Hogan’s Heroes
Lovers of TV Land likely recall the hit comedy of the 1960s, Hogan’s Heroes. The premise involved a team of spies who got themselves shot down over Nazi Germany to establish a spy cell functioning from a prison camp (Luft Stalag 13) in the heart of Germany. From there, Colonel Hogan and his eclectic band maintained radio contact with “London” while coordinating various activities, ranging from espionage to sabotage. Much of the show focused on gags at the expense of their hapless captors, Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz, but they frequently slipped out of the prison camp to nearby Hammelberg for clandestine missions. However, unlike other POWs—they would sneak back in.
Winter War
Something like this happened during the height of the American War for Independence when General Washington needed intelligence following his victory at Trenton. Word had arrived that General Charles Cornwallis was leading an army south to take revenge for the embarrassment. Washington ordered that someone be sent to Brunswick to assess the size of the British forces, particularly the troops guarding the recently captured General Charles Lee. The status of British supply trains was also of interest since Washington considered marching north to seize their baggage and supplies for his under-supplied army.
Daring Mission
Lieutenant Lewis Costigan of the 1st New Jersey Continental Line Regiment volunteered for the task. He was well-suited for the mission, having been a merchant in that part of New Jersey and being most familiar with the area. Costigan’s mission is reminiscent of Lieutenant Jeremiah Creed’s spying in my novel, The Cavalier Spy. Costigan traveled north over icy roads during a bitterly cold winter that chilled the soul. He evaded British patrols, sentries, and Loyalist informers, successfully avoiding scrutiny. Costigan was gathering the intelligence required by Washington when British light dragoons swept in and captured him. The brave officer was in uniform, so his captors did not treat him as a spy.
Prisoner on Parole
The British sent their new prisoner to New York City, where he was soon granted parole, a fairly routine practice that allowed officers to move about freely. Less fortunate prisoners, referring to enlisted men, were sent to the Sugar House or, even worse, to prison hulks (ships) to wither away and die. However, under the restrictions to which they pledged as gentlemen, officers fared better. Paroled officers were prohibited from engaging in military activity, communicating with colleagues, or criticizing the British war effort. Paroled officers agreed to report back to the British if directed. Costigan led the mundane life of a parolee, idling in the garrison city, visiting taverns, and mingling with the locals. He was formally released as part of an exchange for a British officer in September 1778.
Learning about this, Washington wrote to his Commissary General for Prisoners, Colonel John Beatty, who was responsible for handling prisoner affairs, including exchanges. Washington urged him to free Gostigan quickly but to avoid appearing too eager to the British. His Excellency had plans for his past and future spy. General William Alexander, who called himself Lord Stirling, was to pressure Costigan to enter the fray once more. Costigan took a boat to New Brunswick, where he received a new mission from one of Stirling’s subordinates, Colonel Ogden, who urged the exchanged parolee to return to New York for a few more months and spy for the Continental Army! Washington must have been desperate for intelligence at the time, as the mission was highly unorthodox and fraught with significant risk. For his part, Costigan must have had a lot of guts and nerves of steel to agree.
Agent Z
What cover would Costigan use to slip past the British and lurk around a garrison filled with enemy troops, Loyalists, and the dastardly Provost William Cunningham’s thugs? Actually, none. His handlers were betting that the British prison bureaucracy would not realize he had returned, nor that they would have alerted the garrison regiments, Loyalist units, and Cunningham’s provosts when they exchanged prisoners. Stirling and Ogden were counting on the stovepipes not connecting, and they were wagering Costigan’s life. Costigan was given the code name Agent Z for the unusual mission.
Prisoner Spy
Costigan made his way back and took up the subterfuge of hiding in plain sight—living as the prisoner on parole he had been. Since he was legally exchanged, his earlier parole restrictions no longer applied. Curiously, no one seemed to take much notice of Costigan as he roamed the city, noting troop movements, living conditions, supply problems, and more. Word of his exchange clearly had not spread among the dockside dives or the city’s many taverns and coffee houses. To everyone, he was just another parolee out and about. Using his code name, Agent Z, the volunteer prisoner sent his intelligence reports to Washington through Colonel Ogden and Lord Stirling.
Intelligence
Agent Z successfully sent out three reports before leaving New York. The first was dated December 7, 1778. It included intelligence on troop and ship movements, the location of the British commander, General Sir Henry Clinton, the supply situation (low on bread), the names of captured prize vessels, and the origins of British provisions from sympathizers and profiteers in New Jersey. His correspondence mentioned several other reports concerning troop strength, but it remains unclear whether these ever made it through.
A second report to Washington, dated December 13, 1778, included many more details on British activity that amounted to "indications and warning” of British forces sailing south for Georgia. Lord Sackville (George Germain), the British Secretary for the Colonies, had adopted his Southern Strategy, which would begin with the seizing of Savannah on December 29. He noted the notorious former Royal Governor William Tryon and reported on the movements and promotions of other senior officers.
Costigan’s last report from December 19 detailed British officers who had deserted in Florida, along with the status and size of “the Jamaica fleet,” which he estimated to be around 40 or 50 vessels.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Agent Z clearly had a talent for observation and elicitation. There is no record of how he sent out his reports. Did he co-opt legal travelers? Send correspondence under a false name? Whatever method he used must have encountered a problem, for he left New York in mid-January 1779, presumably posing as an exchanged parolee. In March of 1779, General Washington queried Lord Stirling about his reporting (or lack thereof). Stirling laconically replied that Agent Z was no longer active and believed to be “out” (presumably of the city and the intel game) and thought to be residing in Brunswick.
Lieutenant Lewis Costigan’s activities illustrate how Washington utilized multiple channels of intelligence, as he was not connected to the Culper Ring organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge but reported through Colonel Ogden to Lord Stirling. His exploits offer a unique glimpse into espionage during the American Revolution. As Agent Z, he assumed the role originally intended for the unfortunate Nathan Hale, although his clever use of a “non-cover” provided an elegant twist. Hiding in plain sight appears to have been all the tradecraft he required.
