Abraham Woodhull: Stammering Farmer & Spy

Last week I introduced you to Caleb Brewster, the valiant captain/spy who could’ve easily been portrayed in an action movie.

This week I give you Abraham Woodhull: the stammering, terrified farmer who handled day to day operations of the ring.

Why did Benjamin Tallmadge recruit such a pathetic excuse for a spy? That’s probably why. Abraham was scared of just about everything. No one would ever believe he was capable of intrigue and espionage.

Benjamin and Abraham grew up together in Setauket, Long Island. Benjamin knew he could trust Abraham. Poor Abraham must’ve held his friendship and the American fight for freedom close to his heart, because being a spy nearly gave him a heart attack.

It is believed Abraham recruited Robert Townsend – the pivotal member of The Culper Spy Ring. Abraham was a customer of Robert’s dry good business. It had to have freaked Abraham out to speak with Robert and convince him to betray his Quaker faith, for in Manhattan, especially, it was never safe to talk. Redcoats were everywhere.

Abraham’s hypocondria reached new heights when he took on the role of Culper Senior. After executing a letter for Washington, it was not uncommon for Abraham to retreat to bed complaining of fever, and stay there for days.

Abraham shook so much that he spilled the only vial of invisible ink on hand once. He made frequent mistakes – more understandable because he was not trained in his endeavor but learned as he went along – but Washington did not understand at all. He was quick to criticize when things went wrong, and even disbanded the Culpers in one angry moment.

But Washington ultimately did have faith in Abraham and the Culpers. When he needed vital information fast, he rallied the Culpers back into action. Of all his spies, he relied on and trusted the Culpers most.

Revolutionary Saturday/Don't forget to enter my Kindle contest!!!

            Today on Revolutionary Saturday I’d like to introduce you to Caleb Brewster, who was the kind of guy Harrison Ford or Bruce Willis would’ve played in their prime.

            A real die hard.

            Caleb was a whaleboat captain who conducted successful raids on British forts on Long Island.

            He was also a member of George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring.
            Caleb and his men hid along the Setauket, Long Island shore­ waiting for a signal that the message for Washington had arrived, courtesy of courier Austin Roe. It is believed that Anna Strong hung a petticoat in her clothesline to alert Caleb. But however he found out that his message was waiting for him, Caleb was always ready to act.

            He and his men rowed across the Long Island Sound to American-held Connecticut.

There, it was carried to Washington. Especially because of the long, round-about route from New York, time was of the essence. But Caleb often found a moment to raid larger British ships on the way to Connecticut. He was that kind of guy.

            Towards the end of the war, Benjamin Tallmadge was on board a whaleboat with Caleb when they came under British fire. Caleb went down with a musket ball through the chest. Tallmadge recalled in his memoir that he thought it was the end of Caleb. He was wrong.

            Caleb rose and fought on.

            He recovered and lived into his 80’s.

A letter from Caleb Brewster to Benjamin Tallmadge

            If you’d like to read more about Caleb Brewster and the Culper Spy Ring, check out my book, Upon Secrecy.

http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Secrecy-Selene-Castrovilla/dp/1590785738

Don't forget to enter my Kindle contest! Read yesterday's blog for details!!!!!

           

Revolutionary Sunday: Merchant, Reporter, Quaker, Spy: The Heroic and Sad Existence of Robert Townsend

           

        Robert Townsend was a mild-mannered merchant in Manhattan during the Revolutionary War. He was also a reporter for Rivington’s Royal Gazette,

a Tory newspaper (New York was British headquarters.)

            Townsend was a Quaker – opposed to war.

            One of the biggest sins for a Quaker is lying.

            Which is why Townsend was so tormented by his secret identity: Spy for George Washington.

            Robert Townsend was the key member of the Culper Spy Ring. Because he was a reporter, British officers came to him with information about their plans. They wanted to see their names in print!

            Townsend made the ultimate sacrifice for our country’s freedom: He traded his place in heaven. According to his religious beliefs he would be damned for his actions – and still he proceeded.

            After the war, Townsend was ashamed. He never revealed his identity. When George Washington visited Oyster Bay – Townsend’s home town, where he returned to live after the war – Townsend did not even greet him.

            Townsend never married. He died in his family’s home, living with his also-unmarried sister Sally. Like her brother, Sally sacrificed much for our cause.

Raynham Hall - Townsend's home in Oyster Bay. Now a museum!

            Give a thought for Robert Townsend’s tortured soul this holiday season. Pray that he found his peace.

Rest in Peace, Robert Townsend

Read more about Robert Townsend’s role in the Culper Spy Ring in my book, Upon Secrecy:

Upon Secrecy on Amazon.com

Wife, Mother &...Spy?

Sorry for the delay of this Revolutionary Saturday post. Both of my sons needed my attention, which had to come first.

This is a fitting segue into my introduction of Anna Smith Strong, a Setauket, Long Island resident during the Revolutionary War. Anna was a devoted wife and mother – and, we can say with relative certainty – she was also part of George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring.

Why we can only say this with relative certainty is because there is no definitive proof – only circumstantial evidence. Historians believe she was involved with the ring, but never mentioned in the letters because she was a woman.

Legend has it that Anna hung her petticoats on a clothesline as a signal that a message was ready to be taken to Washington (hopefully this coincided with her laundry needs.) This story has been told so often that most people who know about the Culper Spy Ring name her as a member.

The Daughters of the American Revolution clearly embrace Anna's petticoat legend.
They have an Anna Smith Strong chapter.

As a matter of fact¸ Anna was the reason I became intrigued with the spy ring.

School children in the Setauket area are taught about Anna's petticoats.

I was visiting a sick friend, who’d recently moved from Setauket.

“I miss being there,” he told me.

“Why?” I asked. All I knew about Setauket was it was way out on the island – pretty secluded.

“It’s so historical there,” he said.

“In what way?” I pressed.

“A woman used to hang her petticoats as a signal for George Washington’s spy ring,” he told me.

WHAT? My story sensor spiked. A WOMAN spy during the American Revolution? I didn’t even know that Long Island was involved with the revolution at all!

Thanks goodness for Google. When I got home I entered a few key words, and presto – I knew enough about the Culper Spy Ring to know that I wanted to know more. I wanted to write their story.

The ironic thing was that I couldn’t include Anna in the events of my story, because I couldn't prove she was a spy. The person who’d ignited my passion had to be edited out.

Here’s to Anna Smith Strong: A patriot, for sure. She stayed on occupied Long Island and took care of the family homestead while her husband was confined to a British prison ship.

Was she a spy?

 I think so.

But we’ll never know for sure....

It's Revolutionary Saturday!

Last week I told you about Benjamin Tallmadge, who organized the Culper Spy Ring – recruiting old friends from his hometown of Setauket, Long Island.

Each member of that ring has a special story. Imagine someone like you or me secretly becoming a spy. These were ordinary people, which was why Tallmadge chose them. They belonged there, and they wouldn’t be suspected.

Today I will focus on Austin Roe. A tavern keeper – and the courier for the ring.

You know how Paul Revere did that all-night ride to warn people that the British were coming?

Austin Roe rode fifty-five from Setauket to Manhattan and back again many times during the war. He didn’t yell out anything. He did something more dangerous: He carried secret messages from Robert Townsend - the spy situated in Manhattan - directed to George Washington.

A sample of the spy code the Culpers used.
(They also used invisible ink when it was available.)

If caught by the British, Austin would surely be hanged.

If caught by highway robbers – who roamed the thick woods Roe’s horse galloped though on their long journey – he would surely be shot.

Indeed, at least on one documented occasion, Roe greeted his wife cheerfully upon his return – showing her a bullet hole through his hat.



Austin Roe and his horse, as depicted by illustrators Jeff Crosby & Shelley Ann Jackson



Austin Roe loved this fast and dangerous life. He thrived on propulsion and the thrill of the chase. It was sitting still which drove him to distraction -­ as he was forced to do when hiding out in Robert Townsend’s room, waiting for Townsend to gather information.



Austin Roe's Tavern



That Austin Roe was never caught in his years of carrying messages to Washington is akin to miraculous. He is another unsung hero of the American Revolution ­- an ordinary man driven to extraordinary measures by his immeasurable quest for freedom.



Austin Roe as depicted on a Setauket school mural, sans hat.



When you complain about your long commute, think of Austin Roe racing through the nights. And remember his poor, tired horse - whose name, alas, I do not know.