Theyre both economical and practical, especially for a large middle or working-class family. Now, he knew that 1,500 Hessian troops were going to be sent to Trenton, and he decided to pass this on to Caleb. Fifth generation from Richard Woodhull, the original grantee of a large portion of Brookhaven Town. Woodhull was forced to work by himself, and he attempted to plant evidence for Major Hewlett so that it would appear as if he had made a discovery of some of the Sons of Liberty's activities. Little Thomas Woodhull, whom Abraham fondly calls "Sprout," steals the spotlight at the beginning and end of the TURN pilot episode. On 28 June, his Continental Army engaged Clintons army at Monmouth, but thanks to incompetence on the part of his second-in-command, General Charles Lee, Clinton was able to make it to New York with little more than a bloody nose. However, the British quickly suspected him of spying; they even went to Setauket to arrest him in June 1779, although he avoided trouble since he wasn't at home. Abraham Woodhull is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor. Later in their encounter, Simcoe challenged him to a duel, and Woodhull decided to accept before Ensign Baker arrived and rescued him from Simcoe and his men. [4] Culper to Scott, October 31, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. S1 E6. When Baker left, an angry Simcoe had him tell him about the affair, and Simcoe beat up Woodhull in the woods at night after coming onto him with a few regulars, saying that he retracted an apology that he was going to give him for accusing him of Captain Joyce's murder. We feature smart, groundbreaking research and well-written narratives from expert writers. Abraham Woodhull is the American's lone productive spy in 1777 New York, but did we see a glimpse of his bloody fate? Where your own reasoning forges your path rather than blindly following others. Woodhull planted a false letter from John Andre on him, saying that Andre had no interest in a farmer's services, but he was garroted by Robert Rogers, who told him that he was going to work for him. The ink was a solution developed by John Jays brother, Sir James Jay. The house was burned to the ground, and the family moved into Whitehall. Woodhull was portrayed from 2014 to 2017 by Jamie Bell in AMC's spy thriller and historical drama series Turn: Washington's Spies, which was based on Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring (2007) by Alexander Rose. with his son William Tallmadge. [6] In March Woodhull sent intelligence on British plans to raid the port of New London, Connecticut. He returned to Setauket to care for his parents and sister. The rumor fell upon the ears of a certain Queens Rangers captain by the name of John Graves Simcoe. All Rights Reserved. Other writers and researchers associated with the JAR no doubt have other, and better, techniques. Major Edmund Hewlett was in fact named Richard Hewlett, and he was actually married during the entirety of the war, and he and his wife had eleven children; there is no evidence of a relationship between him and Anna Strong either. Great article. One example is from October 1779, when the Americans anticipated the arrival of a French fleet. Woodhull was a descendant of Richard Lawrence Woodhull, a wealthy settler of Setauket, and was also related to New York militia Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull. In the ensuing encounter, Woodhull was rescued by the redcoats, who killed Cyrus. Wikipedia. He also noted that Howe left New York with most of his army, but he left 200 Hessians in the city, while the city was defended by a dozen 24-pounders and 6 16-pounders at Canal Street. I understand why they didnt opt for historical accuracy on this one, but boys wearing gowns as children is one of my favorite Colonial oddities and I wished they had included it. Students deserve to know about their hometown heroes. The war finally ended in 1783, with the Continental Army victorious thanks to assistance from the French. Behind the Scenes Abraham Woodhull: The Spy Named Samuel Culper. Journal of the American Revolution, 19 May 2014. (His very appearance is a bit of a chronological anomaly, but well discuss that later.) Ive noticed that every time the kid is supposed to make a sound it is superimposed when his face is off screen. [7] Tallmadge then set up a spy network in New York, with Woodhull as the lead agent. In addition, Abrahams cousin, Nathaniel Woodhull, a general in the Continental Army, had perished in the Battle of Long Island in 1776. [4] In November he reported how Loyalist units were scouring local farms for wood and livestock. A Letter From Abraham Woodhull to His Son Thomas View source A Letter From Abraham Woodhull to His Son Thomas is an entry from the Turn: Washington's Spies official site. He operated under the alias, Samuel Culper and his identity was not learned until the early 20th century. Later, petition signer Moses Paine decided to turn in the petition, saying that he was drunk when he signed it, giving Hewlett a list of patriots; he proceeded to have those men rounded up and arrested along with Paine himself. The incident struck fear into Townsends heart, as it demonstrated just how easy it was to be captured. Woodhull served as a lieutenant in the Suffolk County, New York, militia in the fall of 1775 but resigned after a few months. Abraham Woodfull Facts - The Revolutions Great Spy Abraham Woodhull (1750-1826) FamilySearch Simcoe arrested him after he gave a pro-patriot sermon to people at a tavern, and he was accused of being the shooter. Abraham Woodhull followed his fathers footsteps and became a magistrate, and was appointed First Judge of Suffolk County in 1799. Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Death 2 Behind the Scenes 2.1 Appearances Biography Death Thomas Woodhull died in the Battle of Bladensburg during the War of 1812 on August 24, 1814, felled by an British musket. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. But the event convinced the spy of his constant danger and he curtailed operations. Woodhull prefaced the information with the admonishment that the intelligence contained news of the greatest consequence perhaps that ever happened to your country.. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. She then passed on the information to American soldiers. She found out when their son Thomas had moved a floorboard, revealing a book of words and code-numbers used to represent them, a book which Caleb had given to Abraham in order to communicate without the British knowing; Caleb also told Woodhull that his alias would be "Samuel Culpeper", with Woodhull shortening it to "Culper". Sensing the volatile mental state of both his top operatives, General Washington decided to halt the operations of the Culper Ring. General Sir Henry Clinton, the commander of the British armies in Philadelphia, was ordered to leave the city and take his soldiers to New York to bolster defenses against a possible American and French attack. Historians believe that he and his co-conspirators probably uncovered Benedict Arnolds treason, and the information that led to arrest of British Major John Andre. Tallmadge then sent the information to General George Washington. One day, Ensign Baker told Abraham's wife Mary about the time when he caught Abraham and Anna having sex on the table of Abraham's house after Anna informed him of her former slave's willingness to spy on Major John Andre for them while sent to him after the Dunmore Proclamation (which effectively made American slaves into British soldiers for the men, or British servants for the women and children). Abraham's wife Mary convinced him that he had to shoot the courier, Corporal Eastin (the man who had been sent to escort Woodhull to New York previously), and not kill Hewlett as he had planned to do. Townsend may have dabbled in journalism himself, which gave him a perfect excuse to spend long hours picking up information. Additionally, you can browse through a slideshow of primary source images concerning children and babies over at the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center. Is this just presumed to be legend or myth now? Margaret Smith It was an extraordinary and risky offer both men knew that spying could be a short path to a hanging. Abraham had in fact joined the county militia in 1775 with no apparent objection from his father, but became disenchanted and quit after two months. [15] Tallmadge assigned Townsend the alias Samuel Culper Junior.. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Anna remained alone on the family farm during the American Revolution, where she assisted with General Washington's Culper Spy Ring. Abraham mentions that his son is "almost a year old" as he eggs him on to start walking on his own. Woodhull was in New York City when the Loyalist troops came to his house, but he later reported how his 66 year-old father was home, and that Simcoe plundered him in a most shocking manner. Woodhull escaped Simcoes wrath by arranging for a prominent local Loyalist to vouch for his character. In June, the British had been forced to evacuate Philadelphia after the city became untenable due to vulnerability and stretched supply lines. Schellhammer, Michael. In October 1778, he began making trips to New York every few weeks with the excuse that he was on business or visiting his sister. Posted on April 8, 2014 Updated on April 9, 2014. Woodhull never spoke of his spying activities to anyone. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! For five days Tallmadge hid in the woods while Woodhull sneaked him food. Abraham Woodhull was born on October 7th 1750 in Setauket, New York, on Long Island. (Hes not even a year old and hes already turning Setauket into the Brooklyn of the 18th century!). [3] Washington to Brig. Unfortunately, Ensign Baker entered the room with his musket, and he heard the whole conversation. [19], But on the heels of this victory came a threat to their security. March 30, 1844 (48) Setauket, Suffolk, New York. Son: Thomas 'Sprout' Woodhull: General Information. When I came home after seeing Ben, I sat down and watched you playing on the floor near the fireplace. Richard Woodhull | Turn Wiki | Fandom At the inn, he helped a Spanish man win at a game of checkers, and the man told him that some sailors were building ships at the west wharf, making life hard for merchants; Woodhull decided to investigate. Basing his operation in his British-occupied hometown of Setauket, New York, Woodhull enlists the aid of local tavern keeper Anna Strong to ferry crucial intelligence to their friends in the Continental Army, Caleb Brewster and Benjamin Tallmadge, who in turn bring the intelligence to General George Washington himself. Woodhull had a problem to face, however, as he had to give Major Hewlett a final report on New York. [7] Tallmadge added two couriers to the operation to speed the reports from New York City to Setauket. Woodhull was secretly engaged to Anna Strong in 1773 before his brother Thomas, a soldier in the British Army, was killed while quelling a protest at King's College and his father decided to marry him to his brother's fiancee Mary, leading to Abraham and Anna parting. Benjamin Tallmadge became a wealthy investor, and in 1801 was elected to Congress. Thankfully, no actual spies were arrested, and the Ring was able to continue its work, although Woodhull and Townsend were again understandably anxious. The British had been aware of the planned French attack for over a month, thanks to the treason of the infamous General Benedict Arnold himself. [5] In February 1779 he sent information on troop movements, supply problems, naval matters, the total strength of enemy forces around New York, the possibility of reinforcements, and other military plans; the report was seven pages long. http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-monmouth.htm, https://spycurious.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/lieutenant-colonel-richard-hewlett-the-loyal-est-loyalist/, http://www.longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I0519&tree=Woodhull, https://allthingsliberty.com/2014/05/abraham-woodhull-the-spy-named-samuel-culper/.