Revolutionary Spies: Intelligence and Espionage in America's First War

by Tim McNeese

Spies for America

The American Revolution was unprecedented in the history of mankind. Never before had a democratically organized people rose up against and defeated a European empire. Not surprisingly, then, its history is filled with dramatic moments, from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the battles of Bunker Hill and Fort Ticonderoga and the British surrender at Yorktown.
 
But some of the more fascinating events of the Revolution took place out of the spotlight, in the shadow world of spies. The leader of the Continental Army, George Washington, had learned the importance of espionage while on intelligence missions for the British during the French and Indian War. Washington knew that to counterbalance the larger, better-trained and better-equipped British Army, his forces would need every bit of intelligence they could scrape together. To that end, he enlisted scores of rebel operatives to work as code makers and to carry out dangerous missions as spies and couriers.
 
In Revolutionary Spies , historian Tim McNeese tells the stories of the brave and daring men and women who constituted Washington’s intelligence networks, such as the Boston-area Mechanics (whose numbers included Paul Revere) and the famous Culper Ring. McNeese also includes portraits of well-known double agents, traitors, and overseas operatives such as Dr. Benjamin Church, Benedict Arnold, and Benjamin Franklin. Additionally, the book examines code-making methods and how the espionage techniques utilized by Washington’s networks prefigured those still in use by the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency.
 
Vividly written and filled with dramatic and little-known historical vignettes, Revolutionary Spies tells the story of the American Revolution in a completely new way.

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

296 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2015

About the author

The author of over 100 books for children, middle-grade, high school, and college readers, Tim McNeese focuses on historical themes ranging from American history to the history of Western civilization. His works are written typically to enhance the classroom learning experience. McNeese's books deal with elements of history from battles to presidents, as well as methods of transport and construction. He has also written more than a dozen biographies on historical figures from Marco Polo to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. His seven-volume "American Timeline" books, twelve-volume "A History of Civilization," books, and seven-volume "The American Experience" books are all published by Milliken and are used in classrooms across the country. McNeese has also published with several other publishers in both the United States and Great Britain. A former teacher of history at the middle school and high school levels, and currently a college professor, McNeese brings the training of a professional researcher and educator to his books, which are known for their accuracy of detail and use of contemporary materials and eyewitness accounts.

"I have formed a career around both teaching and writing," says McNeese. "Though sometimes requiring a tricky balance of time, energy, and resources, I enjoy both profoundly and receive a great deal of satisfaction from each. It has provided many payoffs for me, both personal and professional. Although I am currently teaching college students, writing for a younger audience has remained important to me. I found my niche writing for the middle grade and high school crowd a long time ago, and I have no intention of abandoning them any time soon. I get a personal kick out of knowing I am writing books that introduce young, eager students to their first taste of subjects ranging from the Great Wall of China to nineteenth-century stagecoaches."

McNeese was born in Nebraska in 1953, and received his college education at York College in Nebraska, Harding University in Arkansas, and at Missouri State University, where he earned a master's degree in history in 1981. His writing has earned him a citation in the library reference work Contemporary Authors and multiple citations in Best Books for Young Teen readers.

He began his teaching career in 1976; ten years later he wrote his first history books for young readers, the "American Timeline" books, targeted at grades seven to nine, including individual titles such as Settlements, 1607-1755. In 1993, after he had begun teaching at the college level, he produced eight titles in the "Americans on the Move" series for Crestwood House. This middle grade series traces the development of different modes of eighteenth-and nineteenth-century transport in the United States, from canal traffic and stagecoaches to turnpikes. Blending black-and-white illustration with informative text, McNeese is "especially good at choosing incidents and anecdotes to illustrate these brief histories," according to Joyce Adams Burner in a School Library Journal review of America's First Railroads and other books in the series. Burner further praised the books as "well organized, and . . . useful for reports." In America's Early Canals, McNeese serves up an introduction to several of these, such as the Potomac Canal, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and the Erie Canal, providing interesting facts about who built the passageways and how boats moved along their waters. Reviewing both America's Early Canals and From Trails to Turnpikes, Booklist's Carolyn Phelan found that both titles "offer useful information about aspects of early American travel."

Similarly, McNeese investigates great feats of construction through the ages in the "Building History" series, including the titles The Panama Canal, The Great Wall of China, The New York Subway System, and The Pyramids at Giza. While many history books for younger readers focus on the political machinations behind such monuments, McNeese con

Reviews

[A R Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The circle of spies that became the Culper Ring was, at its center, a circle of friends.”

“One may only hope that, despite the march of international terrorism and other foreign intrigues that represent existential threats to America, the work carried out by the nation’s intelligence services will help keep alive the nation’s ideals of freedom, allowing the legacy of those American Patriots of centuries past-including those who first spied for their young country-to remain alive, perhaps representing the last great hope for the world and its future.”


It took me four years to finish this book, lol. Not for lack of interest, but quite a bit happened during these past four years.
This book is, essentially, a history book on the birth of espionage in America. It is a great read, but also a heavy one. The author pulls back the curtain on clandestine affairs throughout the Revolutionary War. Some things you may know from brief mentions in history books growing up, but there is still quite a bit I did not know. Details that went hidden or unnoticed. George Washington wasn’t just a great general of the war, but one of the best spymasters of our espionage age.

This book is also a great resource to pull from for those who are writing historical fiction. There are detailed facts, dates and codes they used during their active time as agents. There is also a great untold story with Agent 355🤔 it made my writer brain run wild for sure!

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a solid read. I enjoyed the Secret Six section the most as the narrative was much longer and allowed me to get more invested. Prior to that, there was a bit too much jumping around between short spy stories.

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is heavily sourced from the John Bakeless book Turncoats, Traitors and Heroes and the Alexander Rose book, Washington's Spies. So, if you have read those this book will likely not break any new ground for you. A nice addition to this volume are the color images included throughout. There are too many typos and factual errors. I'm not sure if these are due to the writer or the editor - perhaps there was no editor. Here are a few examples of the errors. On page 123, a portrait of John Jay which appears on p.122 is credited to "Stuart Gilbert" rather than Gilbert Stuart. On p. 269, "On November 24, 1781 (Robert) Townsend married. On p. 275 "He (Robert Townsend) didn't marry, but may have fathered a child by his French-Canadian housekeeper."

[Marc Pressley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author presents a good introduction to Revolutionary War intelligence and counterintelligence. I found the layout occasionally confusing, especially where callouts sometimes preceded the stories they reference. Also, there were some inconsistencies and factual errors that should have been caught before going to print. One glaring error was describing the Battle of King's Mountain as a battle between Greene and Cornwallis. Neither was there. King's Mountain was a confrontation between regional militias.

That being said, I found the book overall to be an enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to reading several of the books cited in the bibliography to get more of an in-depth perspective on the topic.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book well written and an enjoyable read. With many color pictures, as well as call out boxes and maps, there is plenty in this book to capture your attention and engage your mind. I learned so much more than I ever had before about the behind the scenes machinations of the Revolutionary War. I recommend this book to all history lovers.

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read on the spies under Washington. It was well written and a fun read though a large section of the book was repeated information that I read in Washington's spies. I especially liked the interesting little tidbits that added to the story.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part were the little snippets inside the chapters. A nice read.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome

I learned so much from this book. It is truly an amazing account of our glorious history. It is truly providence that we are the grand republic that we are today.

[Megan Mattichak]

Megan Mattichak
Ms. Weilnau
English 3-5
26 November 2017
Revolutionary Spies: Intelligence and Espionage in America's First War by Tim McNeese
The book Revolutionary Spies by Tim McNeese is a nonfiction book written about players from both sides of the Revolutionary War. But unlike many other books, McNeese focuses on many of the people who played behind the scenes roles- and well known figures from this war who played an even bigger part than is taught in your typical history class. McNeese explores Revolutionary spies from many different aspects, couriers, code makers, code breakers, rebel groups and government spies.
McNeese writes about several different people in his book. One of the most famous is George Washington. Though George Washington is most commonly known as the President of the United States. When thought of as a spy, people may refer to his work with the Culper Ring. But Washington himself was a spy in 1753, as McNeese writes about Washington’s journey as a British emissary. When Washington was sent over to French Territory for a political task, he also went scouting out forts, troops, weapons etc. An example on how espionage was used in a historical moment people don’t typically view of the nature.
McNeese also writes about two rebel spy groups- The Culper Ring and The Mechanics. The Culper Ring, founded by Benjamin Tallmadge in Long Island, is one of the most notorious spy groups of all the Revolutionary War. They are considered one of the most efficient spy groups at obtaining intelligence. The group mainly consisted of six men who worked behind enemy lines (the British as this was a spy organization directed by George Washington,) and passed back information on key British troop movements, fortifications and plans in New York and the surrounding region to Washington. This made it easier for the Patriot army to defend their forts, and defeat the British in many battles, ultimately helping to bring a victory to the Patriots at the end of the war.
The Mechanics, led by famous Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere, was a Boston based spy ring also known as the Liberty Boys. This spy ring unlike the Culper Ring and many other spy rings, were not secretive. There were many members, and all members knew who the other members were and what “missions” they were carrying out. They were also not government orchestrated. They often “spied” by getting British soldiers drunk in taverns in Boston, and then eased information out of them that they later passed on. They talked to slaves, wives and servants of these British soldier to see what information they could take out of them.
Another chapter of McNeese’s book is dedicated to Dr. Benjamin Church, one of the most infamous traitors of the Revolutionary War. Church was a member of the Sons of Liberty, and as a graduate of Harvard College and Boston Latin School, was one of the most educated and decorated members as he was also a surgeon. He used these talents to write many documents for the Sons of Liberty. But also conspired and wrote documents for the British as well. Despite suspicions from members of the Sons of Liberty like Paul Revere, Church became highly decorated and was a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, the Continental Congress and was appointed Surgeon-General and the Director of Hospitals. Despite being typically meticulous and writing in code, and using a intricate plan of delivering messages, Church grew careless and used a prostitute to deliver some of his tips. These tips were never delivered, and instead landed in the hands of the Patriot army. Church’s codes were translated and he was arrested and charged with treason.
Though this book isn’t like the books I typically read, I enjoyed reading it. I enjoy reading history, fictional and nonfictional, though Revolutionary War history is easier to read when it is nonfictional for me. I appreciated that this book took the Revolutionary War from many different perspectives I typically don’t read about, and I was able to learn new names, facts and timelines that I never knew. Military strategies and actual war is not typically my favorite thing to read about, I much rather prefer to read on political affairs, espionage and its use in the Revolutionary War was quite fascinating to learn about.
This book doesn’t have one word that could describe its theme, but I would consider that the theme of this book is to educate on the unknown of the Revolutionary War (espionage, code-breaking, treason, etc.) McNeese writes, “I suspect that most people know little about spying during the American Revolution, with the exception of Nathan Hale, the famed American spy who was caught and hanged by the British.” McNeese takes the liberty to write about the unknown heroes, missions and groups that helped the Patriots to win the Revolutionary War (and those who used their role to hinder it.). McNeese also uses the opportunity to show that the more political side of the war isn’t boring, it’s intricate and intriguing. "It really is an involved story of secrets, cloak-and-dagger missions, coded messages, and the like; the kinds of things that we associate with spies and spying. And it’s interesting how many of the techniques used by Revolutionary War-era spies are still utilized by spies today. What’s changed largely is the element of technology.” He shows how important spying was to win the war, how the risk of spying could be much greater than fighting in battle, and how espionage helped to end the Revolutionary War.

[Lisa]

Great informative book on some aspects of the Revolutionary War that you may not know about.