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Washington's Hidden Army That Won America's Freedom

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Washington's Hidden Army That Won America's Freedom Concealed in the Shadows; Breaking Principles: Washington’s Hidden Army that Won America’s Freedom Presented by: Gia Gupta, Karina Gupta and Jiwoo Lee Junior Division Group Performance Process Paper Word Count: 500 On our English teacher’s wall is a poster of George Washington with a quote that reads, “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” From the first day we looked at the quote, we wondered how difficult was the conflict George Washington endured to liberate the United States? We asked our teacher if she thought George Washington used unconventional methods, to help him triumph over tyranny. Our teacher's response became the spark that ignited our passion, “Oh you mean the Culper Spies. That is just a myth.” Perplexed by the dismissive answer, we began seeking out the truth about the conflict George Washington encountered and what he utilized to break the barrier of a despotic ruler and secure the “blessing of liberty to ourselves and posterity.” In order to understand the conflict George Washington faced to break through the tyrannical hold of Great Britain, we started our research at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Digital Library. The articles and primary sources available became the founding blocks of our thesis and helped us understand the well- organized hidden army that used their secret weapon of intelligence to take the upper hand and win the war of independence. We interviewed historians like Mr. Taylor Stoermer, professor at Johns Hopkins University and former Chief Historian of Colonial Williamsburg, to why the spies broke barriers. C-SPAN’s Mr. Damien Cregeau about the employment of methods used by the espionage ring; and an interview with C.I. A. Operations Officer, Ken Daigler helped us understand the legacy of Culper Spy Ring. We poured over George Washington’s “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior,” his Gentlemanly Rules of War, as well as scrutinized correspondence provided by the National Archives between George Washington and the Culper Spy members giving us a conclusive comprehension of how spies removed their impediments. Wanting to capture the drama and intrigue associated with the Culper Spy Ring, we felt a performance allowed us to demonstrate how General Washington’s leadership facilitated a concealed group of men that obtained victory by gathering intelligence. We were able to gather traditional Revolutionary costumes from a local museum, the Indian King Tavern, and use them to further represent the “under-trained, under-staffed, under-equipped, and under-funded” army that prevailed. (“George Washington, Spymaster”) Ultimately, the Culper Spy Ring relates to the theme in a myriad of ways. In the most practical sense, spies broke across enemy lines that allowed General Washington to lead his army to victory. In a more delicate way, the sentiments in the “Declaration of Independence” embodies how the Culper Spy Ring conveys the theme of “Breaking Barriers.” The spies were willing to sacrifice their “lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor” to procure liberty. They surmounted obstructions with the idea of patriotism and their various methods utilized including misinformation, invisible ink, dead drops, and coded letters to break from Britain and set forth the practices of modern-day intelligence operations. The truth is self-evident when British Major George Beckwith declared, “Washington did not really outfight the British; he simply out-spied us.” Annotated Primary Sources Alexander Hamilton. Letter to Marquis de Lafayette, "From Alexander Hamilton to Marquis de Lafayette, [21 July 1780]," July 21, 1780. Accessed April 12, 2020. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-02-02-0775. In Alexander Hamilton's correspondence with Marquis de Lafayette, it provides attestation that the Culper Spy Ring and other espionage operations had given intelligence that the British were planning an attack on the French fleets at Newport, Rhode Island. Hamilton writes, "We have just received advice from New York through different channels that the enemy are making an embarkation with which they menace the French fleet and army. Fifty transports are said to have gone up the Sound to take in troops and proceed directly to Rhode Island." This conveys how the Culper Spy Ring surmounted the barrier of British rule by assisting in discovering intelligence. The letter is a clear symbol of one of the Culper Spy Ring's most significant discoveries with the help of other intelligence operations. In conclusion, this letter gave us primary source evidence of the actions that saved the French from probable defeat, which could have subsequently been the breaking point for the Patriots. Arnold, Benedict. Letter, "To George Washington from Benedict Arnold, 25 September 1780," September 25, 1780. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-03372. Benedict Arnold admits his betrayal to Washington through his heartfelt letter that soon asks the General for a substantial favor. After Benjamin Tallmadge saw Benedict Arnold and John André as traitors, Arnold had fled from his home and belongings and asks that his baggage gets sent to him in exchange with money. He asks for nothing for himself as he has already realized his wrongdoings, but instead asks for protection of his wife. He pleads for his wife, Ms. Arnold, to be sent back to Philadelphia, where she is happy and accompanied by her friends. Benedict Arnold explains how his heart was morally conscious and loyal to the American cause, although his actions did not follow upon it. He adds that he never acted to his "principle of love to my country" due to the imbalance in power he viewed between the battling sides. As he believed that the British would be triumphant in the war, he joined the British wanting to be on the victorious side of history, which soon did not follow the way he had planned. ———. Letter to John André, "Benedict Arnold Letter to John André, July 15, 1780," July 15, 1780. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://clements.umich.edu/exhibit/spy-letters-of-the-american-revolution/gallery-of- letters/arnold-andre-letter-1780-07-15/. This letter from Benedict Arnold to John André is mostly a financial correspondence. It is the start of Arnold's betrayal. He is asking for 20,000 pounds sterling to compromise West Point. Arnold is about to leave to travel to West Point and is just confirming that the payments are agreed and therefore set in stone. This is another piece of research showing the treason of Benedict Arnold and the espionage of John André. In the Culper Spy Ring, this related because Arnold's treason was one of the most influential discoveries of the Culper Spy Ring and had a tremendous impact on the emotional state of the Culper Spy Ring. After Arnold defected to the British, his presence in New York City worried Robert Townsend, one of the spies, so much that he altogether quit his job as a spy. He quit his correspondence. He was so frightful due to the fact that Arnold was on the hunt for American spies because if he succeeded in finding them, he would have them hanged. In addition to enhancing our group's knowledge on his treason, this primary source letter also provided explicit details of the financial transactions occurring between Benedict Arnold and the British crown. This helped us understand the reason why Arnold would risk his life and reputation for the British cause. By reading this source, we also realized Arnold committed treason for money and recognition. The Culper Spy Ring was able to break the barrier of the British's oppressive rule, and one way they could do that was by discovering Arnold's great plan of betrayal against the British. Clinton, Henry. Letter to John Burgoyne, "August 10, 1777: Henry Clinton Letter to John Burgoyne," August 10, 1777. Henry Clinton Papers. This letter used a very innovative idea to keep the secret message of espionage hidden. This process took use of a mask. The mask was put over the letter, and the message would reveal through it. This was just one of the many techniques the spies used. These techniques were able to help soothe the fear that the spies experienced. Our group was able to use this letter to learn some of the techniques the spies used and how they were able to stay secret but still go behind enemy lines. Culper, Samuel. Letter to John Bolton, "II. Samuel Culper to John Bolton, 15 August," August 15, 1779. Accessed March 21, 2020. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-22-02-0039-0002. "Every [letter]2 is opened at the entrance of New-York—and every man is searched that for the future every letter must be written with the Ink received.3 They have some knowledge of the rout our letters take. I judge it was mentioned in the letter taken,4 or they would not be so vigilant," Abraham Woodhull otherwise known as Samuel Culper writes to John Bolton which is Benjamin Tallmadge's alias. This letter written in August of 1779 provides us with beneficial information concerning the barriers that the Culper Spy Ring had to break through and Abraham Woodhull's position in Long Island after staying away from the city. In the quote stated above it briefs on the knowledge that the British have on the intelligence operations conveying almost positively the ramifications of Benjamin Tallmadge's letters being stolen. This depicts that the Culper Spy Ring had to surmount the barrier of the British's knowledge of their works to sufficiently operate. Moreover, after Abraham Woodhull left New York his position was soon altered within the espionage ring. He now resided in Long Island and based on the letter would travel to New York occasionally.
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