Did you know George Washington had his own spies?
During the American Revolutionary War, General Washington wanted a way to figure out the British army's next move. So, in 1778, he put Major Benjamin Tallmadge in charge as his director of military intelligence. Tallmadge created the Culper Spy Ring: a secret group of spies who operated in and around New York City.
The Culper Spy Ring was so effective that Washington didn't even know the true identity of the spies. Tallmadge gave his spies fake names, or pseudonyms, to hide who they really were and created a secret code. The Culper Spy Code was made up of over 700 numbers, which the spy ring used to write secret messages and hide their real identities.
Left: Benjamin Tallmadge, c. 1825. Right: George Washington, c. 1803
Crack the Culper Code!
Want to understand how the code worked? Use our Honest History worksheet to decode top-secret messages.
Make Your Own Codebook
Once you've mastered the art of code-breaking, why not make your very own code? Create a codebook with our Honest History worksheet. You'll be writing secret messages to your friends and family in no time!
Learn about George Washington's secret spies in our kids' magazine, Issue 6 | A Secret Mission. For more revolutionary history, don't forget to check out Issue 32 | Building America.
