GEORGE WASHINGTON: AMERICA’S FIRST SPYMASTER
Fun Spy Codes and activity pages for kids from Mount Vernon Society.
Map of the Culper Spy Ring’s Activities
Lesson Plan for Culper Spy Ring
American Revolution: Espionage – The Culper Spy Ring
To evaluate how the Culper Spy Ring helped to define the spirit of the American Revolution by
learning of its members and functions.
Teachers:
Here’s a fun way to engage your students as spies in the cause for liberty & teacher about the culper spy ring.
Culper Spies: Your Secret Assignment
During the American Revolution there was a need for both the British and Americans to send coded and secret messages to gain information about each other. This was done in several ways through different channels, but the Culper Code and invisible ink are two of the best known methods used.
General George Washington – known as Agent 711 in the Culper Spy Ring – needed to know what the British troops were doing so he could make wise decisions so the colonials could defeat the British. Since the Continental Army was relatively small in number, many civilians were drawn into the Culper Ring under the guidance of Major Benjamin Tallmadge, known as “John Bolton” or Agent 721 in the Culper Code. Other members of the ring included Anna Strong, who would hang a number of handkerchiefs and a black petticoat on her clothesline to signal which cove Caleb Brewster (725) would be waiting
to meet Abraham Woodhull (“Samuel Culper”, 722). Tallmadge developed the Culper Code Book, a numerical code which allowed the spies to keep their messages and identities secret.
Your mission:
Using the Culper Code (see attached created by Mount Vernon), write your own spy letter to inform General George Washington about the British troops, arms, events or strategy, or the secret activities of other Culper spies.
Your second mission: Pretend you’re General George Washington and decipher the coded message below that you just received from a Culper spy courier. It’s urgent and needs your immediate attention! After reading the message, what do you do next?
72 /38 / 5/ 344 / 711 / 283 / 731/ 736 / 48 / 87 / 506 /
711
Arnold / 283 / 642