His father, Richard, was unharmed, but Simcoe had plundered the house in the most shocking manner in order to obtain compensation for his troubles. So little Thomas Sprout Woodhull appears to be quite the little hipster baby wearing breeches before they were cool. [19], But on the heels of this victory came a threat to their security. He was the son of Richard Woodhull, a wealthy judge, and Margaret Smith Woodhull, who did not die when Abraham was young as portrayed in the show, but in fact died in 1803, fifteen years after Richard. Woodhull was in New York City when the Loyalist troops came to his house, but he later reported how his 66 year-old father was home, and that Simcoe plundered him in a most shocking manner. Woodhull escaped Simcoes wrath by arranging for a prominent local Loyalist to vouch for his character. . You put your tiny little hand on my leg and tried to take your first shaky steps. Woodhull told Brewster about the plans, and Brewster passed the information on to Tallmadge, leading to Tallmadge, Brewster, and other Continental troops ambushing and killing 19 of the 20 British troops, capturing a wounded Simcoe. When you are that man, I want nothing more than a future for you where you are able to live, love and be free. During the American Revolution, Abraham Woodhull became a member of the Culper Spy Ring, which provided intelligence to .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}George Washington to assist the Patriots war effort. He returned to Setauket to care for his parents and sister. Theyre both economical and practical, especially for a large middle or working-class family. Woodhull served as a lieutenant in the Suffolk County militia for a short period of time in the fall of 1775 but resigned after a few months. Not two months had passed, however, when Washington needed their services again. When Baker left, an angry Simcoe had him tell him about the affair, and Simcoe beat up Woodhull in the woods at night after coming onto him with a few regulars, saying that he retracted an apology that he was going to give him for accusing him of Captain Joyce's murder. Townsend, in fact, had somewhat foolishly recruited his cousin James into the ring, who ended up being arrested by the Continental Army for allegedly being a British spy! [7] Tallmadge added two couriers to the operation to speed the reports from New York City to Setauket. Caleb escaped, and Abraham decided to continue passing information to the patriots. While in the city, he was able to observe naval strength, troop numbers, and glean potentially important information by eavesdropping on the conversations of British soldiers. In order to spy against the British, Woodhull needed to enter New York City with Anna, whom he would claim was his wife. [4] Culper to Scott, October 31, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. I fight this fight for you. However, I have come across letters that have the sympathetic stain across entire pages. Im glad that you all enjoyed the article, and great points from SPM and Ken. Background. The exact circumstances of Nathaniels death remain elusive but stories popular at the time held that he was wounded in action, captured, maltreated, and died miserably. 2022-07-02. What struck me is the summary of the June 1777, I agree, and checked my source before submitting. The TV show TURN took plenty of historical liberties; for instance, there is no evidence of a love affair between Abraham Woodhull and Anna Strong. Are there transcriptions at any other accessible digital websites? It is a choice that comes at a heavy price. The redcoats informed Woodhull that single persons could no longer travel to New York, stepping up security against patriot infiltrators. He was killed while putting down a riot at King's College. Where you can stand on your own two feet. Nevertheless, he continued to send letters to Washington, informing of anything of importance he came across. This led to Abraham being disappointed with his father, whose loyalist sympathies set the two of them apart. Thomas Sprout Woodhull (died August 24, 1814) was the son of Culper Ring spy and farmer Abraham Woodhull. Fifth generation from Richard Woodhull, the original grantee of a large portion of Brookhaven Town. Anna found out about the duel from Simcoe and warned Richard Woodhull, and the two headed to stop the duel. Suddenly the door to his room flung open and two people burst into his room. Woodhull began spying in October 1778 and sent his first "Samuel Culper" letter on October 29, 1778, after he had sworn an oath of loyalty to the Crown as cover. His first intelligence in October addressed British troop strengths and their shortages in provisions. Washington sent another vial of ink.[12]. The ink was a solution developed by John Jays brother, Sir James Jay. Accessed 18 May 2016. https://spycurious.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/lieutenant-colonel-richard-hewlett-the-loyal-est-loyalist/, Long Island Surnames: Abraham Woodhull. Longislandsurnames.com, accessed 15 May 2016. http://www.longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I0519&tree=Woodhull, Markle, Donald E. The Fox and the Hound: The Birth of American Spying. [22] In the same letter he finally bowed out of the spy business. Local orchard owner Lucas Brewster was blamed for the poisoning, and he was arrested. Washingtons Spies: The Story of Americas First Spy Ring. His efforts as a spy were some of the most successful efforts in American History. ae 53 years and 1 day Abraham Thomas was the son of Nicholas Thomas (1753-1838) and his first wife, Lucy Somes (1759-1792). 2022-07-02. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Poster: Abraham Lincoln, With His Son Tad (Thomas) Leaning On A Table, 1865 at the best online prices at eBay! Abraham Woodhull was born to Richard Woodhull and Rebecca Woodhull (1728-1757). The intelligence would then be retrieved by a certain boatman named Caleb Brewster, who was a lieutenant in the Continental Army. Abraham Woodhull (7 October 1750 23 January 1826) was the leader of the Culper Ringnetwork under the aliasSamuel Culper, Sr. during theAmerican Revolutionary War. memorial page for Abraham Woodhull (7 Oct 1750-23 Jan 1826), Find a Grave . He faced a long sentence, but was freed unexpectedly by Major Tallmadge, a fellow Setauket native and childhood friend who had successfully managed to argue for his release. Required fields are marked *. Woodhull was mildly supportive of the American cause but before 1778 the closest he came to the rebellion was an uneventful two-month stint in his county militia. Woodhull became involved in the revolution around the same time, with Anna convincing him that he should side with the patriots against the British. In early May 1779 Woodhulls worst fears almost came true. Abraham Woodhull (October 7, 1750 - January 23, 1826) was a leading member of the Culper Spy Ring in New York City and Setauket, New York, during the American Revolutionary War. Robert Rogers, (born Nov. 7, 1731, Methuen, Mass. Vad beror finnar p olika stllen? In July 1778 Woodhull paid for his daring when a Continental naval patrol intercepted his boat and Rebel authorities threw him into a Connecticut jail. [10] Tallmadge to Washington, November 19, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. I knew I had to do this for you. Margaret Smith Woodhull was a descendant of Richard Lawrence Woodhull, a wealthy settler of Setauket,[1] and was also related to New York militia Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull. Still dedicated to his mission, in June Woodhull expanded the operation by recruiting 25 year-old Robert Townsend, a former lodger at the Underhill boarding house, as an additional agent. Under the system that Tallmadge designed, Woodhull travelled to New York every few weeks on business, mixed with Crown soldiers, listened for news, and observed activities. Tallmadges recruitment of Woodhull enabled them to put their plans into action. Woodhull decided to do so, as his father was in the church as well. Woodhull immediately set to work attempting to collect the money due him for his services. Captain Thomas Woodhull (1746 - 1773) was a British Army officer who served in the King's Militia, the son of Richard Woodhull and Rebecca Woodhull and the brother of Abraham Woodhull.He was killed while putting down a riot at King's College. The British responded to this by disarming all of the citizens, and when Benjamin Tallmadge's father Benjamin Tallmadge, Sr. greeted the British as a hostile person when turning in his gun, he was suspected. Woodhull and the Culper Ring continued spying until the war's official end in 1783, although it appears they did not gather much useful intelligence during their final years. Hewlett decided to send the accused to HMS Jersey in lieu of hanging, although this was effectively a death sentence due to the poor conditions there. War History Online welcomes many guest authors who share their knowledge of the history on our pages. Does Baylor Scott and White random drug test? That he has gone so far beyond his promise makes me rather uneasy on his account.[17] And the ever-frugal general often testily reminded his spies not to waste the expensive disappearing ink and to find ways to communicate their intelligence faster. Interestingly enough, Woodhull, Strong, Brewster and Tallmadge existed in real life, as did almost all of the other main characters of the show. Gen. Charles Scott, September 25, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 18, 2014 via http://memory.loc.gov. Little Thomas Woodhull, whom Abraham fondly calls Sprout, steals the spotlight at the beginning and end of the TURN pilot episode. Since Woodhull was ill at the time, another spy named Austin Roe was sent to New York to get information from Robert Townsend, who sent a report back to Woodhull for forwarding to Washington. In 1781, Woodhull married Mary Smith. We work with various museums, historical societies and media outlets around the world. I am wondering, however, about the timing of Mr. Also, his cousin, Continental Brigadier-General Nathaniel Woodhull, died at the battle of Long Island in 1776. [5] In February 1779 he sent information on troop movements, supply problems, naval matters, the total strength of enemy forces around New York, the possibility of reinforcements, and other military plans; the report was seven pages long. However, he was arrested by British troops and thrown in prison by Inspector-General Joseph Innes, who believed that he was spying for the rebels. In mid-1778 he began sailing across Long Island Sound to British-held New York to sell his farms produce for hard currency. Cant find his name in the cast credits either odd. An ancillary benefit of reading the non-transcribed document, at least with some writers, is the unbelievable penmanship of some. But he probably never forgot that day in 1778 when he came very close to being hanged. In the spring of 1780 the strain of spying was wearing on both Woodhull and Townsend, and Tallmadge told Washington that Townsend had become less active, and even Culper Senior grows timid and thinks that intercourse had better be dropped for the present.[18] Washington agreed to shut the Culper Ring down, only to reactivate it in July to gain information that would support operations of another French fleet expected later that summer. They continued their march across the Sound, spilling over onto Long Island and into Setauket. The patriots withdrew from Setauket, but Anna decided to leave Selah's side and stay in Setauket to help Abraham. Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground, Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring, Intelligence operations in the American Revolutionary War, "Grave Stones and Epitaphs from the Churchyard", "TCA: AMC Picks Up 'Halt & Catch Fire' & 'Turn' To Series", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abraham_Woodhull&oldid=1135483720, Jesse Smith Woodhull, Mary Woodhull, Elizabeth Woodhull, "Samuel Culper" and then "Samuel Culper Sr.", This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 23:13. I want you to live in a world where you can make your own choices. Woodhull would copy what information he could gather onto paper, and on his way back home to Setauket, he would hide the information in a prearranged location, a hidden cove on Long Island Sound. After her death in 1806, Woodhull remarried in 1824. That would include both Woodhull as "Culper Sr." and Robert Townsend, who used the alias "Samuel Culper Jr."[14]. The house was built in 1660 and was destroyed by fire in 1931. Highwaymen on the road near the town of Huntington robbed him of all of his money in early April 1779, and Woodhull told Tallmadge that he felt a life of anxiety to be within . While Im working on a longer post concerning the convoluted chronology of TURNs pilot episode, I thought Id write a short post concerning a (literally) tiny realm of 18th century material culture seen in the show thus far: babies! Documents answer this question positively without doubt. Tallmadge told Woodhull that George Washington wanted him to work with the patriots as a spy during the American Revolutionary War, and he refused. Lucy was the daughter of Abraham Somes, one of the. The British had been aware of the planned French attack for over a month, thanks to the treason of the infamous General Benedict Arnold himself. He died two years later, on 23 January 1826. Free shipping for many products! She then passed on the information to American soldiers. Abraham Woodhull performed Patriotic Service in New York in the American Revolution. Biography Richard Woodhull was born in 1712 in Setauket, New York. http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-monmouth.htm, https://spycurious.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/lieutenant-colonel-richard-hewlett-the-loyal-est-loyalist/, http://www.longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I0519&tree=Woodhull, https://allthingsliberty.com/2014/05/abraham-woodhull-the-spy-named-samuel-culper/. But Im a bit surprised by the []. Little Thomas Woodhull, whom Abraham fondly calls "Sprout," steals the spotlight at the beginning and end of the TURN pilot episode. [11][12] Mary died in 1806,[11] and he married Lydia Terry in 1824. Their reports are believed to have uncovered Benedict Arnolds treason, and led to the capture of British Major John Andre, who was working with Arnold to undermine the Continental Army. Abraham Woodhull is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor. [5] Culper to Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge, November 23, 1778, GW Papers, accessed January 26, 2014, via http://memory.loc.gov. A farmer and the son of a local Patriot judge, Abraham Woodhull joined the Culper ring in November of 1778. The court case fell apart, leading to uproar. General Washington had often been frustrated by the exaggerated figures that he had received from spies in the past, and expected more of the same from Woodhull. Woodhull wrote, I received their threats for coming there that made me almost tremble knowing my situation and business.[1] His statement only hinted at what he inwardly knew; that if the soldiers discovered his espionage mission, they would have hanged him without compunction. He began providing information to the British in 1779, and started a correspondence with Major John Andre, the head of British intelligence. Shortly after, Richard Woodhull was shot in the chest as he boarded his wagon with Simcoe and Woodhull, with the man using a verse from the Book of Judges as wadding for his musketball. This trend lasted way beyond that period, too. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. AMC. Working together, Woodhull and Townsend warned Washington about British activities as the 1779 campaign developed and they discovered British plans to wreck American finances by counterfeiting Continental currency. Letter Dear Thomas , As I write this letter you are upstairs in your mother 's arms, sleeping peacefully. Brother of Mary (Woodhull) Arthur and . Woodhull returned to Anna and told him of this, and Anna told him that Selah had died of dysentery on the Jersey two months earlier; however, Robert Rogers had bribed the captain of the ship to say that Selah had died and that Samuel Tallmadge, Benjamin Tallmadge's deceased brother, was the one who survived. Whatever tactic the major used, Woodhull accepted the offer. Abraham Woodhull/Parents Background. I was just wondering. ), American frontier soldier who raised and commanded a militia force, known as Rogerss Rangers, which won wide repute during the French and Indian War (175463). In one incident, a Tory privateer named John Wolsey reported a rumor that Woodhull was spying for the Continental Army. [2], Woodhull was to be a new type of American spy. They likely discussed Woodhulls activities trading with the British. Moments later he realized that the intruders were his nieces, playing a game to surprise their uncle, and successfully so. As depicted in the show, Abraham Woodhull was a cabbage farmer.



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