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 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 enigmatic figures in the time of the Yankee Doodle Spies. An Irishman born in Scotland, John Honeyman became a key agent when the American cause was at its lowest. His chameleon ways, hiding in plain sight, may have inspired the protagonist Harvey Birch in James Fenimore Cooper's seminal work, The Spy, although most connect New Yorker Enoch Crosby to that role.

James Fenimore Cooper

Historians clash over Honeyman's role as his narrative was written in the following century by a grandchild. But this is the fate of many secret soldiers whose deeds, for reasons of secrecy and security, went undocumented. Retired CIA Case Officer and Revolutionary War Historian Kenneth Daigler built a case for Honeyman's being one of Washington's operatives.

Honeyman hailed from County Armagh, born to thrifty Scottish parents. Although his father was a hardscrabble farmer who could afford little education, Honeyman managed to learn to read and write. He had a knack for trades, such as weaving. But at age twenty-nine, Honeyman went in a different direction, joining the British Army and sailing to America to fight the French and Indians.

Honorable Service

At sea, he came to the attention of General Wolfe and became his servant and bodyguard. Action at Louisburg greeted him, but his military career ended tragically. Private Honeyman was at the side of 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

His officer gone, Honeyman mustered out 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 made his way to Pennsylvania, where he set himself up as a butcher and weaver and married a girl from Ireland named Mary Henry in September 1764. Around the time of Shot Heard Round the World, Honeyman had moved to Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress and a hotbed of political discussion and intrigue. Around that time, he may have come to 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 at Trenton. He had little trouble falling in among the local Tories—his letter from the late Wolfe and discharge made him a respected Briton and servant of the King. He set up his butcher and weaving enterprises with the British and soon came to their attention as a Loyal Briton. His home was behind rebel lines at Griggstown, and John Honeyman avowed Tory (as part of Washington's scheme) traveled back and forth in trade while collecting intelligence. Sometimes, plans can work too well. With tensions high that fateful year in the Jerseys, a patriot mob attacked his home. His family escaped unharmed, although it took a note from Washington to allow the Tory family 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 collect intelligence on the garrison's strength, morale, defenses, and other activities. A plan was concocted to give him cover—Honeyman allowed himself to be captured by a rebel patrol that had orders 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 in such a low state of morale and equipment the Hessian commander did not need to fear an attack.

Johann Rall

Deception Brings Defeat

Even though the Hessians had been on heightened alert for the past two weeks, Rall believed Honeyman's story and so felt confident enough to relax security on the nights of 25-26  December. The deception gave Washington just enough of an edge—his Army recrossed the Delaware River and marched through the snowy night to surprise the garrison, which soon surrendered. His victory saved the cause from inevitable collapse and perhaps turned the tide of the war.

Attack on Trenton

The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold

With combat raging around Trenton, Honeyman headed north to New Brunswick, the logistics hub for British forces in New Jersey. There, Honeyman maintained the fiction of being a Loyalist tradesman to avoid British reprisal for his espionage. Whether he played a continued espionage role for Washington is unknown. He did not return to his Griggstown home until the war's end.

Honeyman lived a quiet post-war life on a small farm near Bedminster, New Jersey. None of his neighbors and friends had any inkling of his connection to Washington, not to mention his role in espionage. Honeyman married a second time when Mary died in 1801. Honeyman passed away peacefully on 18 August 1822,  aged 93. The tradesman spy was laid to rest in the Lamington Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Lamington, New Jersey.

Honeyman's gravesite