Her real identity is unknown. Towshend hid his report on Clinton’s plans in a letter to a well-known Long Island loyalist, which Roe transported past the sentries around New York City. Route 25A, also known as Washington’s Spy Trail and formerly called The King’s Highway, rims picturesque and peaceful Long Island Sound, harbors and inlets. Create your special code name based on the first letter of your first and last name - and don’t share it with anyone! The cove where he very likely came and went in his whaleboat to operate as a courier and spy is next to where he lived later in life, and came to be called Brewster Cove. For instance, the number 711 denoted George Washington while 522 was used to refer to Parliament. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In a second attack, at Smith’s Point on the southern coast of Long Island near Mastic Beach, the target was Fort St. George, a fortification built by Rhode Island Loyalists. Caleb Brewster’s role in winning the War of Independence has not been fully assessed by historians. Geneanet Labs . The ring was named for the operational names of two of its members: Abraham Woodhull (code-named Samuel Culper) and Robert Townsend (code-named Culper, Jr.). During the war, Brewster also ran smuggling missions from a whaling ship. “I want you to see your family again,” she replies. An important first important step was to avoid getting noticed by the vigilant Loyalist scouts while crossing the Long Island Sound. The espionage ring provided messages and spy letters originating in New York, then carried 55 miles from Manhattan to Setauket by horse. And with that, the Culper Spy Ring was born (“Culper Ring”). Privateers were authorized to capture enemy ships and its cargo. Each name is gender neutral so it’s perfect for boys and girls. The descendant of one of the original Mayflower passengers, Caleb Brewster worked as a courier for the Culper Ring. He carried messages across Long Island Sound between Major Tallmadge and the ring's main spies on Long Island, New York, and in New York City. Therefore George Washington’s most valuable strategic weapon was not his military force, but rather intelligence and Brewster was at the center of the spy ring. Delivery time was reduced to one week when Washington’s cavalry was stationed close by, in the Greenfield Hill section of Fairfield. Today we’re going to look at Abraham Woodhull and Caleb Brewster, two important members of the ring. It operated in British-controlled New York City from 1778 to 1783. One of Brewster’s initial actions after moving to Connecticut, was to assist other patriot refugees to escape Long Island by using his boat to crisscross Long Island Sound, ferrying out the patriot sympathizers in clandestine operations. All but Caleb Brewster used fictitious names; invisible ink was provided; a dictionary of code words invented; and success depended on trusting that each person was committed to the fullest. A great memorable quote from the TURN movie on Quotes.net - Caleb Brewster: I'm surprised you're not blind. “What the fuck do you want?” Caleb demands, ripping his arm away. DNA . The deep-water, historic shipbuilding seaport was a depository for privateers, British prisoners, and launching ground for schooners, sloops and whaleboats. The code book was created so that members of the ring could write using secret code numbers for names, places, and other words. The code name for an American spy network during the Revolutionary War, the Culper Ring, proved to be the most effective espionage service employed by either side during the whole conflict. Robert Townsend, Aaron Woodhull, Austin Roe, Anna Strong, and Caleb Brewster made up this ring, and the code name for it … Intelligence, he learned, could make the difference between victory or death. A skilled boat captain, he navigated through hard-to-reach coves and channels to pick up information gathered by the other members, and deliver it to Tallmadge. Residents could not travel to or from the city or bring any goods without a permit. The list of flooring materials includes hardwood. Mar 15, 2015 - Abraham Woodhull, spy for General George Washington, nearly got himself hanged on one of his first missions. The Culper Ring was the most-professional of Washington’s espionage networks, and though Tallmadge was its manager, Washington himself regularly tasked the agents with very specific instructions, including techniques to be used to conceal their espionage activities to protect themselves. Brewster burned the hay stockpiles without a man killed in the expedition. He also made direct reports to Washington concerning naval activities in the New York City area. It was war against British oppression. 45 Caleb Brewster Rd, Setauket, NY 11733 (MLS# 3053635) is a Single Family property that was sold at $660,000 on February 15, 2019. The Caleb Brewster grave site. Genealogy profile for Caleb Brewster Caleb Brewster (1783 - c.1852) - Genealogy Genealogy for Caleb Brewster (1783 - c.1852) family tree on Geni, with over 200 … The Culper Spy Ring enabled the Continental Army to gather intelligence in an efficient and unconventional manner in British-occupied New York City during the American Revolution. Washington congratulated Brewster and Tallmadge, saying of the hay, that it must be “severly felt by the enemy at this time,” as winter was approaching. In mid-September 1776, the American officer Nathan Hale was hanged without trial in New York City. Today, we know of a total of fourteen letters of correspondence between George Washington and Caleb Brewster, thirteen of which are in the Library of Congress. Of Brewster’s many expeditions the most documented ones occurred from 1779 to 1781. Spying is very risky, and every person involved knew it. His name is Caleb Brewster. British authorities had caught Hale when he was on his way back to his regiment after having penetrated the British lines to gather information. Benjamin Tallmadge made allowances for words not included in the code by providing a substitution for the twenty-six letters of the alphabet and single digit numbers 0 though 9. Caleb Brewster and the Culper Spy Ring achieved major milestones. The Culper Spy Ring was an organized network of agents working on behalf of the Continental Army that operated behind and just beyond enemy lines. The Culper Code Book substituted seven hundred and sixty-three words, names, and places with numbers. To obtain speedy and certain intelligence of this matter may be of great Importance to the French Fleet.”, After this first correspondence with Washington, the Black Rock spy gathered intelligence on the British military movements and wrote Washington that “the Ships of war are Left the Harbours in and about Huntington—Genrl Tryon and Delancee have their Quarters at the Fly at the Head of Flushing Bay with about Seven Hundred Troops that Returnd with them from the East End of the Island.”. The target was Fort Slongo in north, central Long Island, and involved one hundred and fifty dismounted dragoons. Updates? Genealogy profile for Caleb Brewster Caleb Brewster (1783 - c.1852) - Genealogy Genealogy for Caleb Brewster (1783 - c.1852) family tree on Geni, with over 200 … He was known as the “terror of the Tories”, especially for his successful nocturnal raids on Long Island, which would help protect Connecticut from British attacks. It was not until September 1930, that a Long Island historian matched signatures of the spies to their actual names. Ben discoverd a grave marked with Hewlett’s name, as well as Washington’s le… A code book given to each of the members of the ring: Benjamin Tallmadge, Abraham Woodhull, Caleb Brewster, Robert Townsend, and others. Tallmadge was to take all precautions that this ring would be extremely secret; in fact, it was so secrets that Washington did not even know who the men in the spy ring were. Apart from providing intelligence, Brewster was also involved with battles against the British. Mister Brewster did such on land and sea. She kept arguing with me about Caleb Brewster’s code name, because I said he never had one, and she didn’t believe me. For example, the spy ring prevented advance British knowledge of the French arrival in America to help the patriot cause. This is due to the fact that the existence of the Culper Spy Ring itself was hidden for approximately 150 years. Tallmadge’s dragoons then would meet Brewster and, upon receiving the reports, ride west through Connecticut and New York to Washington’s headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey. He acted as intelligence gatherer, lieutenant in the artillery, spy letter courier, privateer, and army officer commanding a fleet of whaleboats against the British. Woodhull’s financial debts in the autumn of 1776 drive him to smuggling provisions to Patriot-sympathizers, which delivers him to Captain Benjamin Tallmadge (Seth Numrich) and Lieutenant Caleb Brewster (Daniel Henshall). A native Long Islander and a highly talented sailor and soldier, Caleb Brewster confronted Death countless times to bring success to the infant nation he was helping to create. Woodhull, in turn, promptly involved Townsend, who reinforced his cover by writing pro-Tory articles for the Royal Gazette. Corrections? This petticoat would let Woodhull know that Caleb Brewster had arrived in his whaleboat to take the letter across the bay. If you could not defeat the enemy by numbers of troops, you would have to do so with information and strategy. Caleb eventually enlisted in the Continental Armyand by the autumn of 1776, he was a Lieutenant. More important than the code was an invisible ink developed by James and John (future chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court) Jay before the war. It was also through such intelligence gathering, that the patriots revealed the identity of American’s most famous of traitor, Benedict Arnold. His name is Caleb Brewster. A fine large boat from New Haven.”. Invisible Ink. Latitude for the location: 40.935848. Robert Townsend, Aaron Woodhull, Austin Roe, Anna Strong, and Caleb Brewster made up this ring, and the code name for it was Samuel Culper. Outwitting the enemy in surprise attacks would prove more effective against the much more powerful British navy. Brewster would row his whaleboat across Long Island Sound to Connecticut where the information was passed to Benjamin Tallmadge. Today we’re going to look at Abraham Woodhull and Caleb Brewster, two important members of the ring. Web site on Black Rock history: http://www.blackrockhistory.org/. All but Caleb Brewster used fictitious names; invisible ink was provided; a dictionary of code words invented; and success depended on trusting that each person was committed to the fullest. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Brewster, one of the most daring of the group, was also the only member whom the British had definitely identified as a spy. Caleb Brewster left the quiet life on his family farm home in Setauket, Long Island, at 19 years old for the adventure of a position on a Nantucket whaler. Forums . The Culper Ring reports were conveyed by a chain of agents as they conducted their normal daily activities rather than on special or unusual trips. The ring successfully operated in the New York City area for almost six … However, as soon as news of the American Revolution and of the shots of the Battle of Lexington and Concord reached his ship, he quickly returned home. (Author) Following the war Brewster married Anne Lewis of the Connecticut coastal town of Fairfield and moved there. Rent value for a two bedroom unit in the zip code 11733 is estimated at $2,700 a month Mather, Frederick Gregory, The refugees of 1776 from Long Island to Connecticut, B. Lyon Company, printers, 1913. Having reliable intelligence of expected British troop movements was essential. single family home built in 1987 that sold on 11/04/2019. He was not alone in fleeing the British occupied Long Island. Caleb Brewster joined what is today the Coast Guard in 1793, retired in 1816, and died in 1827. A graduate of Norwich University's Master of Arts in Military History program, Kevin S. Gould has published numerous articles and book reviews on military history topics in specialized encyclopedias and... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Brewster’s hometown was soon under occupation. These agents reported on British activity from their homes in New York City, on Long Island, New York, and in Connecticut. Danenberg, Elsie Nicholas, Naval History of Fairfield Country Men in The Revolution, A Tale Untold, Fairfield Historical Society, 1977, Rose, Alexander, Washington’s Spies, The Story of America’s First Spy Ring, Bantam Dell, 2006. Community . Major Tallmadge approaches Caleb Brewster who operated a mercenary fleet of whaleboats on Long Island Sound. Many of the British attacks against Connecticut were directed from forts built up by the British on Long Island. New York Marriages, 1686-1980 Name: Caleb Brewster Spouse's Name: Debby Mills Event Date: 28 Jan 1807 Event Place: Dutch Reformed Church, Warwick, Orange, New York All but Caleb Brewster used fictitious names; invisible ink was provided; a dictionary of code words invented; and success depended on trusting that each person was committed to the fullest. Brewster’s intelligence missions would also successfully warn General Washington of the burning of Fairfield in 1779. One in six Long Islanders departed to Connecticut as refugees in 1776. The Culper Ring was an American Revolutionary War spy ring, organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge and George Washington, set up in 1778 during the British occupation of New York City.The name "Culper" was suggested by George Washington, taken from Culpeper County, Virginia.The two leaders were Abraham Woodhull, and Robert Townsend, using the aliases of "Samuel Culper Sr.", and "Samuel … Bridgeport History Center web site was made possible through a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council. She also didn’t know Nathan Hale’s last words, but I won’t hold that to her. A third attack on Tuesday, October 9, 1781, was against a group of Tory woodcutters. Abraham Woodhull's code name was Samuel Culper Sr. and Robert Townsend was Samuel Culper Jr. Caleb Brewster Creaated The Ring Many spies in The Ring didn't even know who the other spies were since The Ring was so confidential He died a lonely man in 1838. The descendant of one of the original Mayflower passengers, Caleb Brewster worked as a courier for the Culper Ring. The central figure, Robert Townsend, code name Culper Junior, was a society reporter for an American newspaper and the owner of a … Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He is an advocate of preserving primary source documents and using new media to generate awareness on local history. New York Marriages, 1686-1980 Name: Caleb Brewster Spouse's Name: Debby Mills Event Date: 28 Jan 1807 Event Place: Dutch Reformed Church, Warwick, Orange, New York Agent 355 was the code name of a female spy in the Culper Ring. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. No. Brewster would find Connecticut to be a relatively safe place and home to the Patriot cause. Leaving on Saturday, November 18th, from Black Rock Harbor with a total of eighty men, Brewster crossed Long Island Sound. Culper Spy Ring, also called Culper Ring, American intelligence organization that was put together and managed by Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge for the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The researcher, Morton Pennybacker, was studying a merchant from Long Island and realized that George Washington’s spy correspondence matched the writing style of what was once considered to be this obscure, local merchant. While this process protected the agents, it slowed transmission of intelligence, as when reports of an impending British raid on the headquarters of Tallmadge’s unit, the 2nd Dragoons, arrived after the raid and the capture of intelligence reports and operational funds locked in Tallmadge’s personal trunk at the scene. The ring was named for the operational names of two of its members: Abraham Woodhull (code-named Samuel Culper) and Robert Townsend (code-named Culper, Jr.). Bolton was the code name for Tallmadge. Whitepages people search is the most trusted directory. With Tallmadge stationed in Connecticut and most of the spy work transpiring in New York City, Brewster’s role was to transport information across the sound from Long Island. Moreover, the reports were frequently embedded in letters addressed to notorious Tory sympathizers on Long Island as an additional step to prevent their seizure by British troops inspecting material carried by Culper agents.