Tradesman Spy

Patriotic Sons of the American Revolution

 marker near Trenton, New Jersey

Fort Lee, New Jersey, November 1776. The tall soldier in a blue jacket opened the door. "Your visitor is here, Your Excellency."

General George Washington wiped the dark liquid from his pen tip and nodded. A nondescript man in farmer's clothes stepped in. Washington motioned toward a seat. "Thank you for coming, sir. I hope the journey did not discommode you."

"Not at all, sir. When we last met I gave you my word that I was at your service."

"Your nation thanks you for it. Our situation is bleak. The British regulars will be here within forty-eight hours. But the Army is too weak to make another stand."

"What will you do, Your Excellency?"

"Better you not know. Suffice it to say this state will be under British occupation for some time. That's where you come in."

"Me?"

Washington nodded. "I must trouble you to proceed to Trenton and its environs. Establish yourself there as a Loyal Tory. You are a hero of the last war—service under the great General Wolfe."

"He was a great man. As are you, Your Excellency. Now, what are your orders?"

"I need a spy in their midst."

The Spy?

Washington's visitor was one of the most mysterious figures of the Yankee Doodle Spies era. An Irishman born in Scotland, John Honeyman became a vital agent when the American cause was at its lowest point. His chameleon-like ability to hide in plain sight may have inspired the protagonist Harvey Birch in James Fenimore Cooper's important work, The Spy, although most associate that role with New Yorker Enoch Crosby.

James Fenimore Cooper

Historians disagree over Honeyman's role, as his narrative was written a century later by a grandson. However, this is common among secret soldiers whose actions remained undocumented due to secrecy and security concerns. Retired CIA Case Officer and Revolutionary War Historian Kenneth Daigler argued that Honeyman was one of Washington's operatives. 

Honeyman came from County Armagh, born to frugal Scottish parents. Though his father was a struggling farmer with little access to education, Honeyman learned to read and write. He had a talent for trades like weaving. But at age twenty-nine, Honeyman chose a new path by joining the British Army and sailing to America to fight the French and Indians.

Honorable Service

At sea, he caught the attention of General Wolfe and became his servant and bodyguard. He participated in the action at Louisbourg, but his military career ended tragically. Private Honeyman was beside Wolfe when the bold general was struck down in his moment of triumph on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec.

Death of Wolfe at Quebec

With his officer gone, Honeyman mustered a sort of hero with a letter vouching for his service with and for Wolfe, who became a beloved figure among all Britons, especially those in America.

Tradesman and Family Man

Honeyman traveled to Pennsylvania, where he established himself as a butcher and weaver, and married a girl from Ireland named Mary Henry in September 1764. Around the time of the Shot Heard Round the World, Honeyman had moved to Philadelphia, the hub of the Continental Congress and a center of political debate and schemes. During that period, he may have caught the attention of George Washington. Some accounts say he offered the soon-to-be commander-in-chief his services.

A Spy Among Them

Honeyman left Fort Lee and arrived in Trenton. He had little trouble blending in with the local Tories—his letter from the late Wolfe and his discharge made him a respected Briton and servant of the King. He established his butcher and weaving businesses with the British and soon gained their attention as a Loyal Briton. His home was behind rebel lines at Griggstown, and John Honeyman, a Tory openly supporting Washington's plan, traveled back and forth trading while gathering intelligence. Sometimes, plans can succeed too well. With tensions running high that year in the Jerseys, a patriot mob attacked his home. His family escaped unharmed, though it took a note from Washington to ensure the Tory family’s safe passage to Trenton, now garrisoned by Colonel Johann Rall's brigade of Hessians.

Violence was not confined to the battlefield

Great Scheme Hits Paydirt

Using Trenton as his base for business and espionage, Honeyman was able to gather intelligence on the garrison's strength, morale, defenses, and other activities. A plan was devised to give him cover—Honeyman let himself get captured by a rebel patrol assigned to take him to Washington's headquarters.

Washington meeting a spy

The commander in chief personally "interrogated" the "prisoner." Afterward, he ordered the notorious Tory to be thrown into a jail cell. Washington arranged a diversionary fire that allowed the Tory to escape. The skilled line crosser made his way past guards and sentries from both sides and reached the safety of Trenton. There, the loyal Tory dutifully reported his capture and escape. Under Johann Rall's questioning, he was able to plant a significant piece of disinformation—the rebels were so low in morale and equipment that the Hessian commander did not need to fear an attack.

Johann Rall

Deception Brings Defeat

Although the Hessians had been on high alert for the past two weeks, Rall believed Honeyman's story and felt confident enough to relax security on the nights of December 25-26. The deception gave Washington just enough of an advantage—his army crossed the Delaware River and marched through the snowy night to surprise the garrison, which soon surrendered. His victory rescued the cause from certain defeat and may have turned the tide of the war.

Attack on Trenton

The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold

With fighting raging around Trenton, Honeyman headed north to New Brunswick, the logistics hub for British forces in New Jersey. There, Honeyman maintained the cover of being a Loyalist tradesman to avoid British retaliation for his espionage. Whether he continued to play an espionage role for Washington remains unknown. He did not return to his Griggstown home until the war ended.

Honeyman led a quiet post-war life on a small farm near Bedminster, New Jersey. None of his neighbors or friends suspected his connection to Washington, let alone his role in espionage. Honeyman remarried after Mary died in 1801. He died peacefully on August 18, 1822, at the age of 93. The spy and tradesman was buried in the Lamington Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Lamington, New Jersey.

Honeyman's gravesite