S. Eugene "Gene" Poteat, 32°
PO Box 1218, McLean, Virginia 22101–1218
G2Poteat@aol.com

Washington was a master of intelligence, counterintelligence, and military deception.

Even though much is known and has been written about George Washington, the Commander of the victorious Continental Army that secured our independence, our first President and the great Mason, there is much more to Washington's legacy. We have a clue about another, lesser-known side of Washington from Major George Beckwith, the head of British intelligence operations in the Colonies at the end of the Revolutionary War. Upon his return to England, along with the defeated British army, Beckwith was quoted by the London newspapers as saying, "Washington did not really outfight the British, he simply outspied us!" Beckwith had just paid the greatest compliment that one spymaster can make to another.

Washington had learned a hard lesson when he was a 21-year-old adjutant under British General Braddock during the French and Indian War. Braddock's forces were ambushed by the French and Indians and virtually annihilated. Washington escaped after his horse was shot out from under him and Braddock was mortally wounded, as so were 615 of his officers and 914 soldiers. The French simply had an effective intelligence network and were aware of Braddock's every move well in advance. Washington would never forget this bitter lesson and never again be so surprised. Today, many scholars attribute Washington's resounding victory in the Revolution as much to his skills as a spymaster as to his military leadership.

At the beginning of the War, Washington knew he needed eyes and ears inside the British-occupied cities to spy out the secret plans of the British, and one of his first orders of business was to create his secret intelligence service. His initial hasty attempts to place a spy inside New York would end in the death of his first spy, Nathan Hale, whom the British captured and left dangling from the gallows in his stockings for three days as a reminder and deterrent to other potential spies. The British, nonetheless, begrudgingly acknowledged Hale's now famous last words, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country."

Washington would eventually succeed in establishing extremely effective spy networks inside New York. These kept him well informed, in advance, of the British military tactics, strategies, and plans. Washington established independent spy networks, each without knowledge of the other, a key commandment in the practice of the intelligence trade. His spies committed their identities to memory, using code numbers instead of names, passing encrypted messages, using invisible ink—all the while running the risk of capture and the gallows. Major Benjamin Talmadge, a classics scholar from Yale and a classmate of Nathan Hale, headed Washington's Culper Spy Ring. Washington was referred to only as Code 711. New York became 727, Long Island was 728. Talmadge would use the pseudonym John Bolton as well as the code number 721. The ring succeeded in preventing the British from interdicting the arrival and safe landing of the French fleet with its seasick and vulnerable cargo of soldiers intent on helping the colonists.

One of the Culper Ring's most surprising and successful agents was known as Agent 355. Her true identity has remained a secret to this day. She is credited with having helped uncover Benedict Arnold's treachery in surrendering West Point and aiding in the capture of Major John André, the head of British intelligence in New York. Washington offered the British to trade André for the return of Arnold, but without success, so he reluctantly ordered André hanged, as had been Nathan Hale. The British would soon capture agent 355 as the spy who must have compromised André. She was imprisoned onboard a ship where she would die from abuse, illness, and neglect.

The Mulligan Spy Ring included Hercules Mulligan, the Irish haberdasher to the British officer corps in New York; Mulligan's brother, Hugh, who ran a bank frequented by the British; and Haym Solomon, a Polish Jew who spoke several languages, including German. He became a translator for the British in passing orders to their Hessian troops. Thus, he was Washington's fox in the British hen house. Solomon, too zealous as a saboteur in the cause of freedom, would finally be caught, escape, and become better known historically as a financial supporter of the Revolution.

The true story of Washington's victory at Trenton against the Hessian mercenaries was another inside intelligence operation. Washington had a spy inside Trenton, John Honeyman, working undercover as a merchant selling beef to the Hessians. Honeyman provided Washington all the details about fortifications, weapons, stores, and the critical timing necessary for the swift victory, all without losing a man. The Trenton victory would be the morale booster that reignited the colonials' sagging trust in Washington's ability to engage successfully the superior, better-equipped, and trained British army.

During the dark days at Valley Forge, the British planned a surprise attack to wipe out the Old Fox, Washington, once and for all, and to bring the rebellion to a swift end. Washington was extremely vulnerable at this time, and his bedraggled troops could easily have been defeated—except for his spy network inside British-occupied Philadelphia. Lydia Darrow, another of Washington's spies, eavesdropped on the British strategy session planning the attack, learning all the details. She then drove her wagon hard to warn Washington, claiming to be going to buy flour at Frankfort's Mill. Along their supposedly secret march to Valley Forge, the British troops were ambushed, sniped at, and harassed by Washington's troops. General Harris would later report that Washington did not seem a bit surprised at the attack.

As the war neared its conclusion, Washington's intelligence services were functioning like a well-oiled machine. His code breakers were intercepting and decoding the British fleet's codes. This permitted the French fleet to control the Chesapeake Bay and successfully keep British reinforcements from reaching General Cornwallis at Yorktown.

Washington used his intelligence information effectively to know when conditions were favorable to stand and fight, and when it was more prudent to avoid a battle. He was, and remains, our nation's past master of intelligence, counterintelligence, and military deception. His words, written for his spies in 1777, are still valid and required reading at the CIA:

"The necessity of procuring good Intelligence is apparent & need not be further urged. All that remains for me to add is, that you keep the whole matter as secret as possible. For upon Secrecy, Success depends in Most Enterprises of the kind, and for want of it, they are generally defeated, however well planned & promising a favourable issue."

S. Eugene "Gene" Poteat spent more than 30 years as a technical and scientific intelligence officer in the CIA, over six years of which he served abroad. He continues his membership in Dorchester Lodge No. 369 in North Charleston, S.C., and the Scottish Rite Bodies in Charleston. He now teaches, writes, and lectures on intelligence and National Security issues.