With Tallmadge stationed in Connecticut and most of the spy work transpiring in New York City, Brewster’s role was to transport information across the sound from Long Island. Capt Caleb Brewster (1747 - 1827) - Find A Grave Photos - Burial: Old Burying Ground Fairfield Fairfield County Connecticut, USA. According the Ken Daigler, General Washington waited until the summer of 1779 to allow Tallmadge and Woodhull to add an intelligence agent. Examples of Brewster’s intelligence reports to Washington between 1778 and 1781 remain in the Washington Papers at the Library of Congress. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. He would slip past the British ships and hide in one of the coves in the bay. In part the letter says: The email does not appear to be a valid email address. We’ve updated the security on the site. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. He rowed his whaleboat back and forth from Black Rock (Bridgeport) CT to Setauket (Long Island) NY to carry intelligence to Benjamin Tallmadge. Try again later. Gen. Benedict Arnold. It was then passed to Austin Roe for transportation to Setauket, Long Island. Hannah Caldwell’s Death: Accident or Murder? such that the Smiths could move about L.I. (The family surname is spelled with either an s or a c, depending on the family member.) The grave of spy Abraham Woodhull can be found in the cemetery of the Setauket Presbyterian Church. In addition to carrying British instructions to subordinate commanders, he also fed false information on Continental Army strength and locations to British commanders. Please contact Find a Grave at support@findagrave.com if you need help resetting your password. Among the papers found in Andre’s possession, Arnold also identified “Kinnicut” [one “t”] who was identified in the McDonald Papers [Part II, p. 38] as “Luther Kinnicutt” [or probably Hezekiah Kinnicutt – 2 “t”‘s – from R.I. whose wife’s maiden name was Luther]. Year should not be greater than current year. Use the links under “See more…” to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Jay did not disclose Crosby’s name. We feature smart, groundbreaking research and well-written narratives from expert writers. He was buried on month day1690, at burial place, Connecticut. Son of Benjamin Brewster b. Please try again later. His original headstone is embedded into one side of the brick facades of a simulated table stone grave marker that was probably constructed in the early twentieth century; the site is well-maintained. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Required fields are marked *. He worked on his farm and did some black smithing. If a new volunteer signs up in your requested photo location, they may see your existing request and take the photo. 128, 129-30 and 244 for information on the Honeyman story. Naturally, Loyalists and British alike became suspicious of Townsend, but they never caught him performing any espionage or even discovered his two small glass containers of invisible ink and developer. Captain Caleb Brewster then carried the spy information across Long Island Sound to Fairfield, Connecticut. I know this article was written quite a while ago but I want you to know how helpful it was to our family. His accurate, timely information significantly undermined Loyalist efforts in the region. After the war Townsend ended his business in New York and returned to Oyster Bay to lead a quiet life. His original headstone was ripped out by the British and never recovered. Meanwhile, Anna waited for word from another spy, Caleb Brewster, who had been a whaleboat captain and knew the waters well. Thank you, Damien, I thoroughly enjoyed your article because I learned something new about a subject that is of great interest to me. Just two weeks later Culper Junior informed and warned Tallmadge and then Washington of a British double agent posing as a patriot but working for Loyalist New York City Mayor David Mathews. He died in Setauket in 1826 and is buried in the Setauket Presbyterian Church and Burial Ground. Resend Activation Email. It was replaced sometime in the late 1800s with an impressive monument. He later worked for the American side as a spy and double agent in New York City and there exists a number of letters and other related documents in the George Washington papers that reference Hunter’s role as a secret agent. Initially, McLane was a Delaware militia officer in 1775 and 1776 before being commissioned a captain in the Continental Army in January of 1777. He was able to maintain his cover while working as one of at least several agents employed by John Jay as part of his counterintelligence operations in the lower Hudson River Valley. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. According to Daigler, that was a rare combination. He may have saved General Washington’s life not once but twice, including thwarting a British plot to capture him in Connecticut in 1781. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Later in the war, McLane served as a soldier, intelligence officer and spy in two battles—Stony Point in July 1779 and Paulus Hook a month later. A view of the grave of Caleb Brewster, a member of the famous Culper Spy Ring, seen during Fairfield Museum's Fairfield “Old Burying Ground” … Townsend wasted no time in providing helpful intelligence, sending his first dispatch on June 29, 1779. Benjamin Tallmadge (1754-1835) proved a very capable case officer, recruiting trusted friends from his childhood spent in Setauket, Long Island. Tallmadge approached him in August 1778, recruiting him as his primary agent for intelligence on British military planning and operations in and around New York City. He gathered important information while maintaining his career as a tailor with many British officers and Loyalist civilians as his clients. “ For the reasons I mentioned to you the other day I have not the least objection to our real strength being known, and it will be well for you to inform that you came by the knowledge of it from inquiry and your own observations of the troops when under arms upon which you formed an average estimate of the force of each regiment in the different Brigades; to give your account, the greater air of probability you may observe that the Officers are very incautious in speaking of the strength of their regiments. He resided in Black Rock. Their spy activities haven been overshadowed by others such as the Culper Ring. In one Washington (in part) wrote:“The Recommendations given in your favor by Mr. Jay then President of Congress and Major General McDougall were such as induced me to repose great confidence in you, and to my own knowledge, after being employed in the manner abovementioned you obtained such intelligence, either by yourself or your Correspondents, of various things which passed within the British Lines, as was of considerable consequence to us. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Upon his return to America in 1776, he accepted a commission as an ensign in the 4th New York Regiment. Maj. Gen. Israel Putnam relied on their intelligence in a later part of 1776, and by December 1776, Joshua and John discovered evidence of British preparations to pursue the retreating Continental Army across the Delaware River. Mulliganserved a dangerous role as a “stay behind agent” in the British-occupied city. Each of them has a story and contributed in different, heroic ways. Author James Fenimore Cooper published his first best-selling novel, The Spy, in 1821. He wrote and published The Spy Unmasked: Or Memoirs of Enoch Crosby, Alias Harvey Birch. He remarried in 1824 to Lydia Terry. Sources for Caleb Brewster 1 Find A Grave , (accessed 03/31/2014). For Edits select Suggest Edits on the memorial page. Tallmadge assigned him the number 722. There was an error deleting this problem. Although their identity is not known for sure, Agent 355 would have made a fascinating addition here, given that he/she is sometimes credited with unmasking Benedict Arnold. Elijah Hunter was a valuable double agent for Washington, having the trust of New York City British military and civilian leaders. His vertical wide headstone is difficult to read but is structurally sound and well-marked and maintained. Tallmadge also created a concise but effective code book that improved the tradecraft, secrecy and plausible deniability of the entire ring, including himself as well as his boss, General Washington. Information secured in New York passed to several members of the ring and eventually to Brewster in Setauket. 2 The American Genealogist , New Haven, Connecticut: D. L. Jacobus (issues newer than 5 years not online) , 1936, Vol. Finally, Washington sent McLane into New York City in the fall of 1781 to meet with James Rivington, the important intelligence agent and Tory newspaper printer. “Inclosed (sic) you will find a return of the troops fit for duty under my immediate command. Selah and Abe were taken into British custody, but after the intercession of Abe's father, Abe was released by … Austin Roe of Setauket, brought the secret messages from the chief spy in New York, Robert Townsend (alias Culper, Jr.). H” in others. He was raised like many on Long Island at that time as a Quaker, who were overwhelmingly pacifist. Brewster did not join the Intelligence Service until 1778, but joined the Revolutionary War effort in 1776. American Patriot Caleb Brewster, cousin of Joseph Brewster and presumably a frequent visitor to the house, was a … All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Saved from findagrave.com. Most importantly, McLane was later able to warn Washington of British movement towards Washington’s main army encampment at Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania. The Cutter Service later became known as the U.S. Coast Guard. The original headstone of Crosby’s grave in the small, rural Gilead Cemetery in Carmel, New York, fell into disrepair over a century ago. He based his leading character, Harvey Birch, on the exploits of Crosby as told to Cooper in many stories by his friend, John Jay, years after the war. There is more on the green afterwards making it a great patriotic day. He was born on August 4, 1749 in the Town of Cortlandt Manor on a farm near the Village of Bedford. He also travelled in his small craft along the coast of Connecticut, sending dispatches from shoreline locations such as Norwalk. This was not his original gravestone, nor do we know the exact location of his grave site. Ben and Caleb arrived at the Continental outpost in Connecticut to rescue Hewlett, only to discover the outpost been ambushed. Luckily, enough of a paper trail, especially the approved pension applications for their service during the war, survived, allowing us to reassemble several important portions of a complicated puzzle that will never be fully solved. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. ). The 40+ year old annual ceremonies were held by the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter NSDAR and the Oliver Wolcott Senior Branch S.A.R. × Caleb Brewster was a member of the Culper spy ring during the American Revolutionary War. GRAVE MARKINGS Caleb Brewster Marking Click Here President Connecticut Society Valerie Chase speaking at Caleb Brewster Grave Marking . Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Capt Caleb Brewster I found on Findagrave.com. You established your credibility with me by relating information that I’d gathered in separate research so, the new info was welcomed. Failed to remove flower. His cover was maintained by his own cunning and by his being captured several times by patriot soldiers. Once in Setauket, the intelligence was carried across the sound by Caleb Brewster to Major Tallmadge in Connecticut. Bissell’s intelligence proved valuable, and remnants of it include his sketch of a British fort on Staten Island as part of his lengthy debriefing. State # 3. Washington would simply be referred to as 711, while Tallmadge numbered himself 721 and went the extra step for protection by listing himself with the alias “John Bolton” in case any of the three code books should fall into enemy hands. Once Anna found out where Caleb was, she hung out her black petticoat. Robert Townsend (1753-1838) was born, raised, and died in Oyster Bay, Long Island, about thirty miles west of Setauket. This author held a special ceremony there in September of 2019 as part of his American Revolution Spy Symposium to help celebrate the town of Litchfield’s three hundredth birthday. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Plese check the I'm not a robot checkbox.'. 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