Cato | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Spy, courier |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service branch | Continental Army, American Revolutionary War |
Rank | Enslaved person |
Cato was an enslaved African American Black Patriot spy and courier operating out of British-occupied New York City during the American Revolution. Cato's enslaver, Hercules Mulligan, gathered intelligence through his connections as well as clients at his tailoring shop. Cato carried the information to Continental Army officers and other revolutionaries, including Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, often crossing the Hudson River into New Jersey. Cato's messages are credited with saving Washington's life on at least two occasions. Besides his intelligence activities with Mulligan, little definite information about Cato is available.
Because no correspondence with Mulligan's name or a recognized alias on it survives, a complete record of his and Cato's activities during the American Revolution cannot be compiled. [1] An article in the Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine in 1985 stated: "Every estimate of the number of minorities who participated in the American Revolution has been deceptively low...." Cato is among those whose contributions have been mostly overlooked. [2] Historian Paul R. Misencik has written that Cato was a "faithful accomplice" of Mulligan's. [3]
While Cato and Mulligan operated mostly simultaneously with Washington and Benjamin Tallmadge's Culper Ring of American spies, their official affiliation with the group is disputed. Although historian Alexander Rose has written that Mulligan and Cato began espionage activities within six weeks of Robert Townsend, alias "Samuel Culper, Jr.", sending his first intelligence letter, [4] historian Stephen Knott writes that they began spying in late 1776 or early 1777, well before formation of the Culper Ring in 1778 and mostly independent of it. [1]
Cato facilitated a plot between Mulligan and Haym Salomon, a Patriot loyalist who had been released from British captivity under the condition that he work as a translator between the British and Hessian soldiers. The plot involved collecting intelligence from and advertising Mulligan's tailoring business to the Hessian officers. Mulligan sent Cato to Salomon's shop with ads to translate into German and pass to the Hessians, and Cato returned with the translations and intelligence that Mulligan could report to Hamilton and Washington at Continental Army headquarters. [3]
Since the British did not suspect an enslaved person would be acting as a messenger to George Washington, in April 1777, they allowed Cato to cross the Hudson River on a ferry, carrying packages containing intelligence about British General William Howe's activities and movements. Many of the soldiers were Mulligan's customers and, therefore, knew Cato and let him both pass to New Jersey and return to New York with the packages marked "H. Mulligan, clothier." [1] [3] [5]
After the British abandoned Philadelphia and returned to New York City in the summer of 1778, activity again picked up in the restored British Army headquarters. William Cunningham, an Irish Tory who was serving as Provost Marshal of New York City, suspected Mulligan of espionage and was curious about Cato's trips from New York. He eventually questioned and jailed Cato, treating him cruelly and interrogating him about Mulligan's activities and his deliveries out of town. Cato would not talk. [3]
During the winter of 1779, a British officer came into Mulligan's New York tailor shop late in the evening looking for a watch coat. During the conversation, the officer shared a British plan to attack and capture Washington the following day. Cato was quickly dispatched to alert Washington, who moved his troops and thwarted the attack. [6] [7]
In 1780, Mulligan received intelligence from his brother Hugh, who worked for British army contractor Kortright and Company, that the British planned to intercept Washington in New London, Connecticut on his way to meet with General Rochambeau. Cato carried the message to Washington, who rerouted in such a way to distract the British from the French landing in Newport, Rhode Island. [7] [3] [6]
The Culper Ring is depicted in the fictionalized AMC American Revolutionary War period drama Turn: Washington's Spies based on Alexander Rose's book Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring (2007). [8] Mulligan and Cato are portrayed in the fourth and final season. [9]
Haym Salomon was a Polish-born American merchant best known for his actions during the American Revolution, where he was the prime financier to the Continental Congress. Born in Leszno, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Salomon studied finance in Western Europe before emigrating to New York City in 1775. After the American Revolutionary War broke out in the same year, Salomon supported the Patriots by providing financial services while working alongside Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance of the United States.
During the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army and British Army conducted espionage operations against one another to collect military intelligence to inform military operations. In addition, both sides conducted political action, covert action, counterintelligence, deception, and propaganda operations as part of their overall strategies.
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".
Alexander Rose is an author and a historian.
James Rivington was an English-born American journalist who published a Loyalist newspaper in the American colonies called Rivington's Gazette. He was driven out of New York by the Sons of Liberty, but was very likely a member of the American Culper Spy Ring, which provided the Continental Army with military intelligence from British-occupied New York.
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.
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.
Elizabeth Burgin was an American patriot during the American Revolutionary War who helped over 200 prisoners of war escape British prison ships. She worked with George Higday of the Culper Spy Ring, and after he was caught by the British, Major General James Pattison ordered her capture. Burgin went into hiding and did not see her children for weeks. She lost her home and possessions and struggled until she was awarded an annuity with George Washington's assistance. In a letter to the Continental Congress, he stated those who attest to her service include "many of our own officers who have returned from captivity" due to her missions.
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.
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.
Austin Roe 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.
Hercules Mulligan was an Irish-American tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty.
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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.
The Whaleboat War was a series of actions fought by American privateers in the aftermath of the British victory Battle of Long Island and in the context of the subsequent Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War after Saratoga. The Americans used whaleboats rowed from the New Jersey into New York Bay and from Connecticut into Long Island Sound to capture and disrupt British commercial shipping, occasionally making raids on the coast of British occupied Long Island. They quickly sold their prizes, dividing their profits with the financier and the state.