spy Archives - Journal of the American Revolution

Posted on June 2, 2015August 28, 2016

A Spy Wins a Purple Heart: The Amazing Tale of Daniel Bissell and the Military Order of Merit

On June 8th, 1783, Gen. George Washington issued the following orders to the Continental army from his headquarters in Newburgh, New York: Serjeant Bissel of the 2d Connecticut regt. having performed some important services, within the immediate knowledge of the Commander in chief, in which the fidelity, perseverence, and good sense of the said serjeant […]

by Todd W. Braisted

Posted on May 21, 2015August 28, 2016

9 Rules of Spying That Nathan Hale Failed to Follow

In the late summer of 1776, Nathan Hale was a handsome, tall, charismatic twenty-one-year-old school teacher from Coventry, Connecticut with no battle experience but eager to do his duty for his country’s rebellion. “I owe to my country the accomplishment of an object so important…”[1] His accomplishment is well known, but not in the way […]

by John L. Smith, Jr.

Posted on December 1, 2014August 28, 2016

Ann Bates: British Spy Extraordinaire

With the recent popularity of spies in the Revolutionary War, led by AMC’s TURN cable television series and the bestselling book George Washington’s Secret Six: the Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution, the impact that spies had on the outcome of campaigns and other aspects of the war has sometimes been exaggerated. I focus […]

by Christian McBurney

Posted on May 19, 2014August 28, 2016

Abraham Woodhull: The Spy Named Samuel Culper

Abraham Woodhull, spy for General George Washington, nearly got himself hanged on one of his first missions. It was in October 1778, when Woodhull toured British-held New York City and its environs, observing Crown military activities. At one point he neared an encampment of Loyalist soldiers commanded by General William Tryon. Woodhull was probably preparing […]

by Michael Schellhammer

Posted on April 1, 2014October 27, 2020

AMC’s “Turn”: Everything Historians Need To Know

Danger, secrets, intrigue and revenge were all part of the Culper spy ring, and the new AMC series “Turn,” premiering April 6 (Sundays 9/8 central), offers a fascinating look into how these intrepid American spies helped win the Revolutionary War. AMC provided Journal of the American Revolution an early screening of the first three episodes. […]

by Michael Schellhammer

Posted on March 3, 2014March 19, 2017

James Rivington: King’s Printer
and Patriot Spy?

This article was originally published in Journal of the American Revolution, Vol. 1 (Ertel Publishing, 2013). Solving “the Most Astounding” Mystery of the American Revolution In early spring 1773, readers of the Boston Gazette came across an ambitious business proposal when they opened the March 22 issue. New York printer and bookseller James Rivington, then […]

by Todd Andrlik

Posted on February 19, 2014August 28, 2016

British Spy Plot to Capture
Fort Ticonderoga in 1777

Peter Livius, chief justice of the province of Quebec and former justice of New Hampshire, wrote a letter on June 2, 1777 to American Major General John Sullivan in an effort to get Sullivan to turn to the British cause.[1] Livius thought Sullivan was the commander at Fort Ticonderoga.[2] Livius believed Sullivan had lost his […]

by John A. Nagy

Posted on March 19, 2013August 28, 2016

Nathan Hale: A Hero’s Fiasco

Dear Mr. History: What’s the story on Nathan Hale? Like countless American schoolchildren, I was taught that he was executed for spying and said “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” A spy who gets caught seems like a dubious distinction to me. Was Hale an effective spy? […]

by Michael Schellhammer

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