Culper spy ring

The Culper spy ring was a network of civilian spies which played an important role in the American Revolutionary War. They gave information about British troop movements to General George Washington.

Culper Spy Ring
200px Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, leader of the Culper Ring, in a 1790 portrait with his son William
Formation	1778
Extinction	1783
Type	military spy ring
Purpose/focus	to provide military intelligence from British-occupied New York
Headquarters	Setauket and New York City
Leader	Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge
Key people	Abraham Woodhull, Robert Townsend, Caleb Brewster, Austin Roe, Anna Strong, Agent 355

The network was led by Abraham Woodhull, who used the pseudonym Samuel Culper. For this reason, the network was called the Culper spy ring.

Culper Spy Ring Media

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  Washington became convinced that well-organized intelligence was a necessity after several intelligence failures, including the capture and execution of Nathan Hale.

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  Historic marker for the former Roe Tavern on New York State Route 25A in East Setauket, New York.

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  The only known portrait of the instrumental spy Robert Townsend was sketched in the early 1800s.

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  Raynham Hall, the Oyster Bay, New York home of Robert Townsend, is now a museum

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  A page from the Culper Ring's code book, with noteworthy people and place names listed side by side with numerical representations