[5] Culper to Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge, November 23, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. Makes me feel resentful, though, at our Long Island schools. Little Thomas Woodhull, whom Abraham fondly calls Sprout, steals the spotlight at the beginning and end of the TURN pilot episode. Look at the above painting and take a guess as to how much airtime would be needed to explain that boys outfit to a modern-day viewer.) I find that magnifying the zoom to 200% makes the cursive far more intelligible. Once they were several years old, boys and girls would then make the transition to outfits that were miniature versions of mens and womens adult clothing. [7] Tallmadge added two couriers to the operation to speed the reports from New York City to Setauket. I know versions of his diary exist elsewhere, but the war time entries can be found, Thank you for sharing that, Adam. Im glad that you all enjoyed the article, and great points from SPM and Ken. Washington sent Caleb Brewster out to Setauket to notify Woodhull of the situation. Richard Woodhull (1712-1788) was the local magistrate of Setauket, New York under Great Britain during the American Revolution. Their reports are believed to have uncovered Benedict Arnolds treason, and led to the capture of British Major John Andre, who was working with Arnold to undermine the Continental Army. The war finally ended in 1783, with the Continental Army victorious thanks to assistance from the French. By that time Washington and Tallmadge had developed other agents in New York City and the Culper Rings role diminished. Abraham Woodhull performed Patriotic Service in New York in the American Revolution. The ink was a solution developed by John Jays brother, Sir James Jay. And dont forget to join the fun over at TURN to a Historians Facebook Page and tumblr account. While he was a staunch loyalist, his son Abraham Woodhull would become the leader of the pro-patriot Culper Ring . Woodhull was a descendant of Richard Lawrence Woodhull, a wealthy settler of Setauket, and was also related to New York militia Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull. For more information, I highly recommend reading Linda Baumgartens primer on colonial childrens clothing (the source of the above quote). Ironically, Woodhulls exploits could not be recognized after the war so its information like that presented in Mikes article that puts the things to right. What leverage Tallmadge used to get Woodhull to consider the offer is unknown, but the major may have reminded Woodhull about the death of his cousin, General Nathaniel Woodhull, at British hands. Early on, Woodhull had urged General Scott to destroy every letter after reading for fear of some unforeseen accident that may befall you and the letter get into the enemies hands and probably find me out and take me before I have any warning.[9] A month later Tallmadge told Washington that Woodhull used extreme caution and even timidity.[10] Woodhull particularly hated traveling the 50 miles to New York City because every trip put him at risk of questioning and discovery at military checkpoints. However, his rowboat was pulled in by a ship at night while he was headed for New York, and he was told that he was being arrested by the Continental Congress for smuggling. Bantam, 2014. [8], Yet for all of his success, the pressure of spying and leading a double life severely strained Woodhull. His fears were eased when Woodhull sent him a report in November 1778 that provided almost exact figures of British troop strength in New York. Woodhull headed to meet with Colonel Cook afterwards and made a good deal to sell Selah Strong's cauliflower to him, and Cook invited him to Major John Andre's dinner party in order to sell some more of his goods. P.S. Aliased Samuel Culper, Jr., Townsend gave Woodhull a reliable source within the city itself, and made his job much easier. In the court case, Simcoe had trouble loading the musketball that hit Richard Woodhull into Tallmadge's gun, as it was a Pennsylvania rifle; only a Brown Bess British musket could use that type of ball. with his son William Tallmadge. Failure was not an option. In Manhattan, he collected information from various sources, including British officers staying at the Underhill boarding house and then return to Setauket, where he passed the information to the Continental Army lieutenant and whaleboat operator Caleb Brewster to take across Long Island Sound to Tallmadge. [11] He held a few minor political appointments, including magistrate in Suffolk County, New York, from 1799 to 1810. Abraham Woodhull is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor. Woodhull was secretly engaged to Anna Strong in 1773 before his brother Thomas, a soldier in the British Army, was killed while quelling a protest at King's College and his father decided to marry him to his brother's fiancee Mary, leading to Abraham and Anna parting. Abraham Woodhull, Esq. Woodhull was probably preparing to make careful mental notes of Tryons camp when he unluckily stumbled upon a group of soldiers who immediately detained him and demanded to know why he was wandering around. Perhaps Sprouts wealthy grandfather has servants churning out breeches for his grandchildren! Woodhull would copy what information he could gather onto paper, and on his way back home to Setauket, he would hide the information in a prearranged location, a hidden cove on Long Island Sound. Together, they had 11 children. In the spring of 1780 the strain of spying was wearing on both Woodhull and Townsend, and Tallmadge told Washington that Townsend had become less active, and even Culper Senior grows timid and thinks that intercourse had better be dropped for the present.[18] Washington agreed to shut the Culper Ring down, only to reactivate it in July to gain information that would support operations of another French fleet expected later that summer. In the episode . Working together, Woodhull and Townsend warned Washington about British activities as the 1779 campaign developed and they discovered British plans to wreck American finances by counterfeiting Continental currency. He was killed while putting down a riot at King's College. Letter Dear Thomas , As I write this letter you are upstairs in your mother 's arms, sleeping peacefully. Ken, I absolutely agree with your outlook. In the encounter, Woodhull won a coin toss and was allowed to draw first blood, but his shot missed Simcoe. [10] Tallmadge to Washington, November 19, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. Great article. Woodhull served as a lieutenant in the Suffolk County, New York, militia in the fall of 1775 but resigned after a few months. [13] The respite was ill-timed; Woodhull missed most of the signs that the British were beginning an offensive to seize control of the Hudson River, and the campaign of 1779 began with Washington unaware of Clintons plans. your tumblr account link is wrong. Woodhull was tortured, being thrown in a cage with patriots; he did not disclose his true loyalties, and he was beaten and hated by the imprisoned patriots. On a somewhat more practical level I also adjust the contrast on the images, which makes the handwriting more clear. But while their passion is thick, their numbers are overshadowed by the fastest and largest navy in the world. It was believed that Nathaniel Woodhull had been captured and brutalized by the British, and died a miserable death. Abraham copied down the writing in his book before Cook had him leave, but not before the officers gave him a drinking challenge: they asked him who he would kill if he would not be retaliated against. This led to Abraham being disappointed with his father, whose loyalist sympathies set the two of them apart. I knew I had to do this for you. Anna found out about the duel from Simcoe and warned Richard Woodhull, and the two headed to stop the duel. Townsend, in fact, had somewhat foolishly recruited his cousin James into the ring, who ended up being arrested by the Continental Army for allegedly being a British spy! [4] He was motivated by the murder of his cousin Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull of the New York militia, who was wounded by sword and bayonet cuts after he had been captured on August 29, 1776. Woodhull's tip from the fellow boarder led him to the west wharf on 17 October 1777, where he spotted 32-gun frigateAlarm and 28-gun frigateSybilmoored at Peck's Slip along with the 18-gun sloopTobago. [7] Tallmadge then set up a spy network in New York, with Woodhull as the lead agent. The show also portrays Richard Woodhull as a devoted Tory, who grows ever suspicious of his sons behavior, but in reality, he was more supportive of the Patriots, and circumstantial evidence supports this. Documents answer this question positively without doubt. It's possible it was incorrectly annotated. [15][16] Other people from Woodhull's life are portrayed in the show as well. Woodhull wrote, I received their threats for coming there that made me almost tremble knowing my situation and business.[1] His statement only hinted at what he inwardly knew; that if the soldiers discovered his espionage mission, they would have hanged him without compunction. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The tactic was sometimes effective but the information often lacked the detail, accuracy and timeliness that Washington needed. The rumor fell upon the ears of a certain Queens Rangers captain by the name of John Graves Simcoe. Eventually operating from Underhills boarding house, Woodhull so successfully played the part of a loyal but inquisitive farmer that he gained all of the information he needed, and more. Gen. Charles Scott, September 25, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 18, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. A Letter From Abraham Woodhull to His Son Thomas View source A Letter From Abraham Woodhull to His Son Thomas is an entry from the Turn: Washington's Spies official site. Background. In 1778, he was . The patriots withdrew from Setauket, but Anna decided to leave Selah's side and stay in Setauket to help Abraham. Tallmadge told Woodhull that George Washington wanted him to work with the patriots as a spy during the American Revolutionary War, and he refused. He had three children with his wife Mary, lived prosperously as a Suffolk County judge, and died in 1826. His name is Benjamin Tallmadge, and he has asked me to do something dangerous. Later, petition signer Moses Paine decided to turn in the petition, saying that he was drunk when he signed it, giving Hewlett a list of patriots; he proceeded to have those men rounded up and arrested along with Paine himself. Gen. Charles Scott, October 31, 1778, George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress (hereafter, GW Papers), accessed January 26, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. Interestingly enough, Woodhull, Strong, Brewster and Tallmadge existed in real life, as did almost all of the other main characters of the show. Later in 1776, Richard Woodhull asked his son to come with him to test his bartering skills for a deal with Colonel Jonathan Cook, the head of the commissary in New York City. Tallmadge then sent the information to General George Washington. [5] In February 1779 he sent information on troop movements, supply problems, naval matters, the total strength of enemy forces around New York, the possibility of reinforcements, and other military plans; the report was seven pages long. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . For the first few years of the Revolution, Continental Army leaders preferred to sneak operatives into British territory where they skulked around for a few days, acquired information, and then slipped back out through the lines to report to American commanders. The house was built in 1660 and was destroyed by fire in 1931. [8] His plan was to travel to Manhattan, ostensibly to visit his married sister, Mary Underhill, and her husband, Amos, at their boarding house. As the British departed the colonies, a celebration was thrown in Setauket. In October 1778, he began making trips to New York every few weeks with the excuse that he was on business or visiting his sister. Woodhull decided to have Baker as his second for the duel, and he met Simcoe on a small patch of land at a creek. Woodhull somehow successfully answered the soldiers questions but the encounter still shook him to his bones. She found out when their son Thomas had moved a floorboard, revealing a book of words and code-numbers used to represent them, a book which Caleb had given to Abraham in order to communicate without the British knowing; Caleb also told Woodhull that his alias would be "Samuel Culpeper", with Woodhull shortening it to "Culper". Did Abraham Woodhull have a son named Thomas? Before Simcoe could fire back, Woodhull and Anna Strong arrived and ended the fight, with Anna telling Simcoe that the men were fighting for their honor, not hers, and telling them that they could both leave. Later that day, Abraham decided to head to King's College to visit the spot where his brother had been killed in a 1773 riot after Woodhull put a Phrygian cap on top of the Liberty Pole there. His first intelligence in October addressed British troop strengths and their shortages in provisions. Townsend also owned a share of a coffee house popular with British officers operated by James Rivington, printer of the Loyalist Royal Gazette. Continental Army Major Benjamin Tallmadge was Woodhull's neighbor in Setauket and approached Woodhull in August 1778 about gathering intelligence for the Patriot cause during the American Revolutionary War. While I am caught in the middle of a war I hope will be over soon, I can only hope we are on the side of right and good. [21] Carl Van Doren, Secret History of the American Revolution: An Account of the Conspiracies of Benedict Arnold and Numerous Others, Drawn from the Secret Service Papers of the British Headquarters in North America, now for the First Time Examined and Made Public (Garden City, NY, Garden City Publishing, 1941), 380. The British responded to this by disarming all of the citizens, and when Benjamin Tallmadge's father Benjamin Tallmadge, Sr. greeted the British as a hostile person when turning in his gun, he was suspected. 2022-07-02. The correspondence between the general and Tallmadge shows that Washington often relied heavily on Culper Ring information during times of crisis. A Loyalist named John Wolsey returned to Long Island after a stint in a Connecticut prison for privateering and reported a rumor that Woodhull was working for the Rebels. He found out of a petition to the provincial congress, and he intended to hunt down the people responsible. Historians believe that he and his co-conspirators probably uncovered Benedict Arnolds treason, and the information that led to arrest of British Major John Andre. What better way to get back at the enemy, Tallmadge might have said, than by spying on the British under their own noses and helping the American cause? He faced a long sentence, but was freed unexpectedly by Major Tallmadge, a fellow Setauket native and childhood friend who had successfully managed to argue for his release. Townsend then decided he was through with espionage. In June, the British had been forced to evacuate Philadelphia after the city became untenable due to vulnerability and stretched supply lines. Townsend stole and cooked the two brown eggs, serving them to Woodhull when he returned to the inn after nearly leaving the city. List of American Revolutionary War battles, Turn: Washington's Spies official site entries. If so, how did this myth get created? I knew I had to do this for our family. ), American frontier soldier who raised and commanded a militia force, known as Rogerss Rangers, which won wide repute during the French and Indian War (175463). [9] Culper to Scott, October 31, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. 9. His father was a judge, and he was a cousin of Nathaniel Woodhull, leader of a New York Patriot . Journal of the American Revolution is the leading source of knowledge about the American Revolution and Founding Era. Abraham Woodhull, spy for General George Washington, nearly got himself hanged on one of his first missions. Your email address will not be published. Among the attendees were the Woodhull, Tallmadge and Strong families, along with Caleb Brewster and Austin Roes family. The killer was discovered to be loyalist John Robeson, and Rogers decided to use a dead redcoat as a scapegoat while employing Robeson as his eyes and ears in Setauket. Another of Tallmadges operatives was Caleb Brewster, a Continental artillery lieutenant and skilled mariner stationed on the Connecticut coast who previously supplied Washington with naval intelligence. Woodhull also recruited other spies into the ring; one such spy was Robert Townsend, who worked in a New York boardinghouse which was frequented by British soldiers. Click on the title of a post to view the comments and join the conversation! He was a Presbyterian, occupying a "Pew of Authority" in the old church and doing much toward the building of the new church. In 1781, Woodhull married Mary Smith. Woodhull was thereby able to locate and relay messages to whale boat captain Caleb Brewster, who then delivered them to Tallmadge. . Abraham Woodhull (October 7, 1750 January 23, 1826) was a leading member of the Culper Spy Ring in New York City and Setauket, New York, during the American Revolutionary War. [11], He died in Setauket on January 23, 1826, and is buried in the Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground. Poor quality print. Abraham went as a guest of Cook, and Anna later infiltrated the party while disguised as a prostitute. And dont worry well be discussing plenty of military details here on the blog soon enough. [22] In the same letter he finally bowed out of the spy business. He hardly ever spoke of his work as a spy. 72years (17401812)Anna Strong / Age at death. Unfortunately, Ensign Baker entered the room with his musket, and he heard the whole conversation. He also never had a son named Thomas; Mary would give birth to two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, and a son named Jesse. Over time, he began to fear for his safety, and Benjamin Tallmadges reports to Washington reflect Woodhulls growing timidity. While this piece underscores some of the glaring inaccuracies of the TV series TURN, it also highlights the intrigue and anxiety spies like Woodhull must have experienced day to day. Journal of the American Revolution also produces annual hardcover volumes, a branded book series, and the podcast, Dispatches. type. General Sir Henry Clinton, the commander of the British armies in Philadelphia, was ordered to leave the city and take his soldiers to New York to bolster defenses against a possible American and French attack. They have taken over everything, using brute force and the heels of their boots to make their presence known. Woodhull privately conferred with Major Hewlett and told him that he wanted to enter King's College and spy on the Sons of Liberty for him, as his prior connection to them might allow him to bust suspected patriot sympathizers in the college. The redcoats informed Woodhull that single persons could no longer travel to New York, stepping up security against patriot infiltrators. Abraham Woodhull/Parents He thus enlisted the aid of Anna Strong, the wife of Selah Strong, a tavern keeper who was jailed aboard a British prison ship when the Culper Ring was formed. They did, however, take plenty of liberties with the historical facts, but on the whole, the show presents the major activities and accomplishments of the Culper Ring in a reasonably accurate manner. [13] Culper to John Bolton, June 5, 1779, GW Papers, accessed March 29, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov; Rose, Washingtons Spies, 129. Yet he still completed his mission and submitted a valuable intelligence report to Washington. During the American Revolution, Abraham Woodhull became a member of the Culper Spy Ring, which provided intelligence to .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}George Washington to assist the Patriots war effort. John Graves Simcoe, (born February 25, 1752, Cotterstock, Northamptonshire, Englanddied October 26, 1806, Exeter, Devonshire), British soldier and statesman who became the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario).