Austin Roe | |
|---|---|
 Artistic depiction of Roe | |
| Born | March 2, 1748 |
| Died | November 28, 1830 (aged 82) |
| Burial place | Cedar Grove Cemetery, Patchogue |
| Occupation(s) | Tavern owner Inn Keeper |
| Children | 8 |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Agency | Culper Ring |
| Codename | (Agent) 724 |
| Operations | Culper spy ring |
Austin Roe (March 2, 1748 –November 28, 1830) was a member of the Culper Ring, a successful spy network during the American War of Independence that was organized in 1778 by George Washington.
Austin Roe was born March 2, 1748, in Port Jefferson, New York. He married Catherine Jones, and the couple had eight children. [1] His great-grandson, Justus Roe, was the inventor of the modern day retractable carpenter's tape measure. [2]
Roe was the owner of a tavern in East Setauket. [1] "Roe's Tavern" is an extant structure (now a privately owned residence) where George Washington stayed overnight during his 1790 tour of Long Island. [3]
In December 1778, General George Washington's chief of intelligence—and Culper Ring spymaster Major Benjamin Tallmadge—recruited Jonas Hawkins as a clandestine courier to bring messages to Setauket from New York City, where the group's leader, Abraham Woodhull was gathering information. From there, the coded correspondence could be relatively easily forwarded to Tallmadge. [3] At first, the ring employed just Hawkins in the role, but by early summer, Roe had joined the group as an alternate rider, who would take messages the 55 miles (89 km) between the group's two major centers of operation, Setauket, New York, and New York City. [1] At the time, both cities were occupied by the British.
Roe and Hawkins passed the messages from New York City to operative Caleb Brewster on Long Island. [3] Brewster would take them across the Sound to Tallmadge at Fairfield, Connecticut. From there, Tallmadge forwarded the messages to Washington. [4]
Roe served the Culper spy ring as a courier by secretly relaying its messages beginning in early 1779. He claimed to be conducting business as a merchant in order to avoid suspicion and pass through the British checkpoints. [3] Roe became the sole dispatch carrier for the ring after July 1779, when Tallmadge gave Roe–but not Hawkins–a code number in his code index. [3] Hawkins increasing paranoia had led him to abandon the mission at that time. [3]
Because Roe traveled over 1000 miles on horseback performing his missions during the war, he has been called the "Paul Revere of Long Island."[ citation needed ] In 2015, a letter written by loyalist soldier Nehemiah Marks to Adjutant General Oliver De Lancey, head of British Army Intelligence following Major John Andre’s capture and execution, was uncovered. [5] The document contained information that brothers Nathaniel and Philip Roe were part of the "Long Island spy network," but the allegations were neither investigated nor acted upon. [1]
After the war, Roe continued to operate his tavern in Setauket. [1] He became a captain in Lieutenant Colonel David Pierson's New York militia regiment in Suffolk County, New York, [6] in 1787. [1] He and his family settled the area which would become the town of Patchogue on Long Island's south shore in 1798. [1] He opened an inn there, where for three decades he regaled his patrons with tales of his exploits during the war. [1]
Roe died in Suffolk County in 1830 at the age of 82; [1] and was buried in the family graveyard. His body was eventually re-interred in the Cedar Grove Cemetery, in Patchogue, after the town was founded by a descendant.
Setauket is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP population, which at the time included East Setauket as well, was 15,477.
William Floyd was an American Founding Father, wealthy farmer, and political leader from New York. Floyd served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and was a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence. In August 1776, a few weeks after the Declaration was signed, the British Army overran Long Island, confiscated Floyd's house and estate, and used the property as a base for its cavalry over the next seven years. Floyd remained active in politics throughout the Revolutionary Era, served as a major general in the New York State militia, and was elected to the first U.S. Congress in 1789.
Brookhaven, formally the Town of Brookhaven, is a large suburban town in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. With a population of 488,497 as of 2022, it is the second most populous town in the United States and in New York and the third most populous community in the state.
Shadow Patriots is 2005 historical novel by Lucia St. Clair Robson. It tells of the Culper Ring, a group of George Washington's spies operating out of New York City during the Revolution. The story includes familiar names—Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, Peggy Shippen—and one unfamiliar number, the mysterious Spy 355. 355 was the Culpers' code for "lady," and after 225 years she remains a nameless heroine who, many historians believe, died for her country.
Benjamin Tallmadge was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as leader of the Culper Ring during the war, a celebrated network of spies in New York where major British forces were based. He also led a successful raid across Long Island that culminated in the Battle of Fort St. George. After the war, Tallmadge was elected to the US House of Representatives as a member of the Federalist Party.
The Culper Ring was a network of spies active during the American Revolutionary War, organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge and General George Washington in 1778 during the British occupation of New York City. The name "Culper" was suggested by George Washington and taken from Culpeper County, Virginia. The leaders of the spy ring were Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend, using the aliases of "Samuel Culper Sr." and "Samuel Culper Jr.", respectively; Tallmadge was referred to as "John Bolton".
Abraham Woodhull was a leading member of the Culper Spy Ring in New York City and Setauket, New York, during the American Revolutionary War. He used the alias "Samuel Culper", which was a play on Culpeper County, Virginia, and was suggested by George Washington.
355 was the supposed code name of a female spy during the American Revolution who was part of the Culper Ring spy network. She was one of the first spies for the United States, but her real identity is unknown. The number 355 could be decrypted from the system the Culper Ring used to mean "lady." Her story is considered part of national myth, as there is very little evidence that 355 even existed, although many continue to assert that she was a real historical figure.
Robert Townsend was a member of the Culper Ring during the American Revolution. He operated in New York City with the aliases "Samuel Culper, Jr." and "723" and gathered information as a service to General George Washington. He is one of the least-known operatives in the spy ring and once demanded Abraham Woodhull never to tell his name to anyone, even to Washington.
Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground, also known as First Presbyterian Church of Brookhaven, is a historic Presbyterian church and cemetery at 5 Caroline Avenue in the hamlet of Setauket, Suffolk County, New York.
The Battle of Setauket was a failed attack during the American Revolutionary War on a fortified Loyalist outpost in Setauket, Long Island, New York, by a force of Continental Army troops from Connecticut under the command of Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons.
Caleb Brewster was a member of the Culper spy ring during the American Revolutionary War, reporting to General George Washington through Major Benjamin Tallmadge. He carried messages across Long Island Sound between Major Tallmadge and the ring's main spies on Long Island, New York, and in New York City. He also made direct reports to Washington concerning naval activities in the New York City area.
Turn: Washington's Spies is an American period drama television series based on Alexander Rose's book Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring (2007), a history of the Culper Ring. The series originally aired on the AMC network for four seasons, from April 6, 2014, to August 12, 2017.
Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring (2006) is a history book by Alexander Rose, based on the stories of four real-life childhood friends who formed the Culper spy ring that affected the course of the Revolutionary War. In an interview with the National Review, Rose stated he used the website of the Library of Congress to research the letters by George Washington and those in the Culper Ring, as well as newspapers from the time period and various writings left by those involved.
Anna Smith Strong of Setauket, New York was an American Patriot, and she may have been one of the only female members of the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution. Her perceived main contribution in the ring was to relay signals to a courier who ran smuggling and military missions for General George Washington. No information has been found concerning Anna's activities after the war other than that she and her husband, Selah Strong, lived quietly in Setauket for the rest of their lives. She died on August 12, 1812.
Jonas Hawkins was an American Patriot and a member of the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution.
Cato Howe was an enslaved African American Black Patriot spy and courier during the American Revolution. Cato's enslaver, Hercules Mulligan, gathered intelligence through his connections as well as clients at his New York City tailoring shop. Cato carried the information on horseback to Continental Army officers and other revolutionaries, including Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, and often through British-held territory. Cato's messages are credited with saving Washington's life on two occasions. Besides his intelligence activities with Mulligan, little definite information about Cato is available.
Sarah "Sally" Townsend (c.1760–1842) was thought to be an informant for George Washington's Culper Ring, a spy ring founded in the summer of 1778. Townsend lived in Oyster Bay and passed information to her brother, Robert Townsend, a main member of the ring. She died in December 1842 and is buried at the Townsend Cemetery.
Nathaniel Sackett was the spymaster appointed by General George Washington to create a network of civilian spies located in New York during the American Revolution. Sackett and his new spy ring would report to William Duer, a Continental Congressman, and General Washington. Sackett's later lack of progress led him to be relieved of his post. He was replaced with Benjamin Tallmadge, who built upon Sackett's work and established the Culper Spy Ring.
Three Village Historical Society is a historical society headquartered in East Setauket, New York, that preserves the history of the villages of Old Field, Poquott, the Setaukets, and Stony Brook. The society educates visitors about local history through events, walking tours, and educational programs.