Introduction - Revolutionary War Spies
During the American Revolutionary War both the Americans and their British enemy utilized numerous spies and spying techniques to obtain crucial information about their opponent. Who some of these spies were and how they served their cause have been lost to history. On this page we list a few of the spies who are known to us along with a short description of each. There are links on this page to more in depth interesting facts about many of these spies; written for both kids and adults.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about Revolutionary War Spies.
List of American Revolutionary War Spies
- Benedict Arnold - is perhaps the most famous of all the American Revolutionary War spies. This traitor to America's fight for independence started off as a trusted general to George Washington but eventually started providing the British with secret military information. Before being found out to be a spy he was planning on surrendering the fort at West Point New York to the British.
- Nathan Hale Facts - was a famous American spy who was captured by the British in New York City. Before being hung by the British he is reported to have said "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country".
- Culper Spy Ring - was organized by American Major Benjamin Tallmadge. The spies supplied George Washington with crucial information about the British who were occupying New York City.
- John Andre - was a British spy captured by the Continental Army in 1780 and hung. Papers found stashed in his boot alerted the Americans that General Benedict Arnold was a traitor and planned to surrender the fort at West Point New York.
- Haym Salomon - was a Jewish immigrant who supplied George Washington with information after the Americans evacuated New York City in 1776. He was a member of the New York branch of the Sons of Liberty. He twice escaped the British after being arrested as a spy.
- James Armistead Lafayette - was a slave who acted as a spy for the French General Marquis de Lafayette who was fighting for the Americans. He supplied Lafayette information about the actions of the American traitor Benedict Arnold and British General Cornwallis.
- Lydia Darrah - supplied George Washington with crucial information about the British including a pending attack during the British occupation of Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
- Catharine Moore Barry - warned the American forces that the British Army was about to attack before the crucial Battle of Cowpens.
- Hercules Mulligan - owned a clothing shop in New York City that was frequented by British officers during their occupation of the city. On many occasions Mulligan learned from his patrons of British plans, including two to capture George Washington. He wasted no time in informing the Americans of the crucial information he obtained.
- Abraham Patten - was an American spy who was executed on June 13th of 1777 by the British.
- Daniel Bissell - pretended to be a deserter from the Continental Army and joined the British Army where he gathered important information which he passed along to George Washington.