31. America’s Greatest Spy
America has probably never had a greater spy than Robert Townsend (1753 – 1838). Using the codename “Samuel Culper, Jr.”, he headed the American Revolution’s most important spy network, The Culper Ring. Townsend’s espionage activities probably had a greater and longer-lasting historical impact than that of any other single clandestine operative from the country’s founding to the present.
For somebody whose actions played such a great role, he is remarkably little known, and does not get anywhere near the recognition his historical contributions warrant. That was how he wanted it. Townsend never sought recognition during the war, insisting that his identity be kept secret even from George Washington. After the conflict, the few who knew his identity – whose numbers by then included Washington – respected his wish to remain anonymous.