Spies in the American Revolution for Kids: A History Book

Copyright © 2021 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California

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Series Designer: Angela Navarra

Cover Designer: Gabe Nansen

Interior Designer: Jennifer Hsu

Art Producer: Tom Hood

Editor: Elizabeth Baird

Production Editor: Matthew Burnett

Production Manager: Martin Worthington

Illustrations © Alessandra Santelli, 2021.

Author photograph courtesy of Kelsey Bond Photography.

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63807-326-0

       eBook ISBN: 978-1-63807-816-6

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For Atlas and Eden

Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: FIGHTING FOR INDEPENDENCE

CHAPTER 2: SPIES WANTED

CHAPTER 3: THE CULPER SPY RING

CHAPTER 4: SPY TOOLS AND TACTICS

CHAPTER 5: PATRIOT SPIES

CHAPTER 6: LOYALIST SPIES

CHAPTER 7: SPY BATTLES AND PLOTS

CONCLUSION

GLOSSARY

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Introduction

What did it take to create the United States of America? In short, a revolution. It would take a long, bloody war to carve out the new nation. It also took bravery, grit, and sacrifice from many ordinary people—including spies.

Before the Revolutionary War, people who lived in the American colonies were British citizens, even though Great Britain was thousands of miles away across a vast ocean. The colonists were bound by British laws, used British money, and imported British products. Many colonists believed they should have an independent country, separate from Great Britain.

Once the war began in 1775, Great Britain became the enemy. It was not an equal match. As a nation, Great Britain was the world’s leading superpower. They had a powerful military with many professional soldiers and sailors. It would be nearly impossible for the colonists and their army to win a war against the British without another advantage. Intelligence, or information, about the British army and their movements would be crucial. But during the 1700s, information was much more difficult to get than it is today. There were no airplanes or satellite images to show where the opposing army was located. There were no phones or computers to communicate information about strategies or plans. Everything was up close and personal. Brave spies had to see things with their own eyes. Once they had important information, they either had to tell someone else directly or write it down using a quill pen and ink or some other form of secret communication. And they had to do all this without getting caught.

To gather information, generals had to do more than just send their soldiers out on horseback and hope they would happen upon British troops. Gathering intelligence required strategy. Certainly, the men in the army would do their part to gain information. But they couldn’t be everywhere. The colonists needed a network of people from all walks of life to report on the British army’s whereabouts and plans. And they needed a safe way for those people to relay information. Spies couldn’t just ride up to army headquarters and talk to the officers. Because just like the American colonists, the British also had spies watching everything.

Anyone who became a spy put their life at risk. If caught, they could be killed or imprisoned. It was critical to find safe and creative ways for spies to communicate. Their lives depended on it. Networks of spies worked together to relay information. Sometimes they wrote messages in invisible ink. Sometimes they wrote letters with coded words. Sometimes they used signals by hanging laundry on a clothesline!

The story of the Revolutionary War is as big as our country. Countless men and women played a role in the Revolution. Some were political leaders. Some were soldiers. Some were enslaved people. Some were farmers. Some were shopkeepers. And some people in each of these groups were spies. This is the story of the spies who lived in the shadows. In this book, you will discover how they helped form America as we know it. As you read, you will