When Abraham returned, it took the help of a friend of the Woodhulls, a generals adjutant, to assure Simcoe that Abraham was a proper Loyalist. Fall River Press, 2014. 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. He rushed to the dying Baker and cried, having killed his first man. As I write this letter you are upstairs in your mothers arms, sleeping peacefully. The house was built in 1660 and was destroyed by fire in 1931. He found out of a petition to the provincial congress, and he intended to hunt down the people responsible. P.S. 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. Gen. Charles Scott, October 31, 1778, George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress (hereafter, GW Papers), accessed January 26, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. Documents answer this question positively without doubt. Woodhull told him to ask Major Hewlett, who would vouch for him, but he was unaware that Hewlett had been kidnapped by the patriots from his home after Simcoe framed him for the murder ot their captain. [U.S.]died May 18, 1795, London, Eng. List of American Revolutionary War battles, Turn: Washington's Spies official site entries. That he has gone so far beyond his promise makes me rather uneasy on his account.[17] And the ever-frugal general often testily reminded his spies not to waste the expensive disappearing ink and to find ways to communicate their intelligence faster. ae 53 years and 1 day Abraham Thomas was the son of Nicholas Thomas (1753-1838) and his first wife, Lucy Somes (1759-1792). Perhaps Sprouts wealthy grandfather has servants churning out breeches for his grandchildren! Did Abraham Woodhull have a son named Thomas? Townsend may have dabbled in journalism himself, which gave him a perfect excuse to spend long hours picking up information. That night, Abraham saw Anna at the fireplace burning his code book, and he got into a loud argument with her over his spying activities. In the spring of 1780 the strain of spying was wearing on both Woodhull and Townsend, and Tallmadge told Washington that Townsend had become less active, and even Culper Senior grows timid and thinks that intercourse had better be dropped for the present.[18] Washington agreed to shut the Culper Ring down, only to reactivate it in July to gain information that would support operations of another French fleet expected later that summer. Woodhull was unable to talk him out of it, and it took a meeting with Benjamin Tallmadge to convince him to continue spying, with the provision that he would only deliver information to Woodhull verbally. Students deserve to know about their hometown heroes. 2022-07-02. Yes, a gown, as in a dress. Sometimes boys even wore stays, too. Abraham Woodhull was a member of the Culper Spy Ring, which provided information to George Washington during the American Revolution. [5] According to some reports, he had been deprived of medical care and food and suffered an agonizing death on September 20, 1776,[2] and Abraham Woodhull was inflamed against the British by that event. Abraham Woodhull (October 7, 1750 January 23, 1826) was a leading member of the Culper Spy Ring in New York City and Setauket, New York, during the American Revolutionary War. Ken, I absolutely agree with your outlook. Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground, Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring, Intelligence operations in the American Revolutionary War, "Grave Stones and Epitaphs from the Churchyard", "TCA: AMC Picks Up 'Halt & Catch Fire' & 'Turn' To Series", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abraham_Woodhull&oldid=1135483720, Jesse Smith Woodhull, Mary Woodhull, Elizabeth Woodhull, "Samuel Culper" and then "Samuel Culper Sr.", This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 23:13. Sensing the volatile mental state of both his top operatives, General Washington decided to halt the operations of the Culper Ring. Abraham Woodhull - Wife, Death & Son - Biography Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Washington was impressed: His account has the appearance of a very distinct and good one and makes me desirous of a continuance of his correspondence, he wrote. The court case fell apart, leading to uproar. How did the Culper Spy Ring work? Woodhull became involved in the revolution around the same time, with Anna convincing him that he should side with the patriots against the British. While Anna objected to either plot, Abraham stole his father's pistol and ambushed Eastin as he rode down a road, shooting him off of his horse. Immediate Family: Son of Capt. Abraham Woodhull Courier route to and from General Washington's Headquarters Courier route across Long Island Sound Courier route from New York City to Setauket Route used by Culper Ring members to send intelligence from New York City to General Washington's headquarters in downstate New York and New Jersey. Washingtons Spies: The Story of Americas First Spy Ring. But there can be no doubt of Woodhulls dedication. Failure was not an option. To overcome these problems Washington and Tallmadge envisioned a permanent network of spies that lived behind British lines and communicated their information through coded messages. Interesting notes. [4] In November he reported how Loyalist units were scouring local farms for wood and livestock. The correspondence between the general and Tallmadge shows that Washington often relied heavily on Culper Ring information during times of crisis. Presbyterian Church-Setauket, Setauket- East Setauket, NYAbraham Woodhull / Place of burialSetauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground, also known as First Presbyterian Church of Brookhaven, is a historic Presbyterian church and cemetery at 5 Caroline Avenue in the hamlet of Setauket, Suffolk County, New York. Click on the title of a post to view the comments and join the conversation! 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. I dont have any little ones of my own, but it seems to me that infant gowns would make life as a busy parent a whole lot easier. Excellent sketch of the Culper Rings two Principal Agents Mike. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); "TURN to a Historian" is an independent blog for people searching for historically-accurate information and analysis about "TURN: Washington's Spies", AMC's fictionalized television drama about Revolutionary War spies. Since Woodhull was ill at the time, another spy named Austin Roe was sent to New York to get information from Robert Townsend, who sent a report back to Woodhull for forwarding to Washington. 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. What struck me is the summary of the June 1777, I agree, and checked my source before submitting. 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. The intelligence would then be retrieved by a certain boatman named Caleb Brewster, who was a lieutenant in the Continental Army. Among the attendees were the Woodhull, Tallmadge and Strong families, along with Caleb Brewster and Austin Roes family. Woodhull somehow successfully answered the soldiers questions but the encounter still shook him to his bones. His name is Benjamin Tallmadge, and he has asked me to do something dangerous. Abraham Woodhull: The Spy Named Samuel Culper If Woodhull and Townsend were exhausted they remained dedicated and efficient. 9. Astrological Sign: Libra, Death Year: 1826, Death date: January 23, 1826, Death State: New York, Death City: Setauket, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Abraham Woodhull Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/abraham-woodhull, Publisher: A&E Television Networks, Last Updated: July 7, 2020, Original Published Date: May 18, 2015. Woodhull was mildly supportive of the American cause but before 1778 the closest he came to the rebellion was an uneventful two-month stint in his county militia. What better way to get back at the enemy, Tallmadge might have said, than by spying on the British under their own noses and helping the American cause? [] and visually busy spectacle. Behind the Scenes Robert Townsend went into business with his brother Solomon, but the business failed, and Townsend never got back on his feet. 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. Austin Roe became the main courier for the ring later after Woodhull stopped going to New York City to gather intelligence personally. [6] Woodhull had been caught smuggling contraband across Long Island Sound, and Tallmadge spoke with Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull and got him released. Woodhull would copy what information he could gather onto paper, and on his way back home to Setauket, he would hide the information in a prearranged location, a hidden cove on Long Island Sound. He thus enlisted the aid of Anna Strong, the wife of Selah Strong, a tavern keeper who was jailed aboard a British prison ship when the Culper Ring was formed. Woodhull also recruited other spies into the ring; one such spy was Robert Townsend, who worked in a New York boardinghouse which was frequented by British soldiers. His wife Mary died in 1806, and in 1824, he remarried. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I find that magnifying the zoom to 200% makes the cursive far more intelligible. After the United States gained independence, Woodhull served as a magistrate, as had his father before him, and served as a judge in Suffolk County, New York. In return, Tallmadge proposed to Woodhull that he start spying for the Continental Army; Woodhull agreed, and Tallmadge received approval from Washington. Woodhull immediately set to work attempting to collect the money due him for his services. Adorable outfit hes wearing, right? To appear as a devoted subject of King George III he publically took an oath of loyalty in Setauket. 2022-07-02. [15][16] Other people from Woodhull's life are portrayed in the show as well. 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. More on the way soon! When they returned to their room, they had passionate sex. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Tuskegee Airman Clarence D. Lester Broke Barriers, Biography: You Need to Know: Rick Thornton. Gen. Charles Scott, September 25, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 18, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. (His very appearance is a bit of a chronological anomaly, but we'll discuss that later.) Woodhull decided to attend Andre's ball for his officers, and Anna told him that she would go there as well to help him, although Abraham told Anna that she should not go in her sad condition, as she would reveal her purpose. Abraham Woodhull was born in 1750 in Setauket, a town on Long Island, New York. He did not immediately take up arms or begin spying, however, and was more placid than some of his friends, who joined the Continental Army at the outset of the war. Caleb succeeded in doing this while Abraham was away, as Robert witnessed Simcoe's rangers beat up his father and burn down his stables when he asked for money in exchange for giving his cavalry to the rangers. Interestingly enough, Woodhull, Strong, Brewster and Tallmadge existed in real life, as did almost all of the other main characters of the show. So little Thomas Sprout Woodhull appears to be quite the little hipster baby wearing breeches before they were cool. Our work has been featured by the New York Times, TIME magazine, History Channel, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian, Mental Floss, NPR, and more. On a somewhat more practical level I also adjust the contrast on the images, which makes the handwriting more clear. The formed an unlikely alliance, and Rogers helped Abraham in covering up Eastin's murder. Nor had the Americans uniformly mastered the techniques of successfully moving in and out of enemy territory. JMS you are correct as with any untranscribed 18th century documents, reading and understading the Culper letters is a tough task. [16] Washington to Tallmadge, October 6 1779, Writings of George Washington, Vol. One example is from October 1779, when the Americans anticipated the arrival of a French fleet. There is much more to the story of the Culper Ring and intelligence activities in and around New York City. Vad beror finnar p olika stllen? 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. Arnold had defected to the British side after he became increasingly ticked off at the Patriots for not properly recognizing his achievements on the battlefield. 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.