary base of british power in north America. Washington needed exact and constant intelligence of British troops and naval movements in and around the