Posted on 03/16/2009 2:13:39 PM PDT by BGHater
The father of our country also was a 'spymaster extraordinaire,' according to a retired CIA executive
George Washington defeated the British empire, not with his "ragtag Army," but with his extensive network of spies.
That's according to Eugene Poteat, a retired senior CIA executive who began to research the history of espionage decades ago.
"Washington had his spies everywhere," said Poteat, who helped establish the International Spy Museum in Washington. "He set up the most effective intelligence operation this country has ever seen."
Poteat lives in McLean, but was in Fredericksburg Saturday to address a group keenly interested in the exploits of the father of our country.
He spoke to the Col. Fielding Lewis Chapter of the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, at the Fredericksburg Country Club.
Poteat told the 15 members that Washington was a "spymaster extraordinaire" whose first exposure to military intelligence--or lack thereof--went back to the French and Indian War.
More than 1,500 soldiers and officers in Washington's company were killed or wounded in an ambush because their opponents knew their every move.
"Washington learned a hard lesson that day," Poteat said. "Never again would he engage in battle without proper intelligence."
During the Revolutionary War, Washington's first foray into spying ended badly. A young teacher who stood over 6 feet tall, with flaming red hair, volunteered for spy duty, even though he hardly blended in a crowd.
"I've heard a lot of history discussed among this group today, so you know where this is going," Poteat said.
He added what many already knew: that Nathan Hale--whose only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country--was the volunteer who was caught and hanged by the British.
"But the story didn't quite end the way we think," Poteat said,
As upset as Washington was over Hale's death, he continued his quest to establish a spy network. He stressed the importance of secrecy and assigned three-digit numbers to agents, officers and conflicts.
Washington was No. 711; New York City was No. 727.
From fellow members of the Masonic Lodge, he gathered information from every major city, where the British set up headquarters in the finest homes.
Patriots from all walks of life helped.
A Presbyterian preacher wrote and broke coded messages.
An Irish haberdasher and his banker brother, who dealt regularly with British officers in New York, told Washington about their comings and goings.
A Polish Jew who spoke several languages came to America to help the colonists, then got a job with the British, translating for German soldiers.
"Washington now had his fox in the German hen house," Poteat said. "He had this place wired."
A woman in Philadelphia owned the home where the British gathered to plan a surprise attack at Valley Forge, when Washington seemed most vulnerable.
She overheard every word. The next morning, she told her husband she needed more flour--even though she had a kitchen full already--and headed toward a mill near Valley Forge to warn the Continental Army.
"The British left Philadelphia, and along the way to Valley Forge, guess who was behind every other tree, sniping at soldiers? George Washington's men," Poteat said.
They did to the British just what the French and Indians had done to Washington in the earlier war. The British called off the surprise attack of Valley Forge.
One of Poteat's favorite stories involves a woman whose identity has never been revealed. Known as No. 355, she was a Quaker who helped uncover Benedict Arnold's treachery. She also identified the head of British intelligence, which eventually led to the officer's capture.
There's a monument at Arlington Cemetery that speaks to the contributions made by women. A passage mentions the efforts of No. 355, who was captured, then died aboard an enemy ship.
"If you ever get up that way, go by there and see the monument," Poteat said.
"And lay some flowers on it," added Steve Atkins from the audience.
ping-a-ling
Book called “Washington’s Spies” (original isn’t it) has a good deal of detail of his efforts to get information concerning NY. Intersting book and a fairly quick read.
Thank you for posting this good bit of our history.
Great Article. During the Winter, preachers wouldn’t brave the fierce winters, so General Washington did the job. He was a true leader in fashion of his master.
Did they use Waterboarding????/ /snic
Rev Ping.
Nothing ‘new’, but it’s about the Man.
No. 355 would make a good movie.
Ahem. Take two.
No. 355 would be a great subject for a movie. ...or...They could make a great movie about No. 355.
No. 355 would make a good movie???? Wow. Just Wow. my bad. Time to go home.
No. 355 would have made a good movie, if photography and motion pictures had been invented already.
The General was indeed a giant in the world of spymasters.
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The father of our country also was a 'spymaster extraordinaire,' according to a retired CIA executive... George Washington defeated the British empire, not with his "ragtag Army," but with his extensive network of spies.A former spy sez that Washington's army could all have gone home, and we still would have won our independence. :') Thanks randomhero97. |
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The Enemy Within: A History of Spies, Spymasters, and Espionage (General Military) (Paperback)
***************EXCERPT*************
by Terry Crowdy (Author)
From Publishers Weekly
Crowdy, who has previously written for Osprey on the uniforms and organizations of French revolutionary armed forces, reflects his publisher's expanding horizons in this survey of espionage from ancient times to America's invasion of Iraq. Since Egypt fought the Hittites, he observes, secret agents have been dispatched to spy and perform other deeds that may be against the law but are perceived to be in the country's best interest. Though Crowdy is familiar with standard sources, this is a work of narrative and anecdote rather than analysis, and succeeds within that context. He discusses the role of intelligence collecting in creating and sustaining the Persian, Roman and Mongol empires, offering Judas as an early example of a double agent. The development of professional secret services in early modern Europe segues into the often-overlooked role of intelligence in the Revolutionary/Napoleonic era, making for tales of spy and counterspy that are the most interesting in the book.
First in war, first in peace, and first dangling a small boy from the roof so he can eavesdrop (as it were) on the British officers planning stuff in a upper-storey room.
Fixing the Spy Machine: Preparing American Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century (Paperback)
See my post 10. Still shaking my head over that one.
I read this story in Smithsonian Magazine several years ago. There they said that she was a Quaker whose oldest son had run away and joined Washington's Army. The British had commandeered her home as HQ and they met around her dining room table to plot their strategy after the family had retired to their quarters upstairs.
There was a tiny hole in the floor and she would lie there with her ear to the hole. She then wrote down the British plans in tiny script on a piece of muslin which she fashioned into a button. She sewed the button to the clothes of her younger son and she sent him to the mill for more flour the next morning. He managed to escape detection and went right to Washington's HQ where he clipped the button from his clothes. Washington cut the stitches holding it together and revealed the tiny script inside detailing the British plan of attack.
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