Abraham Woodhull was the main spy in the Culper Spy Ring. He was recruited by Benjamin Tallmadge and served in the Continental Army for many years. He operated under the alias Samuel Culper, and his identity was not learned until the early 20th century.
His efforts as a spy were some of the most successful efforts in American History. The Culper Spy Ring is credited for uncovering multiple plots to assassinate or capture George Washington and other Continental Officers. They are also credited with uncovering the treason of Benedict Arnold.
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Abraham Woodhull Facts: Early Years
Abraham Woodhull's recruitment was not a coincidence. He was the son of Judge Richard Woodhull and a descendant of the Woodhull's of Setauket. His family had been in New York for multiple generations, and he had cousins that served in the Continental Army.
His cousin, Brigadier General Nathanael Woodhull, was captured by the British and was thrown into one of their awful prison ships. There, he died, but when his body was recovered, he had not died of starvation but of sword wounds. His death and treatment would become a major factor in Woodhull's decision to become a spy.
After his cousin's death, Abraham resumed farming and did not take up arms immediately. However, his anger and status as a single male made him a prime candidate for becoming a spy. He had aging parents and a sister living in British-occupied New York. This provided him with a perfect cover.
Abraham Woodhull Facts: Culper Spy Ring
Benjamin Tallmadge, who had been a friend of Nathan Hale, was appointed the head of intelligence by General George Washington and began work on gathering proper information through safe and reliable channels.
His recruitment of Abraham was not a coincidence since he knew Abe when they were children and probably knew of Abe's cousin's murder.
While their relationship cannot be confirmed through hard sources, it is safe to assume that Tallmadge must have had some sort of relationship with Abe to recruit him as a spy.
Abraham operated wonderfully as a spy, and the position seemed to suit him well. As stated previously, he had a natural cover since his sister lived in New York and he was not married. This allowed his frequent visits to British-occupied New York, and with New York's large population, he was not easily detected.
He could move about freely and report back to his couriers, Caleb Brewster, Jonas Hawkins, and Austin Roe. He also swore allegiance to the Crown, that would give him additional cover.
Major Benjamin Tallmadge developed a code to communicate with members of the ring that the casual member of the British forces would be unable to decode.
This code was a series of letters and numbers that could make an ordinary message look like gibberish. In some of his letters, Woodhull used a type of invisible ink (gallic acid) invented by Sir James Jay, brother of John Jay. The letter containing the ink needed to be brushed with iron sulfate, rather than just passed overheat or light, to be read.
These measures helped maintain secrecy and ease Woodhull's anxiety about possibly being detected.
The initial plan had problems. Woodhull's visits to his sister were too frequent to be understandable, especially given the danger. Additionally, he spent all of the time he was supposed to be visiting with his sister, wandering the city without an obvious purpose, suggesting there was another reason he traveled to New York.
The British became suspicious by the spring of 1779, and on June 5 of that year, the Long Island-based Queen's Rangers, under the command of Colonel John Graves Simcoe, were sent to the Woodhull family home to find Abraham.
Abraham was not at home at the time and avoided capture, but the Rangers attacked his father. Later, a distant relative, Colonel Benjamin Floyd, a Loyalist militia officer, vouched for Woodhull, and immediate suspicion of him was lifted.
Woodhull's situation was too precarious to continue using the same plan. To escape the immediate danger of capture, he sought help from a friend who was sufficiently powerful to personally know the "Gen'l Aid," a phrase that seems to refer to one of Major John André's many military titles, to take over the operation in New York City.
Woodhull recruited Robert Townsend, who lived at his sister's boardinghouse, was distantly related, and shared Woodhull's social status. Woodhull sounded out Townsend and discovered that he was a secret Patriot, having been radicalized by depredations in his hometown of Oyster Bay and on his family property by Colonel Simcoe and his men.
Townsend sent his first report as "Samuel Culper, Junior" on June 20, 1779. Townsend was better suited to spy in Manhattan since he had an obvious reason to be in New York. Moreover, his mercantile background gave him a good reason to inquire about British troop movements and shipping.
Austin Roe, the main courier for the Ring after Woodhull stopped going to New York City to gather intelligence personally and Jonas Hawkins dropped out, would deliver messages via dead drop, burying the messages in a box in a pasture he rented on Woodhull's property to avoid suspicion by his presence there, where Woodhull would know to look for it.
Abraham Woodhull Facts: Improvements and Expansion
To enhance Abe's cover, he recruited a lady to play the part of his wife. This lady has been assumed to be Anna Strong. A man traveling alone drew more suspicion than a man traveling with a wife. With Anna, Abe would be able to travel through various picket lines and security stops without detection.
Also, having a wife in the city allowed a man to travel freely since it gave him a reason to be out. Instead of traveling aimlessly around New York, he had a motive. These are the assumptions, but nobody knows for sure if Anna Strong was the right lady that traveled with Woodhull.
Improvements were also made to the courier system so that news could be relayed quicker. Instead of traveling all the way to Setauket, there were drops implemented around Long Island. This allowed information to be given to couriers and to be relayed to Tallmadge quicker, and he would be able to relay the message to Washington. During this time, Abe also recruited Robert Townshend.
With the ring's new structure and Townsend sending intelligence from New York, Woodhull rarely carried messages between New York and Setauket and then would take only verbal messages, which he would write down when he reached Setauket.
He would simply retrieve Townsend's intelligence from a prearranged dead drop on his property, where it was left by a courier, usually Austin Roe, but occasionally Jonas Hawkins, especially in the summer and early fall of 1779.
Woodhull's job was simply to collect the message, monitor for a signal from the whaleboat ferryman Caleb Brewster, and deliver the dispatches to Brewster. It is generally thought that Woodhull only needed to watch his neighbor Anna Strong's clothesline, where she would arrange her laundry to signal Brewster's presence and location.
After the recruitment of Townsend to gather information in New York City, Woodhull only traveled to Manhattan when he felt there was a problem with Townsend he needed to discuss.
Abraham Woodhull Facts: Benedict Arnold
The Culper Spy ring is generally given credit to the exposure of the treason of Benedict Arnold and the capture of John Andre. After Arnold's treason was exposed, Arnold went on an inquisition to find out who exposed him.
During this time, the honorable Benedict Arnold placed a pregnant woman whom he believed to be a spy in a prison ship since she would not give up the father of her baby. The lady died in captivity.
Arnold never learned who exposed his treason.
Abraham Woodhull Facts: After the War
Abe went on to marry his cousin, Mary Smith, and the two of them had 3 kids. He went on to hold a few minor political appointments, including a magistrate, but for the most part, lived a quiet life.
Mary died in 1806, and Abe did not marry again until 1824.
In 1826, he died and was buried alongside a long line of Woodhull's in Setauket.
In the 20th century, when it was learned of his activity during the American Revolution, the Mayflower Chapter placed a memorial on his grave. The Inscription reads:
Friend and confidant of George Washington, Head of the Long Island Secret Service During the American Revolution, he operated under the alias Samuel Culper Sr. He and his associates have been credited with the success of the Army of the Revolution. Son of Richard W. & Margaret Smith. Fifth generation from Richard Woodhull, the original grantee of a large portion of Brookhaven Town. He was a Presbyterian, occupying a "Pew of Authority" in the old church and doing much toward the building of the new church. He was a man of integrity, punctual, and precise in his business relations. He freed his slaves long before they were legally free. He filled numerous important positions, being Magistrate in Setauket for many years, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas 1793-1799, and First Judge of Suffolk Co. from 1799-1810.
