Culper Spy, The - by Mort Kunstler

Oyster Bay, Long Island, 1779 Historical InformationWashington loved spy craft. Though far from being an expert spymaster, he nevertheless enjoyed the thrill of planning and executing escapades behind enemy lines. Washington’s most famous espionage operation was the Culper Spy Ring, which operated between Manhattan and Long Island to provide intelligence about British troop and ship movements in and around the city. The ring centered around two spies, Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend, who shared the pseudonym Samuel Culper.Both Woodhull and Townsend hailed from the North Shore of Long Island. Abraham Woodhull, of Setauket, was the first spy recruited to the Culper Spy Ring. He signed his intelligence reports as “Samuel Culper” or “Samuel Culper, Sr.” Robert Townsend, who usually signed his reports as “Samuel Culper, Jr.,” was a merchant from Oyster Bay, who operated from his dry goods firm in Manhattan.Robert Townsend was recruited to Washington’s service in the spring of 1779