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Benedict Arnold made a name for himself as an apothecary and well-to-do merchant. He was a very vocal and combative Patriot. When he heard about Lexington and Concord, he decided to insert himself in the battle and led the expedition to capture Fort Ticonderoga and give America command of that lake. In later years, he made himself indispensable to George Washington and the cause of the Revolution. Arnold later became Philadelphia military governor.

Things began going downhill when Arnold tried a campaign of secret, illegal schemes to get himself money, although that wasn’t uncommon with Continental Army officers.

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When Benedict Arnold met Peggy Shippen, who was half his age, he almost immediately began writing love letters, although his previous wife had died only six months ago. The two quickly fell in love. But Peggy’s family, the Shippens, were proud Loyalists and disliked Patriots, and Benedict was a Patriot commander.

Arnold tried acting like a Loyalist: getting a mansion, issuing passes into his city to Loyalists, and even wear a red uniform to a ball, where there was an uproar at that.

In 1779, Arnold was preparing to leave the military to become a land baron to impress Peggy and her family. They were married later that year. Militiamen began looking like the American dream while military officers like Arnold seemed distrustful and weren't influential anymore. This caused Arnold to have some side thoughts about loyalty to Washington.

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Although most would like to believe Arnold had always been a traitor, the truth is scarier: Arnold had been a loyal Patriot, “forever at Washington’s side”, and switched sides, joining the British troops as a spy. Some believe Arnold always had it coming, while others blame Peggy Shippen, his young wife.

Since her family were big Loyalists, Peggy may have convinced Arnold to betray Washington. Peggy was a woman who got what she wanted: to manipulate her father into letting her marry Arnold, she had screamed, kicked, cried, and threatened to kill herself. She introduced Arnold to Captain John André, a British captain whom Arnold worked with. In the end of it, Benedict Arnold betrayed Washington for the money.

Arnold’s betrayal remains one of the most famous betrayals in US history. How did Benedict Arnold go from beloved Patriot leader to disgraced, disguised British spy?

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Her information…was by far superior to every other intelligence.
— Major Duncan Drummond

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At the time, women were not allowed to fight in the military, so many became spies. British soldiers often lived in colonists’ homes, spreading their secrets a bit too loosely, which the women could take advantage of.

Anna Smith Strong, a member of the Culper Spy Ring, created a code involving her laundry to signal a fellow spy when there was information to pick up. She hung up a black petticoat to signal when there was information and the number of handkerchiefs signaled where it was. The ring had six dead drops along Long Island. The code was ingenious, since she could do it right in front of the British and they’d never suspect. She was never caught.

Lydia Darragh was a Quaker who didn’t believe in violence. But when she was forced to hold soldiers in her home, she took advantage of the situation to help the Patriots. During their meetings, she brought refreshments and took information. Hr husband created a special code only the family knew and took it down, and Lydia hid the messages under the buttons on her son’s coat. Her younger son took the message to his old brother, serving under Washington.

In 1777, Lydia discovered important information about an attack in Whitemarsh and was able to notify Washington. The attack ended in a standoff, Lydia preventing what could have been a bloody massacre.

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At the time, Ann Bates was a Philadelphia teacher married to a British soldier. Major Duncan Drummond decided to use her as a spy for the British. In 1778, she disguised herself as a peddler and managed to infiltrate Washington’s camp and sell wares there. She had been planning to meet a traitor soldier, but couldn’t find him since he had been killed earlier. Instead, sh got numbers about the amount of soldiers, weaponry, and their supplies. The information helped the British decide to case the Patriot forces to flee from there, forcing them up the coast.

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November 1778: George Washington told Major Benjamin Tallmadge to form a spy ring in New York City, near British headquarters.

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Since Tallmadge had recruited most of the spies, many were old friends. All of the spies continually risked their life for the cause of the revolution.

Austin Roe, a member of the ring, transported materials from Robert Townsend’s coffee shop to Long Island, a risky and dangerous trip of over 50 miles. Robert Townsend was a self-proclaimed Patriot who presented himself as a British-loving Loyalist, and so he could pass valuable information to Roe and then the spy ring.

One of the most valuable members of the spy ring was Abraham Woodhull, a farmer and son of a Patriot judge. He was the intelligence leader of the ring, deciding what information would be passed on to General Washington. Like many of the spies, he had a code name, his being “Samuel Culper Sr.”.

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The Culper Spy Ring discovered that the Redcoats were planning to attack the French coming to deliver supplies and help to the colonies. Thanks to this information, Washington was able to prepare his defenses. The colonists ended up capturing a British spy who had been caught working with Benedict Arnold and was later executed.

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Washington did not really outfight the British. He simply out-spied us.
— British intelligence officer

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George Washington, Spymaster and General 

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George Washington, Spymaster and General 

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Although George Washington is more widely known as first president of the US, he is also considered the first spymaster and the person who laid the groundwork for the US intelligence community today.

Washington created a huge undercover system with hundreds of components, the most famous being the Culper Spy Ring, which he placed in the care of Benjamin Tallmadge.

One of the smartest things Washington did during his time as general was realizing the military alone could not win the war. The American military was much smaller, weaker, and had less supplies than the British military. Military officials would not work well as spies, as proven by Nathan Hale, but civilians would. The tools his spies used at the time were innovative and even revolutionary.

Thanks to George Washington and his intelligence community, the Americans would win the war.