At one point he neared an encampment of Loyalist soldiers commanded by General William Tryon. Woodhull passed on information that he had learned from his father's meeting with Major Edmund Hewlett to discuss the exoneration of Abraham from his role as a murder suspect; he had found a letter with a coded message that stated that the British under John Graves Simcoe would raid a patriot safehouse in Meigs Harbor, Connecticut. Townsend may have dabbled in journalism himself, which gave him a perfect excuse to spend long hours picking up information. In 1778, he was . Together, they had 11 children. The intelligence provided by the Culper Ring prevented what might have been a terrible disaster, and was one of its most important triumphs. Anna Strong (Heather Lind) We know she lived in Setauket until her death at age 72 on Aug. 12, 1812 (coincidentally exactly 205 years before the Turn series finale). [5] Culper to Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge, November 23, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. Despite its inaccuracies, TURN: Washingtons Spies is an entertaining yet fitting tribute to the brave operatives of the Culper Ring, and shows just how dangerous and critically important their jobs were. Woodhull decided to have Baker as his second for the duel, and he met Simcoe on a small patch of land at a creek. Rose, Alexander. I hope that one day, the Lord willing, you will grow up to be a man. Abraham "Abe" Woodhull, known also by his spy alias of Samuel Culpeper and Samuel Culper, his chosen version of the alias, is a New York farmer that went on to become a spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Woodhull was forced to work by himself, and he attempted to plant evidence for Major Hewlett so that it would appear as if he had made a discovery of some of the Sons of Liberty's activities. 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. Theyre both economical and practical, especially for a large middle or working-class family. And dont worry well be discussing plenty of military details here on the blog soon enough. He said the man who placed the Phrygian cap on the Liberty Pole at King's College back in 1773 (referring to himself), as his actions lead to his brother's death; this was his way of telling Anna about what happened that led to their engagement being broken. 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. 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 Brewsters job to sail across the Sound, retrieve Woodhulls communications from their hiding spot, and return the missives to Tallmadge in Rebel-held Connecticut. Hewlett decided to send the accused to HMS Jersey in lieu of hanging, although this was effectively a death sentence due to the poor conditions there. Colonel John Graves Simcoe, commander of the Loyalist Queens American Rangers, promptly launched a raid to grab the spy. Woodhull later returned to his home, only to find his wife confronting him after she found out about his spy involvement. I saw an old friend today. Woodhull told Hewlett that Tallmadge would withdraw if the 8 prisoners were exchanged for the captured redcoats, and he eventually negotiated the release of all of the prisoners unconditionally after a rebellious Simcoe killed one of the hostages in an attempt to provoke an attack on the church. Later in their encounter, Simcoe challenged him to a duel, and Woodhull decided to accept before Ensign Baker arrived and rescued him from Simcoe and his men. Caleb escaped, and Abraham decided to continue passing information to the patriots. Unfortunately, several British officers decided to billet at Woodhulls farm at the same time and a violent storm prevented Brewster from retrieving Tallmadge. Thanks for reading and commenting, and enjoy researching! [4] In November he reported how Loyalist units were scouring local farms for wood and livestock. [15] Tallmadge assigned Townsend the alias Samuel Culper Junior.. [7] Tallmadge added two couriers to the operation to speed the reports from New York City to Setauket. ), American frontier soldier who raised and commanded a militia force, known as Rogerss Rangers, which won wide repute during the French and Indian War (175463). He had three children with his wife Mary, lived prosperously as a Suffolk County judge, and died in 1826. I know versions of his diary exist elsewhere, but the war time entries can be found, Thank you for sharing that, Adam. [5] According to some reports, he had been deprived of medical care and food and suffered an agonizing death on September 20, 1776,[2] and Abraham Woodhull was inflamed against the British by that event. Whatever tactic the major used, Woodhull accepted the offer. with his son William Tallmadge. Upon hearing of Woodhulls rumored espionage, Simcoe marched his Rangers into Setauket and proceeded to raid the Woodhull household. Continental Army Major Benjamin Tallmadge began working with Abraham Woodhull in the summer of 1778 at the height of the Revolutionary War to provide Washington information on British Army operations in their headquarters in New York City. Later in 1776, Richard Woodhull asked his son to come with him to test his bartering skills for a deal with Colonel Jonathan Cook, the head of the commissary in New York City. Benedict Arnold. British forces on Manhattan obtained much of their supplies from the farms of Long Island, which meant that Woodhull could travel regularly to New York, ostensibly to sell his goods but really to observe military activities. It was in October 1778, when Woodhull toured British-held New York City and its environs, observing Crown military activities. Anna left with him, ostensibly to petition for Selah Strong's release from the HMS Jersey; Abraham would supposedly sell some cauliflower to the British. The officer was angered by this, and he told Abraham that he should leave. Was Abraham Woodhulls father a loyalist? [23] Culper to Tallmadge, February 21, 1783, GW Papers, accessed April 27 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. Nevertheless, he continued to send letters to Washington, informing of anything of importance he came across. Granted, this particular anachronism is a small detail that is (like little Thomas baby couture) not hugely integral to the larger storyline of TURN. When Woodhull and Anna were finally able to go to New York, Woodhull and Anna shared a room together, and Woodhull and Anna had an argument about the cancellation of their engagement, with Abraham refusing to tell her about his brother's death. . 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. Abraham Woodhull was a main spy in the Culper Spy Ring. Gen. Charles Scott, added their own comments and couriers then sped the messages to Washington at Continental Army headquarters in New Jersey. 72years (17401812)Anna Strong / Age at death. Thomas "Sprout" Woodhull (died August 24, 1814) was the son of Culper Ring spy and farmer Abraham Woodhull . Abraham socialized with Andre and the British officers before he snuck into an officer's room where Anna was about to lay with the officer and steal his book (which contained coded messages). 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. Where your own reasoning forges your path rather than blindly following others. Robert Townsend went into business with his brother Solomon, but the business failed, and Townsend never got back on his feet. [9][10], Woodhull married his friend Mary Smith in 1781 and had three children with her. The correspondence between the general and Tallmadge shows that Washington often relied heavily on Culper Ring information during times of crisis. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Great article. Under the system that Tallmadge designed, Woodhull travelled to New York every few weeks on business, mixed with Crown soldiers, listened for news, and observed activities. Abraham Woodhull, spy for General George Washington, nearly got himself hanged on one of his first missions. Was is from Morton Pennypacker? They continued their march across the Sound, spilling over onto Long Island and into Setauket. Later, petition signer Moses Paine decided to turn in the petition, saying that he was drunk when he signed it, giving Hewlett a list of patriots; he proceeded to have those men rounded up and arrested along with Paine himself. While there, he had a conversation with two Hessians making sauerkraut at their campfire, and they let him try their food. I knew I had to do this for you. He had an older brother, Thomas.In his youth, Abe made friends with Caleb Brewster and Benjamin Tallmadge. Abraham Woodhull (7 October 1750 - 23 January 1826) was the leader of the Culper Ring network under the alias Samuel Culper, Sr. during the American Revolutionary War. [11] He held a few minor political appointments, including magistrate in Suffolk County, New York, from 1799 to 1810. A number of close calls with British authorities had made both Woodhull and Robert Townsend jumpy. [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. http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-monmouth.htm, https://spycurious.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/lieutenant-colonel-richard-hewlett-the-loyal-est-loyalist/, http://www.longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I0519&tree=Woodhull, https://allthingsliberty.com/2014/05/abraham-woodhull-the-spy-named-samuel-culper/. Ben says this fight is for freedom. While in the city, he was able to observe naval strength, troop numbers, and glean potentially important information by eavesdropping on the conversations of British soldiers. When Abraham returned, it took the help of a friend of the Woodhulls, a generals adjutant, to assure Simcoe that Abraham was a proper Loyalist. Sometimes historians give the Culper Ring credit for discovering Benedict Arnold was a traitor. Woodhull and Strong must accomplish this right underneath the noses of the British soldiers occupying their hometown, as well as Woodhulls Loyalist father. We work with various museums, historical societies and media outlets around the world. He died in 1835. A young man who I have known since I was only a few years older than you are now. The incident struck fear into Townsends heart, as it demonstrated just how easy it was to be captured. network. TURN: Washington's Spies: Created by Craig Silverstein. Those knickers were adorable, I want the sewing pattern for them anyone have any ideas where / how I can get one? Aliased Samuel Culper, Jr., Townsend gave Woodhull a reliable source within the city itself, and made his job much easier. However, he was arrested by British troops and thrown in prison by Inspector-General Joseph Innes, who believed that he was spying for the rebels. His cousin, General Nathaniel Woodhull, Woodhull, in turn, promptly involved Townsend, who reinforced his cover by writing pro-Tory articles for the Royal Gazette. Yes, a gown, as in a dress. Sometimes boys even wore stays, too. Additionally, you can browse through a slideshow of primary source images concerning children and babies over at the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center. Abraham Woodhull was a farmer in the town of Setauket on Long Island's North Shore. [2] His parents were Judge Richard Woodhull and Mary Woodhull (ne Smith).[3]. 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. The loss of his cousin deeply affected Woodhull, who was a somewhat introspective, sensitive character, and he secretly hated the British for what he believed was his cousins unnecessarily brutal demise. Woodhull became involved in the revolution around the same time, with Anna convincing him that he should side with the patriots against the British. [] and visually busy spectacle. Anna decided to cover up the whole event by burning down the house, saying that Baker had been killed by retreating patriots while defending the house as they looted it, and that the family would move into Whitehall with Judge Woodhull like they should have long before. While I am caught in the middle of a war I hope will be over soon, I can only hope we are on the side of right and good. The rumor fell upon the ears of a certain Queens Rangers captain by the name of John Graves Simcoe. Woodhull was a descendant of Richard Lawrence Woodhull, a wealthy settler of Setauket, and was also related to New York militia Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull. A Letter From Abraham Woodhull to His Son Thomas is an entry from the Turn: Washington's Spies official site. As I write this letter you are upstairs in your mothers arms, sleeping peacefully. dying light all developer blueprints locations,