--The sassy black tavern waitress outside of Boston who spotted Brit spies and called them out on it
--The capture of Gen. Lee by Tarleton at the Widow White's tavern in Basking Ridge, NJ being "entertained" by the Widow White and literally caught with his pants down
--The incredible spy ring that Washington ran
--The Quaker lady who risked her life spying for Washington
--The capture of Major Andre by local militia in NY north of NYC and his eventual execution
--The stories surrounding the beautiful and vivacious Kitty Greene (wife of Gen. Nathanael Greene)
...and on and on. But don't get me started...
Interesting story... one of my ancestors was a soldier in the Revolutionary War himself. Unfortunately, for the wrong side. He was an officer in Tarleton’s unit! I call that discovery ‘my Darth Vader moment’ in genealogy research.
On the flip side my wife has an ancestor who served in the civil war along with two brothers, all for Wisconsin regiments. One brother died in the fighting for Atlanta. The other brother had a list of escapades that would make for a good Civil War novel.
I hardly believed it all myself, but everything I’ve researched in the units’ roster and regimental history matches up perfectly with the family record. He enlisted as ‘John Smith’ in the 1st WI Cavalry (I guess ‘Johann Balthasar Messerschmidt’ was a bit much for the recruiting officer). Wounded, captured and left for dead in early fighting in Arkansas; recovered by his unit; fought in a long series of campaigns moving eastwards the next few years, culminating in his saving a detachment of troops at Resaca, GA for which he was made a brevet Captain.
Then at the Georgia battle where his brother died he was captured in a cavalry charge and sent to Andersonville. Tunneled out and got captured. Tunneled out again, got as far as Charleston, recaptured and put in the city jail. Escaped again and reached another town whose name I forget, just in front of an advancing Union army, and hid in a cellar until they arrived. Was then furloughed home, understandably, for the final months of the war.
The life of George Washington, as spymaster, has to be one of the great mysteries of early America. Washington, among his other qualities, seemed to have an impressive capacity to pick superb spies.
Many of whom were women, whose names are either missing, or still kept as secrets today, likely because some were English noblewomen.
Only Nathan Hale, who seemed to be missing a few vital brain gears, was the only one ever caught. And though it is rarely mentioned, Hale seemed to be determined to become a martyr. The British were more inclined to transport him back to England to face trial, likely to result in a prison term.
But he got his wish. In addition, because he was executed as a spy, the Americans were inclined to be as harsh when they captured Major Andre, even though everybody who knew Andre, even as a spy, liked him, and truly wished they didn’t have to hang him.
What seems like gentlemanly excess was indeed the case, because the colonies had been appalled by the utter savagery of the French and Indian War, followed by Pontiac’s Rebellion, impressive in their murderous brutality even by modern standards. For this reason, both the British and Americans tried hard to “keep it polite”, if at all possible.
Which wasn’t always possible, of course. But the relatively few acts of depravity committed during the much larger American Revolution, still stand in contrast to the two wars that proceeded it, even though the Revolution had many veterans from the previous wars.
If you have any recommendations for reading I'd love to hear 'em.
Don’t forget Mother Batherick!