History

My Adventure Begins


Our Tradecraft

My Story Ends

355

My Story Ends

Our group was doing quite well providing information to General Washington, but Robert wanted me to quit when he discovered we were to have a child. I felt the work I was doing was too important to walk away from. I continued on. However, my luck ran out in October 1780 when the British captured me, possibly on information handed them by Benedict Arnold when he defected. I was held prisoner on the prison ship "Jersey," where I died after giving birth to my son, Robert Townsend, Jr. I was never to see my Robert again, but I did see our son and I knew that I had helped our country on its way to freedom.

Some people might say, "You did all that and you received no recognition? You are only a number in history?" When you enter this profession, you expect no fame, and few people even know what you do to give you a thank you. Your reward is achieving the objective--in my case, helping our country gain its independence. I gladly join the ranks of unknown intelligence officers, such as those who are honored on the Central Intelligence Agency's Memorial Wall, one of the anonymous few who played an important role in keeping our country free.


Sources:

Dulles, Allan. Great True Spy Stories. New York and Evanston: Harper and Row, Publishers; 1968.

Miller, Nathan. Spying for America: The Hidden History of US Intelligence. New York: Dell, 1989.

O'Toole, G.J.A. Encyclopedia of American Intelligence and Espionage. New York and Oxford: Facts on File, 1988.

Women in Espionage, A Biographical Dictionary. Santa Barbara, Denver, and Oxford: ABC-Clio, 1993.

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