Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode #2-Washington's Secret Six
185 Plays3 years ago
In today’s episode we are going to take a look at one of the most impactful groups of the Revolutionary War whose actions are just now starting to be revealed as well as share a funny story involving the father of our navy. Its James Bond meets colonial times!
Recommended
Transcript
Return of 'Hooked On History'
00:00:04
Speaker
Hey guys, welcome back to Hooked On History. Episode two, it's been a while. Been a while, three years in the making here, but hey, finally got it done and I'm excited.
Revolutionary War Spies Overview
00:00:18
Speaker
Today's episode, we're gonna take a look at one of the most impactful groups of the Revolutionary War, whose actions are just now starting to be revealed, as well as we're gonna share a funny story involving the father of our Navy. It's James Bond meets colonial times.
00:00:40
Speaker
So the year is 1776 and Washington has just been driven out of New York and Long Island. These two areas were of strategic importance both geographically and economically at the heart of the colonies. The defense of New York had almost cost Washington the war. After coming off a victory in Boston and driving the British out, spirits were high in the Continental Army. But Washington realized that the British would return and with more ships and troops.
00:01:06
Speaker
However, he knew they wouldn't return to Boston, so he recognized the importance that New York City and its harbor had as a key to the colonies. The New York Harbor was the biggest and best harbor along the East Coast. With Washington's defeat and narrow escape, he is now blind to the movement of British troops in the city. Furthermore, there are some delegates in Congress that want Horatio Gates to take his place, as well as many of the troops' contracts are about to expire. Washington knows he needs to deliver a victory and fast.
00:01:35
Speaker
But to do that, he needs eyes and ears in the city to feed him vital information.
Nathan Hale's Mission and Legacy
00:01:40
Speaker
Washington's first spy operation had some success, but ultimately it failed. From this operation though, Washington would learn a valuable lesson to implement in his next ring. When volunteers were asked for the first spy ring, one man stepped forward, Nathan Hale. Nathan Hale was a man of conviction. He had to be since he was to go behind enemy lines in Long Island to spy. The only problem?
00:02:05
Speaker
Hale was from Connecticut, not Long Island. Hale was an actor in college, and that talent would serve him well. So where did all go wrong? No one quite knows how Hale's true identity was revealed. Some say he was turned in by loyalist cousins, some say he mistook a British boat as a ferry sent to contact him, and still others say he was lulled into a false sense of security and revealed his plans to a loyalist at a tavern.
00:02:31
Speaker
Whatever the case, Hale was arrested, sentenced to death without a trial, and hanged in a span of 12 hours. His last words would be used as an inspiration for this ragtag army. I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. These words would be printed and distributed in great numbers throughout the colonies.
Washington's Espionage Strategy
00:02:53
Speaker
Washington took the loss of Hale personally. He felt solely responsible for his death, being the final say of approval for the mission. Washington knew in his next ring that safety must be put above the quantity of information provided. In creating his next spy ring, Washington knew that hard lessons learned in the Hale operation would have to be the main focus.
00:03:14
Speaker
The first lesson Washington learned was that in order for a spy network to succeed in Long Island, it could not be one man, but needed to be a network of people who could not only gather information, but protect each other. But there was danger still in building a ring of multiple people. The other big lesson that Washington learned was for the ring to succeed, the people that made up the ring had to be extremely knowledgeable about the geography and customs of Long Island.
00:03:39
Speaker
They had to blend in. This lesson was not only learned by the loss of Hale, but also the success of another one of Washington's spies, Honeyman. Honeyman was vital in assessing the strength of the Hessian forces at Trenton. He was captured and questioned by Washington, who set up his escape. Washington told Honeyman to relay a message to the Hessian commander that the colonial army would not attack. The Hessian commander bought the story, and Washington was able to achieve a surprise victory and raise the morale of the troops into serving longer.
The Birth of the Spy Network
00:04:08
Speaker
Washington knew that the spy ring he won in Long Island had to blend in like honey men had, and to be convincing in their rules. Basically, it had to be people from Long Island. To set up his spy ring of men and women with unquestionable and unassuming identities, he would need to first enlist two key individuals, an officer who knew the territory and was knowledgeable in the local families and customs, who would command the operation while remaining close to Washington's side,
00:04:35
Speaker
and an agent on the ground to recruit other members. This person had to be well connected, but it kept his political opinions to himself so as not to raise suspicion. Washington's effort to start the ring would move at a slow pace. As the calendar changed to 1778, the Long Island spy ring was nowhere close to being operational.
00:04:54
Speaker
Washington was still stuck on step one, finding an officer knowledgeable about Long Island. But a search would finally pay off. The arising star in the constant army was a young major named Benjamin Talmadge. Benjamin Talmadge's background made him the perfect candidate for the position. Born to a reverend on Long Island, Talmadge knew every family name as well as the geography of the island. Talmadge attended Yale, where he met and befriended Nathan Hale.
00:05:23
Speaker
After the battles of Lexington and Concord, Talmadge was swept up like many young men by patriotic fervor and set his sights on the army. It was Talmadge's letter of recommendation that earned Hale the spy job in New York. The loss of Hale coincided with his brother's capture imprisonment on a British ship. His brother would starve to death despite many attempts by Talmadge to send him food. These two events had great impact on Talmadge's career. In the winter of 81778,
00:05:50
Speaker
Washington assigned Talmadge to be spymaster in Long Island, and Talmadge had just the right person in mind. That man was Abram Woodhall, the third son of a prominent family on Long Island. He grew up as a neighbor of Talmadge and spent most of his life released to the freedoms of the outdoors. While his brothers worked hard studying passages of classical rhetoric, Woodhall gained an immense knowledge of the landscape of Long Island. The pressures of being the heir to the family's homestead was not felt being the third son.
00:06:20
Speaker
But that would change though in 1774. The last of his brothers had passed away leaving Abraham positioned to inherit the family homestead.
00:06:28
Speaker
Woodhall neither hoped for it when it was out of reach, nor relished it once it was his. He never considered himself to be like the prominent landowners in their uptight behavior. He enjoyed the role of being the black sheep of the family. This attitude made convincing Woodhall to turn spy relatively easy. Talmage knew he had a man who deep down knew the war must be won for the sake of human dignity, and that New York was the key.
00:06:54
Speaker
With Woodhall on board, Talmidge reported back to Washington to finalize the details of the operation. Codenames were created to disguise the identities of all involved. For Talmidge, if the British discovered his involvement, it would make him a high-value target. For Woodhall, it would mean a march to the Gallows. Thus, Talmidge became John Bolton and Woodhall became Samuel Culper.
00:07:17
Speaker
Woodhull quickly assembled his group. Each person was chosen based on the specific skill set that they possessed. First on the list was Caleb Brewster.
Efficient Intelligence Operations
00:07:28
Speaker
Brewster was a longshoreman. Brewster knew the waters around Long Island as well as Woodhull knew the land. Brewster's role was to ferry the intelligence across the water from Long Island to Connecticut, even adding in his own observations. The next recruit to the ring was Woodhull's old friend, Austin Rowe.
00:07:45
Speaker
Rowe owned a tavern and was a hard sell to convince to join the ring. Rowe eventually agreed and the three men set about establishing their system. Woodhall would gather intelligence while visiting a sister in Manhattan. Either he would bring intelligence back to Setucket to Rowe's tavern or Rowe would come into Manhattan for supplies for his own business.
00:08:04
Speaker
Brewster would wait for an opportunity to retrieve the papers from Roe and ferry them across the water to Talmadge, who would then deliver them to Washington directly. This system allowed information from inside the city to reach Washington in a matter of two weeks' time. This time between gathering information and arriving to General Washington was going to be cut in half to one week when Roe introduces a new man to the team in Jonas Hawkins, who acted as an occasional courier.
00:08:31
Speaker
This plus the addition of a link in the chain between Talmadge and Washington put Woodhull on a bit edge. A series of events then proceeded to occur that forced Woodhull to bring on a new member to the group, Robert Townsend. Woodhull was attacked by highwaymen and then accused of being a person of interest in connection with espionage. The British arrived at his family's farm to arrest him, but he wasn't there. To send a message, the British beat his elderly father.
00:08:59
Speaker
This all prompted Woodhall to begin finding a person who could act in his stay while the heat was on him. And Woodhall found that person in a mild-mannered bookish Robert Townsend. Townsend came from a family whose name was as well known in the Long Island area as the Woodhalls. His father had been outspoken about the crown and so was his older brother.
00:09:22
Speaker
Robert was more quiet and reserved. He operated a dry goods store in Manhattan and frequented a coffee shop just a couple blocks away. He was perfectly positioned to gather very important and crucial information for George Washington. With the British not only humiliating his father by making him take a loyalty oath, but also taking his house as their headquarters, forcing the family to occupy a couple of back rooms and a shop, this humiliation by the British shocked Robert when he came to visit one time.
00:09:50
Speaker
and this began the seeds of rebellion in his mind. However, he was not as brave and fearless as his brother who sailed supplies for the Continental Army. He knew that he was perfectly positioned to gather highly valuable information, but had no way of getting it into the right hands.
00:10:03
Speaker
enter Woodhall, who, over a long conversation, divulges every bit of the spy ring and offers Townsend not only a position in the ring, but as the role of co-leader. Townsend was very reluctant at the start, but trusted that Woodhall was telling the truth because of the respect that Townsend family had for the Woodhalls. Robert agreed and assumed the codename Samuel Culper Jr. Townsend would gather information from Manhattan
00:10:30
Speaker
pass it on to a courier who would bring it to Woodhall. Woodhall would add any information he gathered from Long Island before passing it to Brewster through Rose Tavern, and Brewster would add information he gathered while rolling across to Talmadge in Connecticut. Townstew would add one other person into the ring. In a letter to Woodhall, Townsend mentions a lady of his acquaintance who is positioned in such a situation as to gather highly valuable pieces of information without drawing any suspicions at all.
00:11:00
Speaker
Woodhall would meet with Townsend and accept this new member to the ring under the codename Agent 355, which is the only identifier we have on this important member of the spy ring, even through today we still have no idea who this person is. Thus, the full spy ring and chain of information was complete. While Washington was creating and establishing his spy ring in New York, the British were attempting to do the same.
Benedict Arnold's Betrayal
00:11:24
Speaker
It's the leader of this spy ring that sets in motion the events that will lead to the biggest betrayal and almost end of our country's attempt to be independent. Major John Andre was named by General Clinton as his chief intelligence officer. Andre had impressed Clinton during his time in Philadelphia when they occupied the city. Knowing Washington wanted to retake New York City and would put spies in there, Clinton tasked Andre with rooting out the colonial spies.
00:11:52
Speaker
Andre was known as a man who excelled in any job he was placed. He was also a great party planner and coordinator and was known as a bit of a ladies man. One such lady who caught his eye was Peggy Shippen, who was from a very prominent Loyalist family in Philadelphia. When the British left the city and the Colonial Army returned, Peggy's father married her off to a widowed army officer to protect the family standing.
00:12:19
Speaker
That officer was Benedict Arnold. General Arnold was the hero of the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Saratoga, the latter being the very battle that convinced the French to join our cause. The problem was General Washington and the public did not know that.
00:12:37
Speaker
In each battle, there was some other high-ranking officer that took credit. At Fort Ticonderoga, Ethan Allen took credit, and at Saratoga, General Arnold's superior officer Horatio Gates took credit, even though his subordinate officers did most of the directing during the battle. Not getting these two victories credited to him, plus the mounting political character attacks and accusations being hurled at him, meant Arnold was a prime target by Major Andre to be a turncoat.
00:13:06
Speaker
Using his connections he had with Peggy, Andre was able to slowly convince Arnold to betray the colonial cause. Knowing that Arnold needed money and wanted recognition, Andre offered Arnold both of these in exchange for the handing over of Fort West, Fort West Point along the Hudson River.
00:13:25
Speaker
This fort was situated at a sharp bend in the river and would have provided the British an easy access point on the river to move troops and supplies unhindered. The possibility of capturing Washington in the process was also present, but the main focus was the fort. Correspondence between Arnold and Andre was done through Arnold's wife Peggy. After numerous back and forth correspondence, the plan was set into motion.
00:13:49
Speaker
Unbeknownst to the two men, the plot was being discovered by the Culper Spy Ring's own, Agent 355. While the two men had been communicating and planning this treacherous act, Agent 355, as well as Townsend, had been gathering up alarming information of a potential attack. The location was not quite well known, but included in the information was intelligence that suggested a high-ranking British intelligence officer was making a trip up north up the Hudson River.
00:14:18
Speaker
West Point and Arnold's name was being mentioned by high-ranking officers while Agent 355 was around. Townsend noticed a buildup of shallow bottom boats, the kind you would expect in a tack up a river. All of this was passed along to Woodhall, who also added his information about the constant movement of British troops on Long Island from their posts on the outer parts to closer to Manhattan, in what looked like a consolidation of forces. All this information reaches Talmadge's desk, but he could not quite connect the dots.
00:14:47
Speaker
While this information sat on his desk, Andre and Arnold met under the cover of darkness at a rendezvous point between the fort and the city. There they finalized how the fort would be handed over. Major Andre was in disguise as a merchant named John Anderson. Having arrived by British boat, he was brought to shore.
00:15:05
Speaker
With the plan finalized, André is thought to be taken back to that British boat. The oarsmen, however, did not want to risk going out as the cover of darkness was almost up. So André and Arnold spent the night in a local citizen's house. In the morning, André was dismayed to see that the British ship was sailing south back to the city after receiving small cannon fire from a colonial ship. This meant that André would have to travel back to the city by land, increasing his odds of being caught in the plot of Discovery.
00:15:33
Speaker
His return trip was aided by a local citizen who talked to the Continental soldiers at each checkpoint. Major Andre was able to reach the bridge that crossed over into no man's land between the two lines and believed himself safe. However, he came upon a sentry checkpoint manned by three Continental soldiers. They spotted him for questioning, they stopped him for questioning and refused to accept the pass that he had received from General Arnold.
00:15:57
Speaker
Upon a thorough search in one of Andre's boots was discovered evidence of him being a spy. It was basically a detailed map of West Point. He was handed over to the nearest fort commander for detainment. The commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jameson, passed on the documents to Washington for evaluation, but fearing the wrath of Arnold for not allowing his guests pass through, he sends Anderson, Major Andre, escorted by an officer back to West Point to get clarification from General Arnold.
00:16:27
Speaker
Talmadge had learned of Anderson, General Andre's capture, and that is when the dots connected in his head. He rushed to Jamison to take control of the prisoner, only to be upset to learn of Jamison's command. After some conversation and with protests from Talmadge, Jamison orders for Anderson to be brought back to camp, but a letter still to be sent to Arnold explaining the situation. This letter will tip off Arnold to the fact that his plot has been discovered.
00:16:55
Speaker
Washington was arriving at the Fort that day to inspect it and had sent Alexander Hamilton ahead to announce his arrival. After Hamilton arrived and the letter from Jamieson arrived, Arnold crafted a reason to have to do a quick inspect of a spot across the river by barge. Arnold would use this barge to make his escape. Washington, upon arriving, received all the information and sends Hamilton down the river by land to try and intercept Arnold. But despite his best efforts,
Aftermath of Betrayal
00:17:25
Speaker
Despite Hamilton's best efforts, Arnold will narrowly escape. Thanks to the creation of this culprit spy ring and the courageous and hard work of those involved in this operation, a traitorous plot was uncovered and a crucial fort along the Hudson River was saved. And this is one of three major achievements the spy ring had an impact on. Andre would be hanged as a spy. Arnold would be given a command of colonists who formed a loyalist regiment in the British Army.
00:17:54
Speaker
He never received the honor and respect that he thought he would get from the British. His defect to the British did pose a threat to the safety of the spy ring. Coupled with the potential capture of Agent 355, this put the spy ring on edge. Townsend will stop reporting for a time while Woodhill continues the flow of information in his place. The spy ring would have one final accomplishment added to their already remarkable record.
00:18:21
Speaker
When the French fleet sailed for Yorktown and attempt to surround the British Army station there, they knew they needed a copy of the naval signal book used by the British in order to defeat them.
Spy Ring's Role in Victory
00:18:31
Speaker
Through some means, a copy of the book ended up in the coffee shop that Townsend frequented. The book was rushed quickly to Washington through this buy ring and into the French fleet commander's hands. This would turn the tide in the naval battle to come that would cut off the British Army's last route of escape.
00:18:49
Speaker
surrender by the British army would follow, and the war was over. This spy ring proved to be the most crucial and important spy ring Washington had. The intelligence they were able to provide proved crucial in stopping counterfeit operations, the defeat of the French fleet, and the uncovering of one of the most infamous traitor plots in our country's history. The identity of the members of this ring has been a topic of discussion for centuries.
00:19:17
Speaker
In 1929, the fifth member of the ring, Robert Townsend, was identified. Letters from Townsend were discovered in a desk upon examination with letters from Culper Jr. The identity of the fifth member was confirmed. Still,
00:19:32
Speaker
The identity of the sixth and final member, Agent 355, remains an elusive mystery. Much is owed to these six in the hand that they played in bringing victory in the Revolutionary War, but their story is just one of many involving ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things in this country's history.
John Paul Jones' Naval Tale
00:20:01
Speaker
All right, guys, now it's time for this episode's funny story from history. And this funny story comes from the same time period we've been talking about, the Revolutionary War. There are numerous famous quotes throughout history that are easily recognizable. For some, it's the situation in which they are delivered that cements their greatness.
00:20:25
Speaker
And one of these lines gives us our funny story today. During the Revolutionary War, the colonists did not have a proper Navy to combat the British. So what they do, they turn to privateers for help. Privateers were private citizens who'd get a commission to put cannons on their ship and then proceed to try and capture and disrupt British shipping. Any ship that they captured, they got to keep and sell the goods from the ship. And even the ship itself got to sell it as a reward as well.
00:20:54
Speaker
One such privateer would go on to make a name for himself and become one of the fathers of our Navy, and that man is none other than Captain John Paul Jones. Jones was respected by both sides during the war.
00:21:12
Speaker
Some of the towns in England would welcome him to shore and throw dinners and celebrations in his honor. And even one town dedicated a statue in his honor. You imagine the enemy and you have a town, you're one of your own towns, throws up a statue in honor of this guy. That just
00:21:35
Speaker
speaks volumes to the kind of guy that Jones was. So, where does our story take place? Well, our story takes place during one of his battles. Jones and his small little fleet engaged a part of the British fleet off the coast of England. During the battle, the British will ask Jones, are you ready to surrender?
00:21:55
Speaker
Now, you're probably asking, why would they ask this? Well, here's the thing. Jones is standing atop his ablaze and sinking ship. The man's ship is going down. It is sinking. I mean, this is at the point where, yeah, anybody would ask, hey, are you ready to surrender? And Jones will holler out, I have not yet begun to fight. This is bold words for a guy who's on a ship that is sinking and by all accounts is beat. He's lost.
00:22:26
Speaker
but the story gets even more crazy and amazing. He'll go on, and what makes this line so epic is Jones will go on to continue fighting, and not only just continue fighting, but actually win. He'll capture the British ship, take it on as his own flagship. I mean, just the craziness of it. The guy shouts out in defiance, I've not yet even begun to fight, even though his ship is sinking, and then goes on to basically show maybe he hasn't been fighting.
00:22:56
Speaker
It's just so crazy to think, but this story here, Catapult Jones, the status of legend, and the rest is history.
Future of the Podcast
00:23:06
Speaker
So, that was today's episode. Like I said, I'm sorry, it took like three years to come up with. Won't be as long between this episode and the next one. I'm gonna try to get it out as quick as I can, but until then, thank you for listening, and as always, stay hooked.
00:23:26
Speaker
you