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355Our TradecraftIn August 1778, the Culper Ring, headed by Abraham Woodhull, a Long Island farmer, was established. Mr. Woodhull's code name was "Samuel Culper, Sr.," and his principal, agent, Robert Townsend, was "Samuel Culper, Jr."; these names were used in all their correspondence with General Washington. Our ring practiced much of the tradecraft that latter day intelligence gatherers did, corresponding in secret ink, dead drops (leaving information in specified places to be retrieved), and code, all in an effort to get our intelligence product to General Washington. Mr. Woodhull recruited me and later wrote that I could "outwit them all." I guess he was right as I have managed to outwit historians by shrouding myself in mystery, but isn't that the mark of a good intelligence officer? Some speculate that I was a member of a high-ranking Tory (those who sympathized with the British) family or one of the many friends of British Major Andre and that this is how I got my information, but I shall never tell! I know that, besides giving me the opportunity to serve the Patriot cause, Mr. Woodhull also introduced me to the man who would be my husband, Robert Townsend. At some point during our work, Mr.Woodhull feared the British might figure out our invisible ink formula so a code for encrypting letters was devised. For instance, "356" was a letter, "727" was New York, "711" was Washington, Woodhull was "722," my beloved Robert was "723," and I became "355"--the name by which history knows me today. |
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