George Washington's Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade & D. Yaeger

[lasdevon]

George Washington’s Secret Six: the spy ring that saved the American Revolution

By Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger

This nonfiction book is as exciting as any spy novel on the market today. Kilmeade and Yaeger tell a thrilling story, filled with intrigue and real life drama, about America’s first spies, the Culper Spy Ring. These six brave souls, including one woman, risked life and limb for their fledgling country.

The spies, four of whom were native Long Islanders, helped General Washington outwit the British who had control of New York and Long Island. Their intelligence gathering helped foil several British plots including a counterfeiting scheme to depreciate colonial currency as well as Benedict Arnold’s plan to surrender West Point and General Washington to the British.

Who were these fearless individuals? They include Robert Townsend, a reserved Quaker merchant who led the spy ring. He kept his identity hidden from everyone including George Washington and remained anonymous until the 1920s. The other spies were Austin Roe, Long Island tavern keeper; Caleb Brewster, a longshoreman; Abraham Woodhull, Setauket businessman; James Rivington, a New York printer thought to have British sympathies. And then there was Agent 355, a society woman whose identity remains unknown. (Another Long Island woman who spied for the Americans was Anna Smith Strong. If you’d like to know more about her please read my blog.

Here’s how the secret six transmitted top-secret information through enemy territory. Robert Townsend and James Rivington gathered information. Then, using a secret code and sometimes invisible ink, they wrote letters and gave them to Austin Roe and Abraham Woodhull. These two men would make the dangerous journey to Setauket, Long Island where they met Caleb Brewster in a cove off Long Island Sound. Brewster and his men rowed across the Long Island Sound between and around British ships to Connecticut where they handed off the letters to General Benjamin Tallmadge. General Tallmadge then couriered the letters to George Washington.

I can’t say enough about this book. The writing is sharp; the story carefully crafted. Kilmeade and Yeager have created colorful portraits of these spies. If you are interested in history and enjoy the drama of spy novels, you’ll love this book.

[Kappy]

Great review! I just added it to my "want to read" shelf.

[kensmith8291]

Awesome review! Heads up, there's a new one coming out by the same authors - Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates! I wonder what it'll be like.