Revolutionary War Spies

Spies in the Revolutionary War

Why Have Spies?

• The American Revolution was not really a fair fight.

• In the 18th Century, the British Army was the greatest fighting force in the world.

• They had plenty of food, training, weapons, ammunition, shoes, and everything else they needed.

• The Continental Army, on the other hand, was underfunded, undersupplied, and lacked training

• To make up for what the patriot army lacked, spying became an absolute necessity.

Multiple Choice

Why was spying necessary for the Continental Army?

• To make up for what the patriots lacked in supplies & military skills

• To practice their stealth skills
• To organize social events for morale
• To bake cookies for the soldiers

Who Could Be A Spy?

• Anyone could serve as a spy during the American Revolution.

• Women and children were often successful spies because the British did not suspect that they were capable of spying.

• During the 18th Century, the act of spying was viewed as dirty and distasteful, so anyone who didn’t "look" like a spy was usually able to listen in and pass on information undetected.

• Civilians were found to be the best spies because they could escape suspicion. After all, who would suspect an old lady of spying?

Multiple Choice

What types of people could be spies?

• Women

• Children

• An Old Lady

• All of the Above

Multiple Choice

Why did regular people make the best spies?

• Regular people are too busy with their daily lives to be effective spies.
• Regular people are always under surveillance.
• Regular people have advanced training in spying.

• Regular people are less likely to attract suspicion & blend in easily.

Spy Techniques

• Spies gathered intelligence and passed messages using many different techniques.

• They had to be creative and think outside of the box to escape suspicion.

• Code Letters: Code letters and their keys would be moved separately to ensure that an intercepted letter would not be useable by the enemy.

• Invisible Ink: Spies often wrote regular, innocent-looking letters with regular ink and placed messages in invisible ink between the lines.

Spy Techniques

• Mask Letters: Spies wrote what looked like regular letters but when a "mask" was placed over them it revealed a secret message.

• Clothesline Code: Sending messages using everyday items, like clothing drying on a clothesline, was an ingenious way to pass messages.

• Clothesline codes could be used in broad daylight and in plain sight of the British Army.

Spy Techniques

• Mail: Mail was even used to the advantage of spies. Letters were passed from town to town on horseback and there was no security to speak of.

• Washington was known to pass incorrect information through the mail when it would be likely that the British would intercept his letters.

Multiple Select

What were 2 of the spy techniques used during the Revolutionary War?

• Invisible ink

• Clothes Line Codes

• Intercepting carrier pigeons
• Hiding messages in food supplies

Poll

Which Spy Technique do you think was the most effective?

• Code Letters

• Mask Letters

• Invisible Ink

• Clothesline Code

• Mail

Dangers of Spying

• The penalty for spying was execution.

• Both the British and the Continental Army executed spies.

• One of the most known cases against the Continental Army involved Benedict Arnold.

• Arnold was a brilliant general & highly respected for his service to the patriot cause.

• However he turned against the patriots and began spying against them for the British.

• The British paid him for spying.

• Today the name Benedict Arnold has become a synonym for a traitor to one’s country.

Multiple Choice

What was the greatest danger to being a spy during the Revolutionary War?

• Being executed

• Getting lost

• Running out of supplies

• Being poisoned

George Washington: Spymaster

• Washington was convinced that the Revolution could not be won strictly through military maneuvers and skill.

• To increase the Continental Army’s chances of success, he created an organized spy network.

• Because spying was an incredibly dangerous undertaking, Washington chose to keep the identities of most spies anonymous.

• One fantastic example of this is the Culper Spy Ring.

Multiple Choice

What was the name of Washington's Spy Network?

• The Liberty Circle

• The Culper Ring

• The Revolutionary Loop

• The Freedom Band

Poll

Would you have been a spy for the patriots?

• Yes

• No