Footnotes to Long Island History
Talk on Revolutionary Spies Presented at CAR Meeting
by
Thomas R. Bayles
Thomas R. Bayles was guest speaker at a recent meeting of Captain Austin
Roe society, Children of the American Revolution, held at the home of
Miss Suzanne Ditmars on Shore road. Mr. Bayles gave an extremely
interesting talk on the “American Spy System” and told of the important
Long Islanders, including Austin Roe, for whom the society is named.
Before
Mr. Bayles’ talk Miss Nancy E. Jenkins, junior president, was in charge
of a short business meeting, and the slate for the CAR convention April
20 and 21was made up. A food sale was planned for March 2 to be held at
Hugh Furman Motors on North Ocean avenue. Mrs. Walter Spavins is
chairman and Mrs. Ivor Conklin, co-chairman. Mrs. Daniel Whaley is
chairman of the grandmothers’ committee.
Said Mr. Bayles, “One of
the best kept secrets of the American Revolution was the spy system that
operated on Long Island in the interests of the Americans and furnished
General Washington with important information about the movements of the
British enemy troops.”
Following is
an account of the spy system as told by Mr. Bayles to the
Society: Based at
Setauket
This spy ring operated
from the village of Setauket and all but one of its members were
Setauket people. Major Benjamin Tallmadge was head of this organization
and reported to General George Washington. Major Tallmadge was born in
Setauket, so he turned to the Setauket people for help to organize this
spy system. For five years he and his picked men successfully operated
the spy ring under the noses of the British armies in New York City and
on Long Island and delivered a great deal of valuable information to
Gen-Washington.
News of the
British movements and plans were gathered in New York City and taken by
messenger on horseback to Setauket, where it was turned over to a second
man who in turn gave it to a third man with a boat who took it across
the Sound to Major Tallmadge’s headquarters in Connecticut. He passed it
on to General Washington, wherever he might be.
Robert
Townsend was the man who gathered the information regarding the British
in New York city. He posed as a young Tory merchant in partnership with
James Rivington and operated a coffee shop and general merchandise store
in New York city. He was a well-educated young man and soon became well
acquainted in British circles.
The man who
carried Townsend’s messages, from the city was Austin Roe, who kept a
tavern and store in Setauket. Disguised as a country merchant, he went
back back and forth from Setauket to New York city on horseback without
being deducted. When one realizes what Austin Roe had to contend with in
riding the 55 miles back and forth from Setauket to New York through
British troops who were stationed on Long Island, it is amazing what he
accomplished.
Method of Operation
If it had been possible
to follow a message from New York to Setauket one might have seen Austin
Roe enter Townsend’s coffee shop in New York, which was a signal to
Townsend that General Washington was expecting a message. Townsend paid
little attention to the order for goods that was written on the paper,
but went to a secret closet and brought out a bottle of fluid which he
brushed over the page, and soon another message sprang to light. His
reply was written in disappearing ink also. These letters have been
called by the historians “stain letters” Roe packed his saddle bags with
merchandise needed by the Setauket people and, crossing Brooklyn ferry,
set out for Setauket, arriving in time to take care of his cattle, which
were kept pastured in a field belonging to Abraham Woodhull.
The middleman
in the spy chain was Abraham Woodhull, a young farmer of Setauket, who
used his farm on Conscience bay as a base for operations. Because his
house was full of British troops he arranged for Austin Roe to pasture
his cows on his land, which gave Roe a place well-hidden behind a fence
to hide the messages he brought from New York. Woodhull then picked up
the messages and turned them over to an ex-whaler by the name of Caleb
Brewster, who carried them across the Sound in his boat to Major
Tallmadge’s headquarters. Brewster also captured several British supply
ships with his lightly-armed whaleboat, and at various times led his men
on raids across the Island, burning and wrecking anything they could
find belonging to the British.
Nancy Strong’s Part
An
interesting story concerns Ann Smith Strong (called Nancy in the spy
records). Nancy gave Austin Roe an excuse for his many trips to New York
by giving him large orders for goods, so he could ride safely past the
British troops. Since Caleb Brewster was a well-known man in Setauket,
it was not safe for him to land his boat always in the same place, so he
had six landings. Abraham Woodhull could not always know if Brewster was
in the village or at which landing place his boat was hidden, so Nancy
made it her business to keep track of him and passed this information on
to Woodhull through her clothes line. Most of the petticoats the women
wore in those days were red, so if Woodhull saw a black petticoat
hanging on her clothes line he knew Brewster was in town. Each of the
six landing places had a number and by counting the handkerchiefs
hanging on Nancy’s clothes line, he knew at which landing place
Brewster’s boat was hidden. Nancy was not discovered by the British, but
her husband, Judge Selah Strong, was arrested and thrown into one of the
worst British prison ships. His wife got permission to visit him and
took a load of food, which probably saved his life and the lives of
other prisoners. Later she secured his release.
Nancy’s place
in the spy system was an important one and she should be placed with
Colonial America’s great women.
Setauket Foils Arnold
Later
on in the war, General Benedict Arnold, who was not satisfied with the
treatment he received from the American Congress, decided to turn over
the key fort at West Point to the British. Arrangements were almost
completed when Robert Townsend discovered the plot. Word was passed on
to Austin Roe, who in turn carried it to Setauket, and from there Caleb
Brewster carried it across the Sound to Major Tallmadge. He acted fast
and captured the British spy, Major Andre, thus preventing the surrender
of West Point to the British; however, Arnold escaped. Again the course
of history was changed through the activities of the Setauket spy ring.
Robert
Townsend operated under the name of “Culper, Jr.,” and Abraham Woodhull
under the name of “Culper, Sr.” Austin Roe went by a number. Caleb
Brewster kept his own name. Major Tallmadge was “John Bolton.” Only in
recent years has the secret of the spy ring been disclosed, and even
General Washington did not know who his head men were. He had the
greatest confidence in them, however, and in 1780 wrote, “Of the Cuplers’
fidelity and ability I entertain the highest opinion.”