The Culper Ring: The History and Legacy of the Revolutionary War’s Most Famous Spy Ring

by Charles River Editors

*Includes correspondence between the spy ring and explains the results of their activities *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents After the siege of Boston forced the British to evacuate that city in March 1776, Continental Army commander George Washington suspected that the British would move by sea to New York City, the next logical target in an attempt to end a colonial insurrection. He thus rushed his army south to defend the city. Washington guessed correctly, but it would be to no avail. Unlike Boston, New York City's terrain featured few defensible positions. The city lacked a high point from which to launch a siege, as the peninsula of Boston was fortunate to have. Moreover, Washington wasn't sure defending the city was necessary, hoping that an expedition launched toward Quebec like the one Benedict Arnold had led in late 1775 would keep the British away from New York anyway. However, Congress thought otherwise, and demanded that Washington defend New York. Washington thus did what he was told, and it nearly resulted in the army’s demise. In the summer of 1776, the British conducted the largest amphibious expedition in North America’s history at the time, landing over 20,000 troops on Long Island. British General William Howe, who had led the British at Bunker Hill and would later become commander in chief of the armies in North America, easily captured Staten Island, which Washington was incapable of defending without a proper navy. Washington’s army attempted to fight, but Washington was badly outmaneuvered, and his army was nearly cut off from escape. The withdrawal across New York City was enormously disorderly, with many of Washington's troops so scared that they deserted. Others were sick as a result of the dysentery and smallpox plaguing the Continental Army in New York. In what was arguably the worst defeat of the Revolution, Washington was ashamed, and he also felt betrayed, by both his troops and Congress. However, unbeknownst to nearly everyone, Washington had some men remain active in New York the now famous Culper Ring, one of the Revolution’s first major intelligence efforts. The ring consisted mostly of a group of civilians in and around New York City who spied on the British forces and Loyalist Americans and reported what they saw and overheard ultimately to Washington, who took a personal, hands-on approach to their management. After modern histories brought their story more fully to light, these spies have since become the subject (with the historical facts somewhat altered) of a recent hit television show, Washington’s Spies. Without question, the relatively little-known clandestine actions of these patriotic men and women contributed to the eventual victory of the long struggle for American independence, and several good books cover part or all of the history of the Culper Ring. However, the main sources consist of the correspondence, much of which has somehow survived, between the members of the ring and their military handlers. Like other spy tales, theirs is a story of courage fraught with constant suspense at being found out and facing a caught spy’s usual fate of imprisonment and execution. Indeed, around the time the ring was being organized, America’s most famous spy, Nathan Hale, had been caught with maps of British positions on Long Island in his possession and had been summarily hanged. The Culper The History and Legacy of the Revolutionary War’s Most Famous Spy Ring profiles the members of the ring and their activities. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Culper Ring like never before, in no time at all.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, American Revolution, American Revolutionary War

48 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2015

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great overview of a very interesting spy group. Full of first-hand accounts and solid facts, I found it a better starting place than most to learn about this amazing group. I recommend this to those who love history

[Lennon Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a good quick summary of who the Culper Ring was and what activities they were conducting during the American Revolution. I knocked it down a star because of the quite substantial spelling and general editing errors that indicate this work was probably rushed out to capitalize on the popularity of Turn AMC. For a freebie it’s fine, but if you desire more knowledge on this topic I recommend purchasing a more extensive written work.

[Clems · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book for my Master's thesis on US Intelligence during the American Revolution. It was extremely useful as it allowed me to have an insight on the Culper Ring. I honestly am so very fascinated by these figures, especially Robert Townsend, who wished to remain undisturbed forever.

[Elyse Welles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary Details to Whet the Appetite

So many details of the Culper Ring are included here in a concise manner that leads the reader to greater interests and bigger books. I highly recommend starting with this book if you are interested in the Culpers, it has all the theories categorized and tells you the evidence or lack there of that we have for what we know, which I really appreciated. If you’re going to Long Island, this is a must read!!

[Pegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've started watching the TV series "Turn" and I wanted to bone up on the history. It was a good book for that. It gives an overview of the Culper Ring without wading into the details. If you just want that level of understanding, it's very good. If you want deeper details and more meat on the bone, this book can still be a place to start your research.

[Tyler B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read

Good to get the historical side of the show. Easy to read, but not as in depth as I thought it would be.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several books on spying in the Revolution. This is a short overview of the Culpeper Ring which operated in and around NYC and is fictionalized on AMC’s Turn. Good overview of the members of the ring the function they performed for General Washington and how thy operated. Found it interesting in the afterword that almost every member of the ring lived into their late 70’s or 80’s extremely unusual for the early 1800’s.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book was informative, but poorly edited. There were several spelling and grammatical errors for a book with less than 50 pages. The information and its delivery was well done - I read this one night while unable to sleep. Also, it contains links and references to other resources if you wish to continue learning about the subject.

[Chrissie MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

A great source as a companion for the show Turn on Netflix. I was pleasantly surprised on how much I liked the show. I have never been very interested in that time period. Now, I can't get can't get enough about the American Revolution. This book gave the facts behind the show. I'm glad that I read it. It was short and to the point.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Culper Ring: Revolutionary War’s Spy Ring

The Culper ring was the first group in the American colonial history that added a new dementia to the war effort for freedom. This group is mentioned by a former CIA agent to the things that the Culper Ring used which are still used today in the spy craft. The book is well worth the time to read it.

[gwen graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative

I love history and this book has insight to the spies of the revolutionary war. I had watched Turn, the tv drama about Culper and wanted to know more about the real story behind the show. This book was very informative on that level.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of an extended blog than a history book

This Charles Rivers book, the first that I’ve read, is really more of a lengthy series of blog posts than a history book. It is a good quick read to rapidly digest the broad strokes of the Culper Ring.

[Rap. Poliakof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not engrossing.

If you are more of a 'technical historian' you would probably like it more. Clean style,no over selling or over dramatization. But a bit too much work for easy reading.

[Patsy Hancock · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast and easy read about the early spies. If you're not into reading a large history book, this book is for you. If you want more information, there is a nice bibliography in the back. This publication would be very good for young readers taking an American history class.

[Alissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short summary of the Revolutionary War spies known as the Culper Ring. I really need to pay more attention to page count. Only 44 pages, but luckily it was included with Amazon Prime.
Several typos and some awkward wording that sometimes had me rereading sentences just to understand what was being said.

[Matthew Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Good bit of quick reading. If you like history or like the revolutionary war you will enjoy reading this book.

[Mike Fahmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, great info!

Lots of great info about the spy ring that helped win independence. Any fan of history or the revolutionary war would enjoy this story.

[Patsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read to help me get the background info of the tv program, Turn. The book just gives the basics. I would like to have had a little more.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not waste your time -- very superficial treatment of a very important time in American history.

[Matthew Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad read

Interesting read about an, often overlooked, facet in the American Revolution which played an underrated part in the American Revolution

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty short.

[Andie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and a quick read.

[Sarah Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice read

Helped me fall asleep for a week. Has some great information that was quite interesting. I will read it again.

[MayorTurnsPages · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was this publication ever proofread? There are so many spelling and grammatical errors.

[Jean Marie Angelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read and a good overview on the members of Washington’s spy ring.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice overview of the Culper Ring and the difficulties the members faced in trying to get timely information to Washington.

[Jamie Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Read of Early US History

Decent overview of some of the lesser known part of early American history. While brief, it it's a good starting point to learn about the Culper Ring.

[Jessna Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very vague on names and dates despite having pieces of letters being included.

[Syndi Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!

Very interesting if you enjoy history! I love history and found this book to be short but very easy to read and follow!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short summary of the infamous spy ring