George Washington Was also a Spymaster
George Washington was not just an American Revolution general: he was also his own spy master, focused mostly on New York City. When people think of America’s War of Independence, the city that usually first comes to mind is Boston. Among other things, we have the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, John and Samuel Adams, the nearby opening engagements at Lexington and Concord. The Patriots’ first major military success was to force the British to leave Boston. However, New York also played a major role in the Revolutionary War.
After the war’s first few months when Boston was the focus of attention, New York took center stage for the rest of the conflict. In the summer of 1776, the British descended upon New York in force, and the war’s biggest battle was fought at Long Island on August 27th, 1776. Washington and the Continental Army were defeated, and the survivors had to hole up in Brooklyn. They only avoided capture by a miraculous escape. The British then proceeded to consolidate their hold on the city and its surroundings.