The Tailor Spy

Irish Sympathy

The Irish in the American Revolution had their heroes and villains on both sides of the conflict. Although they were celebrated for decades of resisting and fighting their British oppressors, there was little Irish support for the colonials fighting the distant war. The average Irishman was just trying to survive, and many were recruited into British regiments in Ireland. In America itself, Irish immigrants, like the rest of the population, were divided in their loyalties. However, one transplanted son of Erin would play a secret role in helping to free his adopted nation – and perhaps seek some revenge on the British.

Hercules Mulligan at work 

Until recently, only historians and a few enthusiasts of Revolutionary War history knew the name Hercules Mulligan, but it gained worldwide fame through the hit Broadway musical, “Hamilton.” Indeed, Mulligan’s story was connected to that controversial Revolutionary War officer, political operative, and Founding Father. For Hercules Mulligan and his family, in many ways, they provided Alexander Hamilton with the support every new immigrant needs to reach the next level.

Early Days

Hercules Mulligan moved from Coleraine, County Antrim, Ireland, to New York City with his parents, Hugh and Sarah Mulligan, when he was six years old. The year was 1746—long before the French and Indian War and all the political and economic events that would lead to the fight for America. Hercules's father quickly became a successful accountant in New York, and the family prospered in the colonies. Along with Hercules, two brothers also came; notably, his oldest brother Hugh, who became the owner of an import-export business that employed a young man from Nevis named Alexander Hamilton.

King's College

Hercules attended King’s College (now Columbia) and initially became an accountant before switching to the haberdashery business. His first shop was on Water Street, but he later moved to the more fashionable Queen Street in 1773 to attract a wealthier and more influential clientele. That same year, his brother Hugh introduced him to the young prodigy Alexander Hamilton. Hercules took Hamilton under his wing, and Hamilton boarded with Mulligan and his family while attending King’s College.

Secret Politics

While Hamilton’s politics were formed at King’s College, it remains uncertain when and how Mulligan started sympathizing with the rebel cause. Maybe hidden Irish sympathies and resentment toward the harsh Penal Laws in his homeland influenced him. Or was it the events after the French and Indian War—the same events that led more than a third of the king’s loyal subjects toward a different political system? Still, the connection and bond clearly formed during those early days of growing revolutionary fervor.

Stamp Act Protest

At some point along the way, possibly as early as 1765, Hercules helped write an underground tabloid called The Constitutional Courant that opposed the Stamp Act. Mulligan later became a founding member of a radical faction within New York’s Sons of Liberty, organized to defend the colonists’ rights and oppose British taxation. He was also involved, if not a leader, in the mob inspired by the Sons of Liberty that attacked British soldiers in 1770 during what became known as the Battle of Golden Hill. 

Battle of Golden Hill

A Model Citizen

Although he led a secret political life, Hercules publicly remained a member of the establishment. The young Irishman married well—his wife was Elizabeth Sanders, the niece of a Royal Navy admiral and a well-connected member of New York's social elite. The outgoing Irishman leveraged his wife's family connections to grow his business and build relationships with New York’s upper class—most of whom were strong Loyalists. Later, as more British regulars garrisoned New York, he gained a circle of officers as both clients and contacts. 

British-occupied New York

The outgoing haberdasher placed detailed ads in Rivington's Gazette and other leading Tory newspapers—ads aimed at drawing top-tier customers and officers with descriptions of “superfine cloths, gold and silver lace, fancy buttons, and epaulets replete with heavy bouillon.” If you build it, they will come. And come they did. Choosing cloth, accessories, measuring, and fitting all took time—time that could lead to slips of the tongue, nuggets, and the knowing winks of a proud and haughty clientele trying to impress the popular haberdasher. 

Secret Rebel

Mulligan was involved in an incident on August 24, 1775, an attempt against the HMS Asia, which was anchored in New York Harbor. Under the cover of night, a group of New York militiamen, including Mulligan's company known as the "Corsicans," took control of the artillery battery at the southern tip of New York Island (Manhattan). Hercules and his young boarder, Alexander Hamilton, were among them. However, someone had alerted the crew of the HMS Asia, and it fired its own guns on the rebels.  

HMS Asia in New York harbor

Mulligan threw a rope around one of the guns to pull it to safety. As he struggled, Hamilton approached and, despite his small size, dragged the gun away. Hamilton then calmly rejoined the front lines to help move more guns – 20 were taken. Interestingly, one of the shots from the HMS Asia struck the roof of Fraunces Tavern, which later hosted General Washington’s farewell in 1783. With Hercules's support, young Hamilton was promoted to captain and commander of an artillery battery in July the following year – just in time for the British attack on New York.

Artillery would team Hercules with Alexander Hamilton

In 1776, Mulligan was among the Sons of Liberty who tore down a large statue of King George III in Bowling Green. They then melted its lead into musket balls for the rebels. He also joined the New York Committee of Correspondence, a crucial tool for rallying support among the people and keeping the colonies coordinated. An attempt to escape the city failed, and Mulligan stayed in New York after Washington's army was expelled during the summer 1776 New York campaign. By September, New York was occupied by the British, and the situation demanded more than political protests—it required espionage. But to do that effectively, Hercules would need to pretend to be a Loyalist. Since many changed their allegiances during this time, it didn’t attract much suspicion.

King George III statue tumbling down

Tailor Spy

Exactly when our “model citizen” became a spy remains unclear. Fittingly, such matters were not recorded, and secret agents often operated under cover names, code names, or numbers. It is believed Alexander Hamilton suggested him to Washington while serving as aide-de-camp in 1777. However, some sources indicate that the haberdasher did not actually report to Washington until 1779. In any case, the transition was smooth, if not inevitable.

Alexander Hamilton as aide-de-camp to General Washington

At his clothing shop, Mulligan often measured his clients, talking with them and gathering insights through conversation. He was also very attentive to military and political events in the city. Years of secretly waging a political war had sharpened Mulligan's skills, making him an excellent intelligence operative in the occupied city.

The perfect venue for eliciting 

nuggets from powerful customers

As housing for wealthy men became scarce in occupied (and fire-damaged) New York, Hercules opened a few rooms in his home to British officers—an excellent way to avoid suspicion, gather intelligence, build relationships, and develop leads. Some believe Mulligan reported through the Culper Ring—the Long Island-based spy network made famous by the fictional TV show TURN. He might have done so. The main contact for the ring, Robert Townsend, operated his business just down the street from Mulligan’s haberdashery. However, Hercules used other methods too. In fact, Washington’s top intelligence officer and spymaster of the Culper Ring, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, once asked the commander in chief about Mulligan’s status and activities. He was worried that Mulligan's activities might pose a threat to his ring. He would not have made the inquiry if Mulligan was one of his assets.

Major Benjamin Tallmadge

Courier

So how did Mulligan smuggle his intelligence out of the city? One method was through his African American servant, Cato. Cato’s status allowed him to pass through British lines without attracting much attention, as Africans were believed to be loyal to the British (and most were). Some think Samuel Culper used Mulligan’s servant as an alternate reporting channel at least once. Cato made many trips across the lines, but on his last one, he drew enough suspicion to lead his captors, likely local Loyalist militia, to beat him badly. Despite the harsh treatment, Cato did not give up his mission or his boss. In the end, Mulligan used his high contacts to secure Cato's release, although his courier days were over.

Fraternal Affair

Hercules’s older brother, Hugh, was also involved in espionage. His import-export company, Kortwright & Company, conducted business with the British military and many influential Tory merchants in New York. As a shipper, he could visit ships in port, inspect facilities, and track the movement of supplies—offering valuable intelligence on upcoming British operations.

Hugh Mulligan had access to British shipping plans

Saving the Indispensable Man

Little is known about the details of Hercules Mulligan’s reports, but he is credited with providing intelligence that saved General George Washington’s life on at least two occasions. That alone could make him one of the most important figures of the war. 

Cato's message from Hercules saved Washington

Once, a British officer came to Mulligan late at night looking for a coat. Hercules started showing him different coats while joking and questioning his customer, who carelessly revealed he was planning to capture George Washington. Mulligan sent Cato away as soon as the officer left, allowing Washington to escape to safety. Another time, the British found out about Washington’s plan to ride to Rhode Island along the Connecticut shoreline. Luckily, Hugh Mulligan was contracted to supply the British vessels, and he quickly told his brother. Once again, Cato slipped out of the city to warn Washington.

Under Suspicion

The friendly and well-connected Mulligan did come under suspicion at least once during the war. Ironically, this suspicion came from the infamous traitor himself, Benedict Arnold. Arnold was now in New York, holding the rank of Brigadier General in the British Army. One of Arnold’s tasks as commander of the West Point garrison was to help organize resistance against the British in and around New York City. In that role, he suspected that the tailor might be one of General Washington's sources.

Benedict Arnold - British Brigadier General

Washington excelled at “compartmentalizing” operations. Very few of his closest confidants knew who his spies were, and those who did had only the knowledge absolutely necessary.

Hercules under questioning

Arnold had Hercules arrested. Having been interrogated twice before by the British, Mulligan managed to deflect questions and keep his cool. These skills—along with his reputation as a loyal subject and friend to the British—helped him through. Since Arnold lacked any real evidence to back his accusations, our tailor-spy was quickly released.

Under Suspicion (Again)

Hercules was a victim of his own success. By serving as the loyal haberdasher to the British and Tories for nearly eight years, he strengthened his reputation as a collaborator among his fellow New Yorkers—a group known for its cynicism. Patriots and Whigs accused him of being an active Loyalist and a traitor to the cause. After the British departed at the end of 1783, his thriving business and standing in New York society were in serious danger. Many Tories were driven out of town, and their properties were seized. There was no reason to believe that this would not also be Hercules’s fate.

British evacuation of NYC

But the hand of His Excellency, General George Washington, stepped in. After the war, Washington is known to have quietly reached out to many previously unknown individuals and made it clear they were under his special approval. Many of these are believed to have been covert intelligence operatives: secret agents, spies, and couriers. 

True Friend of Liberty

While in New York City, a grateful George Washington visited Mulligan’s haberdashery, had breakfast with the man to whom his life was owed, and was fitted for a new set of clothes, dubbing the secret patriot “a true friend of liberty.” This act protected Mulligan from being labeled a British sympathizer and collaborator. Beaming with pride, Mulligan commissioned a sign that he proudly displayed outside his 23 Queen Street (now 218 Pearl Street) store: “Clothier to Genl. Washington.”

Queen Street post-war

Although Cato’s fate remains unknown, Mulligan fought for democratic ideals in post-war America and co-founded the New York Manumission Society with his longtime friend, Alexander Hamilton. Our tailor-spy died in 1825 at age 80 and is buried next to Alexander Hamilton in Trinity Church.

Trinity Church 1776 pre-NYC fire

The Surgeon Spy

Perhaps the most intriguing case in the world of Revolutionary War espionage is that of Doctor Benjamin Church. An enigma wrapped in American history, Church embodies all the traits of an ideal patriot – and the ultimate traitor.

Doctor Benjamin Church

Yankee Pedigree

Church was a blue-blooded descendant of Yankee ancestors and the envy of the Colonial Dames. Born on August 24, 1734, in Newport, Rhode Island, he was the son of Benjamin Church, a Boston merchant and deacon of the Hollis Street Church. Church hailed from a family of New England military, civil, and religious leaders that traces back to the Mayflower through his great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Warren Church, daughter of Richard Warren, who arrived on the Mayflower.

Benjamin Church was born in Rhode Island

Raised for Prominence

Young Benjamin studied at the Boston Latin School, the typical springboard to Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1754. He then studied medicine under Dr. Joseph Pynchon. Afterward, like many American surgeons, he completed his studies in London, where he married Hannah Hill. Upon returning home, he quickly built a reputation as one of the city’s best young physicians and surgeons, even treating the eye problems of the lawyer and future founder John Adams.

Future  president John Adams was Church's patient

Political Turmoil

In the decade leading up to the break with Britain, Massachusetts, especially Boston, was at the center of increasing discontent and unrest. Benjamin Church appeared to be actively involved in these events. After the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, he was the one who examined Crispus Attucks’s body and treated some of the wounded. This involvement positioned him as a staunch Whig, and in 1773, he was chosen to deliver the annual “Massacre Day” oration, a yearly event designed to ignite anti-British feelings. He demonstrated a talent for oratory. 

The Boston Massacre

Dr. Church became a leader of Boston’s Sons of Liberty, working with key figures like Joseph Warren, Sam Adams, John Adams, and Paul Revere. By 1774, the well-known surgeon was a delegate to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and later joined its Committee of Safety, the colonial group responsible for preparing for armed defense.

Our Surgeon Goes to War

April 1775 marked the official start of hostilities between the American colonists, especially those in New England, and the Royal authorities. Although independence was not yet a declared goal, the fight for American rights resembled a war. Our favorite surgeon found himself caught in the middle of it. In May 1775, Church traveled to Philadelphia, where he discussed the military situation in Massachusetts with Congress. As head of the Committee of Safety, he signed the order for the construction of defenses at Breed's Hill and Prospect Hill. 

Breed's Hill defenses

In July 1775, he was appointed Director General and Chief Physician of the newly established Medical Department of the Army, making him head of both the hospital department at the first army hospital and the first headquarters of regimental surgeons. This prestigious appointment placed him at the peak of his career. 

Doctor Gloom?

Interestingly, Church proved to be an indifferent medical administrator and faced a barrage of complaints from the army’s regimental surgeons about his management of the medical system. He pushed back, claiming jealousy was the real motivation behind his critics, and soon asked to be relieved of his duties. Why would a renowned and highly trained surgeon (18th-century term for a physician) show any sign of failure in what should be a core skill? Perhaps our doctor had other priorities occupying his mind.

As chief army surgeon, Church was 

responsible for medical supplies

Other Things

Other clouds swirled around the standing Whig leader. In the world of espionage, these were labeled anomalies and indicators. Although they were present, it would take an overt event to start bringing things together. There were suspicions about his allegiance to the cause, particularly the cause of independence. 

At that time, there still might have been prominent Whigs who were unsure about breaking completely with Britain. But was he one of them? Yes, Church had an English wife, and his brother-in-law was a well-known Tory printer, John Fleming. However, many had connections to Britain and the Tories, so he couldn’t be seen as entirely unusual. As rebellion approached, Church gained a reputation as a notable patriot writer and poet. Still, it turns out that he sometimes responded to his own patriotic open letters in the press with “op-ed” pieces that took the Tory side! 

Advertisement for John Fleming's Printshop

As it would later be revealed, he also had at least one meeting with General Thomas Gage, which was reported, probably by the Mechanics, a spy network run by Paul Revere (see the Yankee Doodle Spies post on them). Church dismissed it—like many suspected spies do too easily. What was then unknown was that Church was in debt, some of which was caused by keeping a mistress. And she was not his first, as it turned out.

Did Paul Revere's Mechanics have 

the doctor in their sights?

A House of Cards

In July 1775, Doctor Benjamin Church’s scheme unraveled when a secret letter was intercepted and decoded. A cipher message was sent to a British officer in Boston named Major Cane through a former mistress. But Eros intervenes in strange ways—the letter was intercepted by another of the woman's ex-lovers and sent to the new Continental Army commander-in-chief, General Washington, in September. 

It took some effort to decode, but they were rewarded because it contained information about the American forces gathered around Boston. Although little of the information was critical, the message clearly showed Church’s loyalty to the King and sought instructions for further secret correspondence. A bombshell striking Washington’s headquarters couldn’t have been more explosive than this news!

King George III

A General Court Martial

During the court-martial in Cambridge that immediately followed, Church admitted to writing the letter (a typical ploy) but insisted he aimed to display the Continental Army’s strength to deter an attack while it was still low on ammunition. He believed it might also help bring about an end to hostilities. While impressing the British probably benefited Washington’s position, this belief showed Church’s ambivalence. Because there was no “espionage statute” and America wasn’t yet an independent nation and therefore could not be “betrayed,” the court, presided over by Washington, concluded that Church engaged in a “criminal correspondence with the British.”  

General Washington penned a report 

following Church's court-martial

Report to Congress

On October 5, 1775, General George Washington wrote to John Jay, the President of the Continental Congress, to notify him that a letter from Dr. Benjamin Church, the surgeon general of the Continental Army, to Lt. Gen. Thomas Gage, the British commander in chief for North America, had been intercepted. His case was then forwarded to the Continental Congress for punishment, along with this report from Washington to the President of Congress:

I have now a painful though necessary duty to perform, respecting Doctor Church, the Director of the Hospital. About a week ago, Mr. Secretary Ward, of Providence, sent up one Wainwood, an inhabitant of Newport, to me with a letter directed to Major Cane in Boston, in occult letters, which he said had been left with Wainwood some time ago by a woman who was kept by Doctor Church. She had before pressed Wainwood to take her to Captain Wallace, Mr. Dudley, the Collector, or George Rowe, which he declined. She gave him the letter with strict injunctions to deliver it to either of these gentlemen. He, suspecting some improper correspondence, kept the letter and after some time opened it, but not being able to read it, laid it up, where it remained until he received an obscure letter from the woman, expressing an anxiety as to the original letter. He then communicated the whole matter to Mr. Ward, who sent him up with the papers to me. I immediately secured the woman, but for a long time she was proof against every threat and persuasion to discover the author. However she was at length brought to a confession and named Doctor Church. I then immediately secured him and all his papers. Upon the first examination he readily acknowledged the letter and said that it was designed for his brother, etc. The army and country are exceedingly irritated.

Crime and Punishment

Because there were no actual laws or a death sentence, Church was sentenced to an indefinite prison term and kept in solitary confinement in Norwich, Connecticut. When he became ill in January 1776, he was released from jail and allowed to move around under guard. In May of that year, he was sent back to Massachusetts on bail and remained in prison until 1778, when the Massachusetts Banishment Act ordered him to be exiled to Martinique in the West Indies. Soon after, he set sail, but the schooner carrying him was never heard from again. It was believed to have gone down in a storm on the open sea.

Church would spend most of his life in prison before exile

A Spy Exposed

Doctor Benjamin Church’s case was one of the mysteries of the American Revolution. Many believed he was wrongly judged, and he certainly thought so himself. After all, his credentials, services, and pedigree were spotless. Although he admitted to certain acts, he insisted strongly that he was just keeping channels open and trying to feed the British bogus information. Torn between two sides, he may have genuinely believed his own story.

Yet he was in debt, had mistresses, and clearly had the ego to take bold action. Was his visit to British-held Boston to meet the Royal Governor and Commander in Chief, General Gage, an act of perfidy or misguided statesmanship?

Did a mistress or mistresses do him in?

Years later, the truth was revealed when scholars gained access to General Gage's files. In the early 20th century, these papers became available to historians. They contained letters with information about the rebel army—correspondence carried by Church that could only have come from him. The good doctor was definitely providing the British army with intelligence from at least early 1775, possibly even earlier. 

General Thomas Gage's files finally outed the spy

A Spy’s Motive

Why did the esteemed Dr. Benjamin Church engage in espionage? Was it because of overwhelming debt? Disputes and grudges against rivals in American leadership? Was there ambivalence about truly breaking ties with Britain? Family connections? Loyalty to the crown? Or perhaps it was for the most frustrating reason of all – simply because he could.

The Sculptress Spy

Viewers of the hit TV series TURN, also known as Washington’s Spies, recognize a seductive femme fatale artist who was a spy for the American cause in London and was ultimately executed in a brutal manner. However, the real Patience Wright was more of an enigma, and perhaps even more controversial than her TV counterpart.

 

Kate MacCluggage as Patience Wright 

in TURN

Quaker Girl

Who would have guessed that a vegetarian and Quaker girl from the seaside hamlet of Oyster Bay, New York, would move in circles that included Ben Franklin and the king of England? In 1729, when Patience Lovell was four, her family relocated from Long Island (coincidentally not far from the area of the Culper spy ring) to New Jersey. Patience Lovell grew up in Bordentown, near Philadelphia, the largest city in the colonies and home to the biggest Quaker community. 

At sixteen, the lively Patience left her family and the quiet farming town of Bordentown for the bustling streets of Philadelphia, where, in 1748, she married a barrel maker named Joseph Wright. They had four children together before he died in 1769.

Wax Artist

Faced with poverty, the new widow Patience turned her hobby of molding wax figures into a small business with her sister, Rachel Wells, who was also a widow. Their waxworks became very popular— the figures were said to be very lifelike, similar to Madame Tussaud's work in later years. Her craft gained a lot of admiration, and she eventually opened a shop in New York. It is unclear when and where Patience developed her talent for making wax figures, but she was known to have molded them into various shapes and figures to entertain her children. Despite the unknown details, her talent was quickly recognized.

Disaster

In 1771, her New York waxwork was destroyed by a fire, and Wright decided to reestablish herself in London, a much larger stage than provincial New York and Philadelphia. Settling in the city’s West End, she soon featured popular waxworks displays with historical tableaux and celebrities. Before long, her waxwork was favored by London's elite society.

The Promethean Modeler

Wright’s work was in high demand, and soon the upper class would sit for hours as she worked the wax and molded it into busts and figurines. Her personality was eccentric for her time and the social circles she engaged with. She often greeted men and women alike with kisses, clopped along in wooden shoes, and chattered away like a fishmonger. In an age of high decorum, she literally broke the mold. 

 

Patience in later years

Her boisterousness earned her the nickname "The Promethean Modeler." Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she became quite a celebrity in 18th-century London. However, not everyone found her antics amusing. Abigail Adams was shocked by her overfamiliarity and lack of modesty, calling her “the queen of sluts” in a letter.

 

Abigail Adams

She is said to have softened the wax by rubbing it against the warmth of her body under her apron. Patience often did this suggestively, both amusing and irritating her subjects. But her work was excellent, and more importantly, very popular. She was commissioned to model King George III, and eventually other members of British royalty and nobility. Even the royals were treated to her style of casual banter, and it was reported she called them by their first names while they sat for her.  

British newspaper cartoon 

Patriot Patience

Despite relying on the generosity and support of British society, Patience Wright remained an American and a patriot. She was quite vocal in advocating for the patriots, often upsetting her customers. Patience also took action; American prisoners of war held in Britain endured inhumane conditions. She raised funds to support them. She met with pro-American politicians like the activist Lord George Gordon and Benjamin West, who would visit her workshop to discuss the rebel cause. 

Lord George Gordon

Sculptress Spy

But did this make her a spy? Maybe yes, maybe no, but she had active correspondence with prominent Americans and most likely provided them “nuggets” gleaned from her wealthy and high-placed connections during the early years of the American Revolution. She corresponded with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, both key figures in the diplomatic side of the war. Patience also wrote letters to Pennsylvania politician John Dickinson describing the British Army's preparations in England. Tales abound of her sending sculpted wax figures embedded with secret notes to her sister in Philadelphia. But this is not substantiated. 

 

John Dickinson

A Rapid Fall

Wright eventually lost royal favor because of her open support for the colonial cause, especially when she reportedly scolded the king and queen after the battles of Lexington and Concord. Ultimately, opposition to her patriot views forced her to move to Paris. During her two years there, she crafted a wax model of Benjamin Franklin but couldn't establish a waxwork. In 1782, Patience sailed back across the English Channel. 

 

Patience Wright's Bust of Franklin

Back in London, Patience moved into her daughter Phoebe's home at St. James’s Square, where Phoebe was married to painter John Hoppner. In 1783, Wright made firm plans to return to America and sculpt wax busts of General George Washington and the other Founders. 

 

John Jay

As she wrote to founder and diplomat John Jay, “I wish for nothing more than to finish the portraits in wax busts of all you worthy heros that have done honour to themselves and their Company.”

The sculptor-patriot planned to sail by 1786 at the latest. Sadly, she had a severe fall and died from complications on March 23 of that year. Patience was buried in London, but unfortunately, her exact gravesite remains unknown.

America’s First Sculptress

Few of Patience Wright’s works survive today, mainly because of the fragile nature of the wax medium. Wax figures were often seen as “low art” compared to bronze or plaster sculptures. However, a full-length statue of William Pitt, Lord Chatham, is displayed in Westminster Abbey. Some also attribute a profile of Admiral Richard Howe in the Newark Museum to her.

Patience Wright's William Pitt statue

Her subjects included Benjamin Franklin, female soldier Deborah Sampson, and, of course, the King and Queen of England. However, she is also known to have created sculptures of Lord Lyttelton, Thomas Penn, and Charles James Fox. Overall, she is credited with molding about fifty-five major works, but her only confirmed piece is the William Pitt, Lord Chatham figure.

King George III sat for Patience

Legacy

Patience Lovell Wright was a remarkable figure in an era of extraordinary individuals. Wife, mother, businesswoman, artist, political activist, and spy. I’m willing to take a risk, but her stubborn and determined personality, combined with her patriotism, makes her well-suited for the daring work of espionage. Who would suspect she was secretly sending reports to Paris and Philadelphia while hiding in plain sight? Her folksy boldness and subtle sexuality likely kept others off guard, helping her carry out more serious covert work unnoticed. Still, her artistic skills were genuine and impressive. And I firmly believe that if she had returned home, her artistic achievements would have reached even greater heights and continue to be celebrated today.

Bordentown Home

Nothing Could Be Finer

 

Tar Heel Travelers

As Yankee Doodle Spies/RevWarTales matures, I plan to include more "news you can use." In my various forays across the world wide web during this past year of lockdowns, I stumbled across a website that I found both interesting, and useful - The American Revolution Tour of North Carolina, which can be found at https://amrevnc.com/

Throw away that Michelin guide, gas station map, and even your favorite GPS app (okay – keep that one), The American Revolution Tour of North Carolina can help you find, explore and visit the state's heritage sites.  From the up-country Regulators to the low-country planters, this site helps guide you across the ground where the first patriots and their loyal opposition once gathered, marched, and clashed. 

(Courtesy of AmRevNC, LLC)

Rethinking History

Growing up in New York, my early exposure to the American Revolution focused on the northeast and mid-Atlantic. And for lots of good reasons. For one, that is where the conflict erupted in full and where General George Washington and many other illustrious and not so illustrious generals in the pantheon of Rev War leaders fought. 

Stalemate in the North

But by 1779, the war in the north had reached a form of stasis. General Washington was relegated to a war of watch and wait. Watch the British garrisoned around New York City. Wait for the French to marshal enough men and ships to help retake the grand prize he lost in 1776. By this time, the British had replaced Lord Howe with Sir Henry Clinton as commander-in-chief. 

Sir Henry Clinton

But they found occupying the American capital in Philadelphia no longer practical. One of Sir Henry’s first actions was to abandon the city and retrograde back to New York. With total naval supremacy, the New York area would be easy enough to hold. But the north was in an overall state of quiet, except for raids and probing actions.

 

Lord Germain

The British saw an opportunity in this, but only if they could move quickly before the French, and others, had fully engaged. Knowing the West Indies would become the more critical area of operations as the French tried to retake lost islands, Lord George Germain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, shifted the center of gravity (my words) south. The so-called “Southern Strategy” was born.

Southern Strategy

The Loyalists in the south convinced the British high command that there was widespread support for the crown in the Carolinas. By shifting forces there and leveraging that support, the British could divide the Americans and perhaps keep the southern colonies in the empire. This had the added benefit of the south’s proximity to the more valuable (in contemporary British minds) West Indies. 

It was a good strategy. Except that the support for the crown was not overwhelming and a series of British missteps and American propaganda soon turned the south into a prairie fire of combat. Scores of battles, large and small, mostly small, raged from the end of 1779 through the closing months of the war. 

This became a civil war with the British caught in the middle. And the fighting was bitter and personal. Friend against friend. Family against family. In the end, the patriots outfought the Loyalists. That made the costly victories of the British futile in pursuit of their goal of subduing the Carolinas. You might not say the Americans won the war in the south. But you can say the British lost it there.

A Valuable Tool

Although this website is focused on North Carlina, it also includes information of a broader sort. For example, the excellent war timeline includes activities, not in North Carolina. But of course, the Tar Heel events are hyperlinked to even more information. A click brings you deeper into the subject area. Fabulous visuals, maps, travel information, the back-story, tips on key events. It is all there for the traveler to use. And for those who want to know more, each section provides a very comprehensive bibliography of books, periodicals, and websites that provide deeper dives into the subject.

AmRevNC Timeline (Courtesy of AmRevNC, LLC)

Geography is Everything

Although this is a history website, history is merely a set of yarns without geography. Everything has to happen someplace. 

The site offers you the choice of: 

Finding all locations on a map. Finding them by county. Or browsing for them by region of the state. These are all collected into driving tours. They have day trips and multi-day trips scoped out for you.  Here is the regional breakdown:

Geography is everything: Tours by geographic region (Courtesy of AmRevNC, LLC)

 

Having lived in North Carolina, I can tell you the historic traveler can see amazing natural beauty while exploring battlefields, cemeteries, plantations, farms, and monuments. Climb the rugged mountains in the west, cruise over the rolling piedmont hills, and feel the sultry woods, fields, and wetlands along the Atlantic coast. 

Enjoy some of the nation's finest natural 

beauty while exploring the Am Rev

This site makes it easy.

 

Geography is everything: Driving tours map (Courtesy of AmRevNC, LLC)

Case Study: Shallow Ford

In one case, I clicked into the Wachovia regional tour and selected Shallow Ford. The Yankee Doodle Spies Blog featured a post on this battle some years back. It was a skirmish between North Carolina and Virginia militia and a larger force of Loyalists. I wish I had this resource when I was researching my blog post.  I was very pleasantly surprised with the visualization, the story told, and the ease of doing a virtual “staff ride” even before one spends gas money for the actual visit. A great online experience. There are nice photos of key locations in the battle.

 

View from the Tory position in the second 

phase of Shallow Ford Skirmish (Courtesy of AmRevNC, LLC)

The site included excellent map graphics of the battle. They portray your tour stops juxtaposed on the arrows of advance and retreat.

Shallow Ford Battle Map (Courtesy of AmRevNC, LLC)

The Gift Shop

A nice touch to the site is the online gift shop. It includes a variety of “swag” for NC Am Rev aficionados. That currently includes such basics as tee shirts, mugs, and tote bags. One suspects the list of items will grow over time, perhaps including books and prints.

Some AmRevNC Swag (Courtesy of AmRevNC, LLC)

The Idea

I reached out to the webmaster and site developer, Jim Morgan, and asked him how he came up with the idea. Curiously, he said it was based on a lie! Or in any event, faulty information in a book on a skirmish called Pyle’s Defeat. After traveling out to the venue, he discovered the book had it wrong! Jim, who holds a Master's in Journalism and was once a professional writer, decided to fill a void and went to work doing research, writing, and initial web design. It was time well spent. Jim also put the site together with the help of an excellent support staff who do site investigation, research, editing, and web design. A complete list of his excellent team is included in the site credits. 

AmRevNC.com Pyle's Defeat image: Sunken

 remains of the Hillsborough-Salisbury Road 

not open to the public

Jim launched the site on 5 March after a year of 70-hour weeks and logging some 8,100 miles. Although well beyond the beta phase, Jim advises the site is continually updated as new information is discovered and old information is clarified. They actively seek site users to comment and point out things for correction or improvement - sort of an NC Rev version of Wikipedia. Would that each of the 13 colonies/states had someone like Jim Morgan help bring the American Revolution to them. Or should I say, bring them to the American Revolution? With this site, you can do both.

Hit the Road, Jack

With people tearing off their masks and itching to get on the road this summer, I cannot think of a better way to enjoy it than to visit the many American Revolutionary War sites at the national, state, and local park level. This website is the perfect tool for anyone wishing to focus on the struggle in the Tar Heel State. 

Your journey in time and space begins with just one click: https://amrevnc.com/about-this-site/

So what are you waiting for? This website is a must for historic travelers. It provides a great tool for planning, getting to, and visiting some of the most well-known, and more importantly, not-so-well-known venues in America’s eight-year struggle for independence. Nothing could be finer than to be in Am Rev North Carolina. Any time.