Spies and Espionage
Did the British use spies during the Revolutionary War? Did the Americans? How did they send spy letters? Were men the only spies and heroes? What tactics and methods did they use? What secrets do spies convey? What is espionage? The pressing subject of spies and espionage throughout the Revolutionary War is little-known, but yet interesting and important. Both the British and the Americans used spies to deceive and destroy their enemy. Both sides of the war sent letters with detailed inscription about who these spies were, where they were, and what there job was. These letters held secret codes which could only be interpreted by the sender and receiver so that an enemy would not be able to intercept the message. There are many male heroes that you can learn about by clicking the tab entitled, "Male Spies," like Nathan Hale and Benedict Arnold. However, it was not just men that served as spies. Females of all ages also served to their respective sides by participating in undercover espionage. Little known heroes like Miss Jenny, and Lydia Darragh played a role in the Revolutionary War. Each spy used a different method of surveying the enemy's colonels, generals, casualty, and militia. Some spies went undercover as a Loyalist or Patriot to defy the opposite side. Click here to learn about espionage.
The American Revolution is a fascinating and exciting "underdog" story! It is the story of a rag-tag band of Patriots deciding to stand up for what they believe and make that stand against the most powerful empire in the world. They had no business winning, but did.
During the beginning years of war for independence, the American's suffered many hardships. Imagine being outside in the frigid winter without blankets, shoes, soap, food, guns, wagons, horses and tents. Well, that's what the Continental Army had to face for many months during The Battle of Valley Forge where nearly 2,000 men died. None of these men were mercenaries, just working for money. They were men fighting for our freedom who would never desert our country in a time of need when the British were attempting treason. We may have had few bayonets and artillery, but our Patriotism is all we needed. We were not guerrillas. At one point, women did jobs like cooking, washing, nursing, sewing, and mending. African Americans, however, wanted to enlist for long period of time, maybe because they had faith in our country from the beginning.
During the Battle of Trenton, Washington rowed troops across the Delaware River on December 25th and attacked the Hessian soldiers by using Treason. This was known as the Battle of Trenton.
American loyalists were found in New York, also where much espionage spied. 2/5ths of the people in the American Colonies were Patriots in New England and Virginia.
During the beginning years of war for independence, the American's suffered many hardships. Imagine being outside in the frigid winter without blankets, shoes, soap, food, guns, wagons, horses and tents. Well, that's what the Continental Army had to face for many months during The Battle of Valley Forge where nearly 2,000 men died. None of these men were mercenaries, just working for money. They were men fighting for our freedom who would never desert our country in a time of need when the British were attempting treason. We may have had few bayonets and artillery, but our Patriotism is all we needed. We were not guerrillas. At one point, women did jobs like cooking, washing, nursing, sewing, and mending. African Americans, however, wanted to enlist for long period of time, maybe because they had faith in our country from the beginning.
During the Battle of Trenton, Washington rowed troops across the Delaware River on December 25th and attacked the Hessian soldiers by using Treason. This was known as the Battle of Trenton.
American loyalists were found in New York, also where much espionage spied. 2/5ths of the people in the American Colonies were Patriots in New England and Virginia.
Introduction
Both the Patriots and the Loyalists used spies to discover information about the other side and snoop around. A lot of spies from the American Revolution were so good that their identity is still unknown today! The majority of spies during the American Revolution were male, although there were some female spies. You can learn more about them in the Women Spies and Heroes tab. When you first think of spies, you may think of people dressed in black clothes with a mask shielding their face or of James Bond, but the spies of the American Revolution were much different. They were every day people in the same clothes as everyone else. They blended in, which is how they were so successful with their job. Spies used many different methods to carry out their message including invisible ink, masked letters, quill letters, intelligence, and secret codes. Spies played an important role in our American Revolution. They were able to capture important information that helped Washington and his Continental Army live to fight another day. If you were to enlist in the Continental Army as a spy, you were very daring. The consequences of being caught were very bad. Most of the time, you were executed usually by hanging. Many people who spied faced much adversity, but still found ways to rendezvous with the receiver of the letter/information. During the American Revolution the Patriot's had the advantage of being allied with the French. The French provided money and supplies as well as information from the British and acted as spies as well. The use of spies in our quest for independence could be considered a turning point in the American Revolutionary War.
Both the Patriots and the Loyalists used spies to discover information about the other side and snoop around. A lot of spies from the American Revolution were so good that their identity is still unknown today! The majority of spies during the American Revolution were male, although there were some female spies. You can learn more about them in the Women Spies and Heroes tab. When you first think of spies, you may think of people dressed in black clothes with a mask shielding their face or of James Bond, but the spies of the American Revolution were much different. They were every day people in the same clothes as everyone else. They blended in, which is how they were so successful with their job. Spies used many different methods to carry out their message including invisible ink, masked letters, quill letters, intelligence, and secret codes. Spies played an important role in our American Revolution. They were able to capture important information that helped Washington and his Continental Army live to fight another day. If you were to enlist in the Continental Army as a spy, you were very daring. The consequences of being caught were very bad. Most of the time, you were executed usually by hanging. Many people who spied faced much adversity, but still found ways to rendezvous with the receiver of the letter/information. During the American Revolution the Patriot's had the advantage of being allied with the French. The French provided money and supplies as well as information from the British and acted as spies as well. The use of spies in our quest for independence could be considered a turning point in the American Revolutionary War.