The Culper Spy Ring was an American spy network operating during the War of American Independence that provided George Washington with information on British troop movements.
Members of the Ring were subjected to intense British scrutiny, and though several were arrested during the course of the war, not a single member was ever unmasked.
Achievements of the Culper Spy Ring
Perhaps the group's greatest achievement came in 1780, when it uncovered British plans to ambush the newly arrived French army in Rhode Island. Without the spy ring's warnings to Washington, the Franco-American alliance may well have been damaged or destroyed by this surprise attack.
How did the Culper Spy Ring work? The Culper Spy Ring was an organized network of agents working on behalf of the Continental Army that operated behind and just beyond enemy lines. These agents reported on British activity from their homes in New York City, on Long Island, New York, and in Connecticut.
355 (died after 1780) was the code name of a female spy during the American Revolution, part of the Culper Ring. She was one of the first spies for the United States, but her real identity is unknown. The number 355 could be decrypted from the system the Culper Ring used to mean "lady."
The Culper Code Book was used by the Culper spy ring to send coded messages to George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Informants used fake names and a numerical code book consisting of seven hundred and sixty-three numbers representing words, names, and places to communicate their information.
Alexander Rose, author of Washington's Spies, the basis for the highly fictionalized AMC series “Turn,” is among several historians who believe that the 355 referenced in the letter was Anna Strong, a neighbor of Woodhull and the wife of Selah Strong, a patriot leader in Setauket.
Among other honorifics, George Washington—known as Agent 711 in the Culper Spy Ring—is often heralded as a great “spymaster,” and indeed, he was.
Hamilton was one of the very few individuals who knew of the Culper Spy Ring and its operations throughout the war. Being one of Washington's most trusted advisers, Hamilton was tasked with reading many of the intelligence reports created by Townsend, Woodhull, Strong, Brewster and Tallmadge.
The Culper Ring's success depended on personal contacts and relationships. Central Intelligence Agency. One favored tactic was the use of ciphers or codes that concealed information in correspondence, because mail was often intercepted by the enemy.
Ciphers and Codes
The Culper Ring used code names to hide the identities of operatives. Even Washington had one—Agent 711. As head of intelligence, Tallmadge created the Culper Code Book, which assigned ciphers to 763 names or words.
Ciphers and Coded Letters
Some spy groups even created their own pocket guide to serve as a cipher's key. Similarly, some letters were written in intricate secret codes where numbers and special characters replaced letters, a method most notably practiced by the Culper Spy Ring.
Thanks to her success, Rose O'Neal Greenhow was one of the first Confederate spies targeted by Allan Pinkerton. Shortly after the southern victory in the First Battle of Bull Run, Pinkerton put Greenhow under surveillance and subsequently arrested her.
Abraham Woodhull
Woodhull was essentially the leader of the Culper Spy Ring, deciding what information was transmitted throughout the group, which would eventually make its way to George Washington.
21-year-old Nathan Hale, perhaps America's best-known early spy, served with Knowlton's Rangers. In September 1776, Washington ordered Knowlton to send some of his men behind British lines in Long Island to reconnoiter enemy forces gathering to attack the Continental Army in Manhattan.
This network became known as the Culper Spy Ring and operated successfully in and around New York City for five years, during which time no spy was ever unmasked. Indeed even Washington was ignorant of the spies' identities.
Anna Smith Strong's assignment in the Culper Ring was to signal Brewster's arrival to Abraham Woodhull. She did this by hanging laundry on her clothesline in pre-arranged configurations, a system that fooled all by the wisdom of its simplicity. If she hung up a black petticoat, it meant that Brewster was in town.
André was captured in September 1780, while crossing between British and American lines, disguised in civilian clothes. Papers found on André incriminated Arnold in treason.
Mata Hari embodied all the intrigue of espionage and remains the most famous female spy in history. The dancer turned WWI spy is said to have seduced diplomats and military officers into giving up their secrets.
Developed by Tallmadge, the Culper Code Book was essential in protecting the vital communications and identities of this important intelligence gathering group.
Virginia Hall was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 6, 1906, to Barbara Virginia Hammel and Edwin Lee Hall. She attended Roland Park Country School and then Radcliffe College of Harvard University and Barnard College of Columbia University, where she studied French, Italian, and German.
Assembled in 1778 by Major Benjamin Tallmadge at the request of Washington, the Culper Spy Ring operated on Long Island (concentrated in Setauket, NY) and in New York City and Connecticut during the American Revolutionary War.