I hope that one day, the Lord willing, you will grow up to be a man. Robert Townsend went into business with his brother Solomon, but the business failed, and Townsend never got back on his feet. This week I was reviewing Muster, Payrolls and List of Effectives for Capt Gross Scruggs company of the Fifth Virginia. Throughout history once the conflict is over, the perceived value of infantrymen and intelligence agents are always called into question. If you are interested in working with us or have a great story, please get in touch. Woodhull headed to meet with Colonel Cook afterwards and made a good deal to sell Selah Strong's cauliflower to him, and Cook invited him to Major John Andre's dinner party in order to sell some more of his goods. Then he wrote down his observations and hid them at a secluded cove near Setauket. Yet, in my research, I have not discovered any documents linking them to him, other than their anxieties you mentioned. Abraham Woodhull (October 7, 1750 - January 23, 1826) was a leading member of the Culper Spy Ring in New York City and Setauket, New York, during the American Revolutionary War. Woodhull also recruited other spies into the ring; one such spy was Robert Townsend, who worked in a New York boardinghouse which was frequented by British soldiers. In addition, Abrahams cousin, Nathaniel Woodhull, a general in the Continental Army, had perished in the Battle of Long Island in 1776. Suddenly the door to his room flung open and two people burst into his room. In October of 1777, Woodhull announced to his father, Major Hewlett, his wife, Anna Strong, and other guests at a party commemorating Hewlett that he would be resuming his old studies at King's College to get a law degree, having regained an interest in law after the loss of his farm and his prosecution of the alleged patriots. Woodhull told Brewster about the plans, and Brewster passed the information on to Tallmadge, leading to Tallmadge, Brewster, and other Continental troops ambushing and killing 19 of the 20 British troops, capturing a wounded Simcoe. By that time Washington and Tallmadge had developed other agents in New York City and the Culper Rings role diminished. As depicted in the show, Abraham Woodhull was a cabbage farmer. Rogers followed Woodhull to his secret hideout in the basement of his burnt-down farm, and Woodhull was told that he had to work with Rogers to get revenge on Andre before Rogers would kill him. Normally Woodhull was a farmer in the town of Setauket on Long Islands north shore where he cared for his elderly parents. Great article. [15] Rose, Washingtons Spies, 146-151; John Bakeless, Turncoats, Traitors & heroes: Espionage in the American Revolution (New York; J.B. Lippincot, 1959, reprint, Da Capo Press, 1998), 228. Woodhull began spying for the Continental Army in late 1778, as part of the Culper Spy Ring. Lucy was the daughter of Abraham Somes, one of the. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. [4] He was motivated by the murder of his cousin Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull of the New York militia, who was wounded by sword and bayonet cuts after he had been captured on August 29, 1776. The Culper Ring had not seen the last of Benedict Arnold, though. The officer was angered by this, and he told Abraham that he should leave. His parents were Judge Richard Woodhull and Mary Woodhull (ne Smith). [2] His parents were Judge Richard Woodhull and Mary Woodhull (ne Smith).[3]. Description: The old Abraham Woodhull House at Setauket. The redcoats informed Woodhull that single persons could no longer travel to New York, stepping up security against patriot infiltrators. A farmer and the son of a local Patriot judge, Abraham Woodhull joined the Culper ring in November of 1778. In the ensuing encounter, Woodhull was rescued by the redcoats, who killed Cyrus. In AMCs drama TURN: Washingtons Spies, we follow Abraham Woodhull and company as they play a cunning game of deceit and trickery to gather intelligence for the Continental Army in the American War for Independence. [11] Culper to Tallmadge, April 101779, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. We live in daily fear of death and destruction, this added to my usual anxiety hath almost unmanned me, Woodhull wrote to Tallmadge in June. What leverage Tallmadge used to get Woodhull to consider the offer is unknown, but the major may have reminded Woodhull about the death of his cousin, General Nathaniel Woodhull, at British hands. It was believed that Nathaniel Woodhull had been captured and brutalized by the British, and died a miserable death. Woodhull was in New York City when the Loyalist troops came to his house, but he later reported how his 66 year-old father was home, and that Simcoe plundered him in a most shocking manner. Woodhull escaped Simcoes wrath by arranging for a prominent local Loyalist to vouch for his character. Accessed 18 May 2016. https://allthingsliberty.com/2014/05/abraham-woodhull-the-spy-named-samuel-culper/. Now there are redcoats everywhere, swathed in every nook of our hometown. For boys, this was often a celebrated childhood milestone. Basing his operation in his British-occupied hometown of Setauket, New York, Woodhull enlists the aid of local tavern keeper Anna Strong to ferry crucial intelligence to their friends in the Continental Army, Caleb Brewster and Benjamin Tallmadge, who in turn bring the intelligence to General George Washington himself. After the United States gained independence, Woodhull served as a magistrate, as had his father before him, and served as a judge in Suffolk County, New York. In the spring of 1777, Woodhull trysted with Anna at her barn, and he told her that he could not stay there long. Arnold had defected to the British side after he became increasingly ticked off at the Patriots for not properly recognizing his achievements on the battlefield. Students deserve to know about their hometown heroes. All Rights Reserved. What General Washington, the ultimate consumer of Culper Ring intelligence, thought of the operation is unclear. The Culper intelligence allowed Washington to arrange countermoves, and the episode was one of the Rings greatest successes. Caleb succeeded in doing this while Abraham was away, as Robert witnessed Simcoe's rangers beat up his father and burn down his stables when he asked for money in exchange for giving his cavalry to the rangers. (His very appearance is a bit of a chronological anomaly, but well discuss that later.) Posted on April 8, 2014 Updated on April 9, 2014. Working together, Woodhull and Townsend warned Washington about British activities as the 1779 campaign developed and they discovered British plans to wreck American finances by counterfeiting Continental currency. And dont forget to join the fun over at TURN to a Historians Facebook Page and tumblr account. The war is raging now, and General Washington has been driven out of York City and the Royal Army has taken over there. He used the alias "Samuel Culper" (later "Samuel Culper Sr."), which was a play on Culpeper County, Virginia, and was suggested by George Washington. Little Sprout Woodhulls curiousclothing, Linda Baumgartens primer on colonial childrens clothing, the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center, Vexatious Vexillology TURN to a historian, TURN Historical Timeline updated for Season 4 (PartOne), TURN Historical Timeline updated for Season3. Captain Simcoe, a gruff and raucous character, had taken over the same outfit of Rangers once commanded by legendary tracker Robert Rogers. Washington was annoyed; Woodhull had always made a fuss about payment during the war, but Washington saw fit to reward him for his invaluable service. [22] Culper to Tallmadge, June 4, 1781, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. For five days Tallmadge hid in the woods while Woodhull sneaked him food. Washington planned a naval attack on New York City and pressed Tallmadge for Woodhull to at all times keep his attention on changes of situation, or the new positions which may be taken by the enemy. Thanks for reading and commenting, and enjoy researching! Abraham was severely troubled by this, and there is no reason to assume his father did not feel likewise. Yet he still completed his mission and submitted a valuable intelligence report to Washington. 9. The show also portrays Richard Woodhull as a devoted Tory, who grows ever suspicious of his sons behavior, but in reality, he was more supportive of the Patriots, and circumstantial evidence supports this. Abraham was severely troubled by this, and there is no reason to assume his father did not feel likewise. Woodhull privately conferred with Major Hewlett and told him that he wanted to enter King's College and spy on the Sons of Liberty for him, as his prior connection to them might allow him to bust suspected patriot sympathizers in the college. (LogOut/ That would include both Woodhull as "Culper Sr." and Robert Townsend, who used the alias "Samuel Culper Jr."[14]. Washingtons Spies: The Story of Americas First Spy Ring. Those knickers were adorable, I want the sewing pattern for them anyone have any ideas where / how I can get one? A Letter From Abraham Woodhull to His Son Thomas is an entry from the Turn: Washington's Spies official site. However, Judge Woodhull decided to inform Major Hewlett that Woodhull had been spying for the patriots, as Woodhull's suspicions had increasingly grown over time. Little Thomas Woodhull, whom Abraham fondly calls Sprout, steals the spotlight at the beginning and end of the TURN pilot episode. Woodhull held several important local positions in his later years, including magistrate of Setauket, judge of the Court of Common Pleas and first judge of Suffolk County. The court case fell apart, leading to uproar. These agents reported on British activity from their homes in New York City, on Long Island, New York, and in Connecticut. The near-miss left him shaken, but he was compelled to find another way to continue spying. Background. If Woodhull and Townsend were exhausted they remained dedicated and efficient. Woodhull was portrayed from 2014 to 2017 by Jamie Bell in AMC's spy thriller and historical drama series Turn: Washington's Spies, which was based on Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring (2007) by Alexander Rose. Soon after Benedict Arnold defected to the British, he directed the arrest of people in New York and Long Island that he suspected as American spies, based on his knowledge of Continental Army intelligence. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Woodhull turned out to be a very effective spy, and his reports were uncannily accurate. During the American Revolution, Abraham Woodhull became a member of the Culper Spy Ring, which provided intelligence to .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}George Washington to assist the Patriots war effort. His cousin, General Nathaniel Woodhull, While Im working on a longer post concerning the convoluted chronology of TURNs pilot episode, I thought Id write a short post concerning a (literally) tiny realm of 18th century material culture seen in the show thus far: babies! Devoutly religious, he founded a missionary school in 1817, and was known to be sharply critical of the institution of slavery. There is much more to the story of the Culper Ring and intelligence activities in and around New York City. Woodhull had a problem to face, however, as he had to give Major Hewlett a final report on New York. Tallmadge wrote Washington on October 11, 1780 that Arnold knew not a single link in the chain of my correspondence, but that the Culper operatives were too apprehensive of danger to give their immediate usual intelligence.[20] Woodhull and Townsend laid low but returned to providing information. [12] Tallmadge to Washington, April 21, 1779, GW Papers, accessed March 29, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov; Rose, Washingtons Spies, 128. Both of those can help give you the context to figure out words and phrases that seem unintelligable.