Agent 355: Female Spies In The Revolution

When we think of intelligence networks during the Revolutionary War, what usually comes to mind (especially for those of us who live in Massachusetts) is Paul Revere’s midnight ride alerting the Minutemen to the advance of British troops. But as the war progressed, General George Washington needed to expand his use of espionage—often using more non-traditional tactics.

One of these was the use of women to gather intelligence on British movements in and around New York. A network of spies around the city was dubbed the Culper Ring—likely named after Culpeper County, Virginia, where Washington once worked as a land surveyor. One member of the ring—using the codename Agent 355—was thought to be one Anna Strong, a resident of Setauket, Long Island, and a woman with strong ties to the patriot movement. She passed along her messages in unique ways. When she hung a black petticoat on her clothesline, it meant that a member of the spy ring was ready to submit intelligence. And, by hanging out a certain number of white handkerchiefs, it would signal the specific hiding place of the spy. 

Anna Strong and other women proved highly useful in gathering intelligence on things like troop movements and supply routes. When British troops were quartered in private homes, women often transmitted key information from their “loose-lipped” lodgers. In fact, some historians believe Strong was instrumental in uncovering Benedict Arnold as a defector to the British—as well as the related arrest and execution of Major John Andre’.

So, while women were technically barred from military service during the Revolutionary War, their involvement in espionage rings delivered indispensable information—allowing Washington and his commanders to make informed decisions that ultimately led to victory.

The President Who Wasn't

One hundred fifty years ago, in 1876, America experienced one of the closest presidential elections in its history. The Democratic nominee, New York State Governor Samuel J. Tilden garnered 50.92% of the popular vote to 47.92% for the Republican nominee, Ohio Governor Rutherford B. Hayes. The initial Electoral College tally had Tilden with 184 votes (one shy of a majority) and Hayes with just 165.

But, 20 Electoral College votes were in dispute—from Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Oregon—due to duplicate slates of electors being presented. Moreover, Republican voters in many southern states were intimidated and even killed. Barely a decade after the end of the Civil War, the nation faced another constitutional crisis. 

Congress decided to resolve the dispute through establishment of a 15-member Electoral Commission (7 Democrats, 7 Republicans and one Independent). A series of 8-7 votes gave all 20 disputed Electoral College votes to Republican Hayes—beating Tilden by a margin of 185-184.

Democrats in Congress were initially outraged, but their rage was tempered by newly inaugurated President Hayes supporting the Compromise of 1877. The act effectively ended Reconstruction by withdrawing all federal troops from the last two Southern states that were still occupied: South Carolina and Louisiana. The aftermath was the era of Jim Crow and its institutionalized discrimination against African-Americans throughout the South. And, no Republican presidential candidate would win a former Confederate state until Warren G. Harding in 1920.

So, Tilden—who won the popular vote—lost the presidency through a political contrivance of Congress. And, a disputed presidential election had impact on American society for at least a century afterward.