Washington's Spies: The Story of America's
First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose concerns itself with American espionage
activities during the American Revolution. This is a great history book that
expands from its base subject to shed light on various related aspects of the
Revolution. This work is the basis for the very good television series TURN.
While Rose’s book touches upon much of the spy work that
both sides engaged in during the war, its primary focus is a on a group that
was known as The Culper Ring. This
was a spy ring that was organized in Southern New York by
American Officer Benjamin Tallmadge. During most of the war, New York City was
the primary hub for British military operations. Rebel spies in the city passed
information across Long Island through key ring member Abraham Woodhull. The
information was then dispatched across the Long Island Sound to rebel-controlled
Connecticut and eventually to George Washington himself. The activities and interactions of the members of the ring are related in fascinating detail.
A great deal of this book is local history for me. A
large percentage of the activity that is described in this work takes place on
Long Island, NY, which is also my home. Much of the political, social and religious
culture of Long Island at the time is surveyed. In addition, a locally famous
raid that was led by Tallmadge is detailed in the book.
In 1780, spurred by intelligence supplied by the ring,
Tallmadge led a small force from Connecticut to Long Island across the Long
Island Sound. He landed near a beach that I often frequent. His mounted troops
rode across Long Island to attack a fort and a supply depot. The resulting
destruction of British provisions and supplies was a detriment to British
forces operating in New Your City. His route is marked locally and known as The
Tallmadge Trail. I live on this trail. His
small force proceeded down a road on which my house is now situated.
One aspect that makes this a history book of
distinction is that it expands beyond its primary subject to provide intriguing
and important insights into multiple aspects of the American Revolution and
early America. Diverse subjects such as the brutal nature of some areas and
subcultures of New York City, the religious aspects and conflicts relating to both
Rebels as well as Loyalists, etc. are explored. As someone who is interested the
American Revolutionary War period, I found this book to be a feast of
interesting concepts.
As I am often known to do, I will focus a little upon
just one of many points of this work. Rose argues that intelligence work in
which both sides engaged was different from, and in many ways unique to, the
American Revolution, as opposed to anything going on in Europe.
Rose explains how such spy craft was not as important
on the battlefields of the Old World. On European conflicts he writes.
“collecting
intelligence about the enemy’s movements was not of prime concern since there
were only certain, defined routes along which an army could travel, and
topographers could thus accurately predict how long a formation would take to
reach its destination”
and later,
“In
Europe, the mark of a great captain was not his talent for deception or for
divining intentions, but his ability to outmaneuver opponents on known ground
and defeating them in the field as they marched and wheeled in lines and
columns.”
As the business of intelligence was distinctive
in America, Rose goes on to describe all sorts of innovations employed by the
Culper Ring and other rebel spies, as well as by their British opponents, including
invisible ink, complex and innovative codes, economic sabotage through the use
of counterfeiting, etc. This is but one of the many interesting and
enlightening areas explored in this work.
