The American Revolution saw the rise of the American spy, and the father of these spies was George Washington, commander in Chief of the Continental Army. The siege of New York demonstrated the importance and dire need for an intelligence to General Washington. Unfortunately, the difficulty, at least initially, lay with finding people willing and able to serve in this manner.
Upon recognizing the necessity for a network of subterfuge, Washington created the Culper spy ring. Housed in New York City under the command of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, its purpose was more than merely gaining intelligence. It also was tasked with planting and passing false intelligence to the British. Looking back, the questions that must be asked are: What role did this spy ring play in the war? Did it help bring about the American victory? Was the spy ring responsible for uncovering the plot by Benedict Arnold to turn West Point over to the British? Major Benjamin Tallmadge, appointed by Washington to be his chief of intelligence, was responsible for setting up the intelligence service utilizing friends who operated out of New York, Long Island, and Connecticut. The spies were tasked with acquiring and passing information to General Washington concerning British activity in and around New York.
The Culper Spies were instrumental in providing Washington with excellent intelligence; yet the most important piece of information may have been the discovery of Benedict Arnold’s plot to give West Point to the British. Unfortunately, it is uncertain whether the spy ring actually played a significant part in the capture of Arnold’s co-conspirator, John Andre, and thus saving West Point from the British. This uncertainty is either due to a lack of ...
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In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
The Notorious Benedict Arnold is classified as non-fiction historical genre. The story of Benedict Arnold, especially, is full of adventure and suspense. For those who have previous knowledge of Arnold’s story may not have felt the suspense as much as one who has no knowledge of his military career. Steve Sheikin tells of the heroism of both Benedict and Andre. Even though Andre was entirely for the British, he risked his life for his country. The story of Benedict Arnold is often associated with treason, this book is no different.
Guilford, CT: Dushkin/ McGraw-Hill, 1997. Chiatkin, Anton. A. Treason in America. Washington DC: Executive Intelligence. Review, a review of the book, Divine, Breen, Frederickson, and Williams. America Past and Present.
The argument over Arnold’s place in American history has carried into this century. All the Americans relate George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson as their heroes, but there is a debate whether Benedict Arnold was a victim or a traitor. Arnold was a general during the American Revolutinary War, and he fought for the Continental Army. His name became synonymous with the word traitor. Benedict Arnold was a Revolutionary Hero that had a huge effect on succeeding in the war. He had motivated a lot of soldiers during the war with his victorious discourses, and battles. Determination could be one of the most important reasons why the Patriots won the war, and had a chance to create their own country. These days, kids are in school are familiar with Benedict Arnold as a hero, but the Congress at that time did not deliberate him as a hero. In fact, the facts are proving that Arnold looked like a traitor, but he was actually a victim of circumstances because he was not respected as much as the other generals, he had fought for the Continental Army, and lastly he had never thought of betraying to his country.
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
Stokesbury, James L. A short History of the American Revolution. New York. William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991.
For the American intelligence community, George Washington is considered the father of intelligence. The introduction of the intelligence concept and its application in some missions during the early days of America helped America’s Founding Fathers to succeed against t...
Although short, it is a diving board leading me to deeper source materials. The main argument of his book is that it wasn’t necessarily spies the won the war, but that American spies were better at their job than their British counterparts, allowing them to win. The book follows a simplistic outline going through each aspect in which the American spies were either more intelligent, better trained, or just plain luckier than the British agents of espionage. It then continues to explain the various techniques used by the spies. Most importantly, it gives the credit to George Washington as a “spymaster” who skillfully organized the entire operation due to his previous experiences dating as far back as the French and Indian War. Allen argues that without General Washington, the spies and rings would have never existed as we know them to have had
The legacy and leadership of Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) is subjective and based on on perspective, context and audience. Arnold is “one of the most infamous traitors in U.S. history” (History.com 2009) and is universally remembered as despicable villian in history (Weeks 2011) However the general public have barely acknowledged Arnold’s heroic achievements as an early American hero of the Revolutionary War (1775-83). When looking at Arnold objectively and without bias, both his heroic traits, as well as justifiable reasons for becoming a traitor, can be seen.
2. Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. New York: Sentinel, 2004. Print
Multiple letters written by Washington express his appreciation for the information provided by the spy ring; however, three specific pieces of information Washington received from the Culper Ring were significant enough to have direct effects on actions taken by Washington and, occasionally, the Continental Congress. In addition to their active role in obtaining the three pieces of information, the Culper Ring, “was also responsible for the apprehension of the British spy Major John André.” Each of the vital pieces of intelligence discovered by the Culper Ring was a different form of information. One was a piece of counter intelligence, one was regarding troop movements, and one was information about the British’s planning for
TURN: Washington’s Spies is a period drama that takes place in autumn 1776. It is based on Alexander Rose’s book Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring (2007) and it begins with the insurgents declaring war against the Crown. In the first episode, we observe similar environment that we read when studying the Revolutionary War. The story begins as his Majesty’s Army forced Washington’s rebels into the wilderness and New York City are announced the military base of operation for the British and Loyalists. The episode begins with Ben Tallmadge who is a Colonial Army, escaping from the Queen’s Rangers and his meet up with General Charles Scott who insists that they begin hiring spies against the colonists. However the general
?Espionage.? 2000-2004. The War to End All Wars. Michael Duffy. Original Material. Primary Documents Online.
"His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very first order; his penetration strong . . . Perhaps the strongest feature in his character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed; refraining if he saw a doubt, but, when once decided, going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed." (Thomas Jefferson, as cited in "George Washington," 2006, para.19) George Washington is one of the most recognized and famous leaders in all history of the United States of America. He contributed greatly to the establishment of this prosperous country, from leading the Revolutionary armies into battle, to running the country as the first president, Washington has set precedence and example for all who have and are yet to follow. He was a noble man who demonstrated characteristics one would expect from a hero figure. He was not power-hungry, but did things and played his role for the good of the country, for patriotic purposes, to help America become the success it is today. In March of 1783, the soldiers of the American military were restless, bored and in a terrible state of doubt and distrust concerning the newly formed congress of the country. When these soldiers joined the army, they were promised a certain amount of money according to their service, but by the war's end, congress was nearly broke and not in a position to pay them all they had earned. The soldiers planned a rebellion against congress for their unjust treatment, and attempted to hold an unauthorized meeting of the officers on the matter. Washington forbade the meeting, but called for one a few days later, in which he gave his speech concerning the Newburgh Conspiracy ("The Rise and Fall," 2006, para.2). General Washington was a highly respected man among his peers, soldiers, and fellow men. His opinions, approval, and presence alone were enough to validate many plans, documents, and meetings throughout his life, so it is no wonder that even simple words or acts performed by General Washington were respected, and more often than not, taken to heart by his audience; perhaps this is why it may seem surprising that one of the most important speeches he ever gave fell on relatively deaf ears, leaving the audience hesitant, confused, seemingly unaffected by his powerful use of diction, and emotional appeal.