Significance.

The code name for an American spy network during the Revolutionary War, the Culper Ring, proved to be the most effective espionage service employed by either side during the whole conflict. The ring successfully operated in the New York City area for almost six years, sustaining only one major reversal in 1780. Its history entails many hair-raising episodes, and James Fenimore Cooper used the ring as a basis for his 1821 novel The Spy.

Origins.

Early in the war George Washington recognized the need for good intelligence concerning enemy troop dispositions and movements. In 1776 Nathan Hale was captured in New York City and hanged as a spy. During the Pennsylvania campaign of 1777 and subsequent British occupation of Philadelphia, various individuals supplied American forces with information. However, not until after the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse in June 1778, when the British reestablished their headquarters in New...