Abraham Woodhull was born in 1750 in Setauket, a town on Long Island, New York. Captain Thomas Woodhull (1746 - 1773) was a British Army officer who served in the King's Militia, the son of Richard Woodhull and Rebecca Woodhull and the brother of Abraham Woodhull. On a somewhat more practical level I also adjust the contrast on the images, which makes the handwriting more clear. I understand why they didnt opt for historical accuracy on this one, but boys wearing gowns as children is one of my favorite Colonial oddities and I wished they had included it. Townsend also owned a share of a coffee house popular with British officers operated by James Rivington, printer of the Loyalist Royal Gazette. At the inn, he helped a Spanish man win at a game of checkers, and the man told him that some sailors were building ships at the west wharf, making life hard for merchants; Woodhull decided to investigate. Abraham went as a guest of Cook, and Anna later infiltrated the party while disguised as a prostitute. His fears were eased when Woodhull sent him a report in November 1778 that provided almost exact figures of British troop strength in New York. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Woodhull served as a lieutenant in the Suffolk County, New York, militia in the fall of 1775 but resigned after a few months. Neither man recorded the details of their meeting but we can make some inferences by the result. 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. 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. This week I was reviewing Muster, Payrolls and List of Effectives for Capt Gross Scruggs company of the Fifth Virginia. He traveled regularly from Setauket to Manhattan, ostensibly to visit his sister. A Letter From Abraham Woodhull to His Son Thomas is an entry from the Turn: Washington's Spies official site. [11] Culper to Tallmadge, April 101779, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. How did the Culper Spy Ring work? One of the facts he provided was that a spy ring was operating on Long Island, and before long suspected spies were being arrested throughout the area. Those knickers were adorable, I want the sewing pattern for them anyone have any ideas where / how I can get one? Brother of Mary (Woodhull) Arthur and . The intelligence provided by the Culper Ring prevented what might have been a terrible disaster, and was one of its most important triumphs. Brewster told Woodhull that his encounter with him in Connecticut was the first part of the test to see if Woodhull was fit to join the patriots, and Tallmadge's interrogation was the second part of the test. For boys, this was often a celebrated childhood milestone. (LogOut/ Son: Thomas 'Sprout' Woodhull: General Information. Abraham Woodhull: The Spy Named Samuel Culper. Journal of the American Revolution, 19 May 2014. In order to spy against the British, Woodhull needed to enter New York City with Anna, whom he would claim was his wife. The ink was a solution developed by John Jays brother, Sir James Jay. Washingtons Spies: The Story of Americas First Spy Ring. Except what he should be wearing at that tender age is a gown. The near-miss left him shaken, but he was compelled to find another way to continue spying. Woodhull continued to report on the location of British ships and troops, but Townsend eventually took note of the fact that Woodhull was writing secret messages on the brown eggs and not white ones. I had to help win this fight. Presbyterian Church-Setauket, Setauket- East Setauket, NYAbraham Woodhull / Place of burialSetauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground, also known as First Presbyterian Church of Brookhaven, is a historic Presbyterian church and cemetery at 5 Caroline Avenue in the hamlet of Setauket, Suffolk County, New York. Woodhull and the Culper Ring continued spying until the war's official end in 1783, although it appears they did not gather much useful intelligence during their final years. Woodhull was tortured, being thrown in a cage with patriots; he did not disclose his true loyalties, and he was beaten and hated by the imprisoned patriots. Woodhull returned to Anna and told him of this, and Anna told him that Selah had died of dysentery on the Jersey two months earlier; however, Robert Rogers had bribed the captain of the ship to say that Selah had died and that Samuel Tallmadge, Benjamin Tallmadge's deceased brother, was the one who survived. [3] Washington to Brig. http://allthingsliberty.com/2014/03/james-rivington-kings-printer-patriot-spy/. A number of close calls with British authorities had made both Woodhull and Robert Townsend jumpy. Abraham negotiated that his father could sell his hogs for 7 pounds each, saying that Cook could make an extra profit by giving the quartermaster the required 20 hogs and some more hogs to other merchants, which would benefit Cook. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. I was just wondering. 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. [7] Tallmadge added two couriers to the operation to speed the reports from New York City to Setauket. He died two years later, on 23 January 1826. However, because his friend Selah Strong was imprisoned after getting into a fight with British officer Charles Joyce with Woodhull in attendance, Woodhull was one of the suspects in Joyce's murder when he turned up dead with his throat slit in Lewis Field, as was Anna Strong, Selah's wife and Woodhull's former fiancee. For the first few years of a childs life in the late 18th century, regardless of gender, he or she would wear a gown, a loose-fitting garment that could be tied, pinned, or buttoned shut. He hardly ever spoke of his work as a spy. Suddenly the door to his room flung open and two people burst into his room. Gen. Charles Scott, added their own comments and couriers then sped the messages to Washington at Continental Army headquarters in New Jersey. 2022-07-02. memorial page for Abraham Woodhull (7 Oct 1750-23 Jan 1826), Find a Grave . And the different writing styles of the Culper agents becomes apparant after reading a lot of the correspondence. Certainly they had an emotional reunion and talked about the rebellion. 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. If Woodhull and Townsend were exhausted they remained dedicated and efficient. [15] Tallmadge assigned Townsend the alias Samuel Culper Junior.. It was an extraordinary and risky offer both men knew that spying could be a short path to a hanging. In the summer of 1778, the need arose for a Rebel spy network in New York City, the site of the British Armys continental headquarters. 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. He filed his last intelligence report, not written in code but still signed with the alias Samuel Culper, on February 21, 1783, while the British planned the wars closing act, the evacuation of New York City. Woodhull was one of Washington's spies during the revolutionary war. Abraham Woodhull Courier route to and from General Washington's Headquarters Courier route across Long Island Sound Courier route from New York City to Setauket Route used by Culper Ring members to send intelligence from New York City to General Washington's headquarters in downstate New York and New Jersey. In return, Tallmadge proposed to Woodhull that he start spying for the Continental Army; Woodhull agreed, and Tallmadge received approval from Washington. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Poster: Abraham Lincoln, With His Son Tad (Thomas) Leaning On A Table, 1865 at the best online prices at eBay! Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The Culper intelligence allowed Washington to arrange countermoves, and the episode was one of the Rings greatest successes. Anna married a wealthy patriot named Selah Strong, an especially unlucky choice once Selah was sent to . Throughout history once the conflict is over, the perceived value of infantrymen and intelligence agents are always called into question. Im sure you know that the value of intelligence is often intangible, and therefore not always apparant until viewed with the benefit of hindsight. 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. [9] Culper to Scott, October 31, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. When you are that man, I want nothing more than a future for you where you are able to live, love and be free. Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Death 2 Characters met 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. Major Edmund Hewlett was in fact named Richard Hewlett, and he was actually married during the entirety of the war, and he and his wife had eleven children; there is no evidence of a relationship between him and Anna Strong either. Later that day, 22 August 1777, Benjamin Tallmadge raided Setauket to free his father and the other accused townspeople, taking over the town. Abraham's wife Mary convinced him that he had to shoot the courier, Corporal Eastin (the man who had been sent to escort Woodhull to New York previously), and not kill Hewlett as he had planned to do. Caleb Brewster joined what is today the Coast Guard in 1793, retired in 1816, and died in 1827. He had three children with his wife Mary, lived prosperously as a Suffolk County judge, and died in 1826. Woodhull became one of Washingtons best spies, knowing all the while that he was one step away from a noose. Later that day, Abraham decided to head to King's College to visit the spot where his brother had been killed in a 1773 riot after Woodhull put a Phrygian cap on top of the Liberty Pole there. Tallmadge and his commander, Brig. 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. If so, how did this myth get created? His wife Mary died in 1806, and in 1824, he remarried. Abraham Woodhull/Parents Background. The Culper spy ring proved to be a vital part of General Washingtons intelligence network, keeping him informed of the British Armys intentions and operations throughout the Colonies. She found out when their son Thomas had moved a floorboard, revealing a book of words and code-numbers used to represent them, a book which Caleb had given to Abraham in order to communicate without the British knowing; Caleb also told Woodhull that his alias would be "Samuel Culpeper", with Woodhull shortening it to "Culper". They did, however, take plenty of liberties with the historical facts, but on the whole, the show presents the major activities and accomplishments of the Culper Ring in a reasonably accurate manner. He was the son of a prominent judge who supported colonial independence. [2] Alexander Rose, Washingtons Spies: the Story of Americas first Spy Ring (New York: Bantam Dell, 2006), 74, 84-87. Woodhull refused to give any names to the Congress, and he found out that his interrogator was Benjamin Tallmadge, another childhood friend who had joined a regiment of Connecticut dragoons in the Continental Army. The patriots withdrew from Setauket, but Anna decided to leave Selah's side and stay in Setauket to help Abraham. Lydia Darragh - Lydia spied on British officers who met in her home to discuss battle plans. . Abraham Woodhull is the American's lone productive spy in 1777 New York, but did we see a glimpse of his bloody fate? [18] John Bolton to Washington, May 8, 1780, GW Papers, accessed April 19, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. Under the alias "Samuel Culper Jr.," Townsend sent information by courier to Woodhulls farm in Setauket. [5] Culper to Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge, November 23, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov.