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.