One of the best kept secrets of the
American Revolution was the spy system that operated on Long Island,
from the village of Setauket, and kept Gen .Washington supplied with
impotent information about the movements of the British troops in
New York and on Long Island.
All but one of members of this spy ring
were Setauket people The details of the origin of the spy system are
not clear, but about 1778 Major Benjamin Tallmadge was head of this
organization, and reported to Gen. Washington. Mr. Tallmadge was born
in Setauket in 1754, the son of the local Presbyterian minister, and
it was natural he turned to his Setauket neighbors for help. For five
years or more he and the men picked out by him operated this spy
ring under the noses of the British in New York and Long Island,
without any of them ever being caught. So successful were they in
concealing their identity that Gen. Washington never knew who
members of the spy chain were.
News of the British plans and
movements were gathered in New York city by Robert Townsend who
operated a coffee shop near Wall street. He was known to Gen.
Washington only as "Culper.Jr." Information gathered by him was taken
to Setauket by a messenger on Horse back, who was Austin Roe of
Setauket. He in turn left it in a secret hiding place for Abraham
Woodhull, who was the middleman in the spy system and went under the
name of "Culper Sr." He turned it over to Caleb Brewster, who took it
across the sound in one of his boats and delivered it to Major
Tallmadge's headquarters in
Connecticut. From there it was delivered
to Gen. Washington, wherever he might be.
Robert Townsend was the
chief figure on the NewYork city end. He posed as a young Tory
merchant in partnership with James Rivington, and they operated a
general merchandise store and coffee shop. Mr.Townsend was a well
educated young man and soon became widely acquainted in British
circles.
The man who carried the messages from New York to Setauket
was Austin Roe, who operated a store and tavern in Setauket.
Disguised as a country merchant, he traveled back and forth without
detection. It is almost impossible to realize what Austin Roe had to
contend with as he rode the 55 miles from Setauket to New York
through the enemy's country, often several times a week.
If it had
possible to follow a message from New York to Setauket and across
the sound to Major Tallmadge's headquarters, we might have seen
Austin Roe enter Mr. Townsend's coffee shop in New York. He was
tired and hungry, for he had just finished a long ride from
Setauket. When Mr. Townsend saw Mr. Roe come in he knew Gen.
Washington was expecting a message from him, so he soon left and went
to his quarters nearby. He was soon followed by Austin Roe, who
handed him a letter from John Bolton (Major Tallmadge) which read,
"I wish you to send by bearer 1/2 ream of letter paper." Mr. Townsend
paid little attention to this message but went to a secret closet
and brought out a bottle of liquid which he brushed over the letter.
Soon another message sprang to light on the paper. It was from Gen.
Washington, requesting certain information. In the meantime Mr. Roe had started
down the street to the printing office of James Rivington, where he
purchased a half ream of paper, and went back to Mr. Townsend's rooms
.Carefully it was unwrapped, so that it could be sealed again
without showing it had been opened. Mr. Townsend began counting the
sheets until he arrived at a number previously agreed on. That sheet
was taken out, and Mr. Townsend, reaching for another bottle of a
different liquid, began to write his message to Washington. As soon as
the stain was dry it disappeared giving no hint it was there waiting
to be developed by other liquid. The sheet was replaced in its proper
place in the package of paper and resealed.
Austin Roe packed his
saddle bags with a variety of articles needed by those in the
Setauket area, and set out for home, crossing the Brooklyn ferry and
arriving at Setauket in time to give attention to his cattle which
were kept pastured in a field belonging to Abraham Woodhull. He was
a young farmer of Setauket and the middleman in the spy ring, who
used his farm on Conscience bay as a base for operations. Because
his house was full of British troops, he arranged for Austin Roe to
pasture his cattle on his land which gave Mr. Roe a place to hide
the messages he brought from New York. Mr. Woodhull then picked up the
message from a secret box behind a fence, and later turned them over
to an ex whaler by the name of Caleb Brewster, who carried them
across the sound in his boat to Major Tallmadge's headquarters in
Connecticut. In addition to this, Mr.Brewster, with his lightly
armed whaleboats, captured several supply ships headed for the
British army at New York and also led his men on a raid across the
Island, burning and wrecking whatever they could find belonging to
the British Fort St. George at Mastic in November 1780 which proved
a complete success.